Leadership Forum

I had the pleasure of attending a Leadership Forum at my club this evening. I thoroughly enjoy hearing how someone else navigated the professional world to reach their esteemed positions. I left the event inspired and a bit more clear-headed. It seemed as though the guest speaker, Norman Bagwell - President of Chase Bank Dallas, had a message made just for me. Here are the things that I want to share in my own words:

1. Strive for Internal Equity- When he used this term he was referring to how you are valued within your organization. Even if you have the opportunity to make more money elsewhere you also have to account for the value you have within your company. If you find yourself the unspoken leader or the person that the President calls for feedback that is an excellent spot to be in and it could be very hard to find again. It means that you will be called upon to do greater things within your organization that will foster new opportunities for growth, leadership and hopefully financial gain.

2. Inside and Outside Value- You may work with clients and have a great repoire with them. It is equally important to have that internally with your management and peers. This basically compounds the earlier point but not all of us have this in harmony. While it seems obvious, it may be something we all need to work on. It would be nice to know that everyone would choose to be on your team because you know how to work well with others and if by chance you have to lead one day, they can trust you to keep the team strong and inspired even in the face of adversity.

3. Stay the Course- We are all faced with big offers and opportunities but sometimes staying the course is the best option. You may be surrounded by highly qualified people yet, if they force their hand and fate they could be running to high risk opportunities that could leave you holding down the fort and ultimately you own empire. If you are the last one standing and you have always kept your value, who isn't going to appoint you as the leader. From there you grow and could achieve more than you ever imagined.

4. Keep the Balance- I hear this time and time again from the most successful and seasoned professionals. Some, because they lost it and had to find it again. Some, because they always did. Life is a series of choices. Be mindful of how those choices affect your family or hopes of having one.

5. PP&E- Planning, Projection and Execution. Always look at the long term as far out as you can. Execute accordingly.

6. Enthusiasm and Energy- People are naturally drawn to those with enthusiasm and energy. The speaker said that these are 2 things that we alone have the ability to control. Enough said.

7. Adaptability to Change- We all need to have the ability to adapt to change. In a corporate setting, just as it is in all aspects of life, change is the variable that we have to allow and even sponsor. If you work with a group of people that consider change adversity, it is your responsibility to keep the level head and build faith that it is right for the company as a whole. Mr. Bagwell said there are 3 buckets: One for the people that will never change. One for the people that are willing to adopt the change fully. And one for those that need persuaded. You have to keep the morale high regardless.

8. Community Involvement- Many of the job skills you might like to have but aren't authorized to do can be found in different roles of committees for organizations in your community. If you can't build those skills at the office, do it elsewhere and take those to the next company you work for. You are the builder of your life and your resume, not XYZ Corporation.

All that being said, how do you want to be perceived and how far do you want to go? I wish you all a prosporous and valuable career. If you don't feel the intrinsic value that you would like to have I hope you take the time to find it. I know that it can be difficlut and sometimes I struggle with motivation or purpose but it all comes back to listening to someone that did it before you and finding mentors that can help you see the pitfalls that they might have made before you let them happen to you. Good luck being the best that you can be!

Comments

[J. Armstrong]

Arrrrgghhhh! Sorry ab. all the spelling mistakes in my post--I went to hit the up arrow key to correct everything and hit the enter button instead. Sorry, I'm working on the hooked on phonics tapes, but I still don't quite seem to have it all down pat yet. ;-)

[J. Armstrong]

Thansk for the grear insights. I definitely need to work on a few of these and seeing them all laid out makes me want to start focusing on what needs improving. Keeping balance is by far my worst one to attain, though adaptability to change is a close second. Which one is your worst? Oh, ignore, Cathy's post ab your quote, I explained it to her at dinner last night--you should have seen how confused she was! So cute. ;-) (She really likes your blog too.)