Strategic Sense, in addition to providing Leadership Training, has made a commitment to highlight some of the remarkable authors, leadership professionals and business people we’ve had the great fortune of meeting and working with over the last 3 years. On Wednesdays you will see guest-posts from some of these folks. All are leaders in their field and have solutions to some of our biggest workplace issues. Such as Jeffrey Summers, the President and Founder of RestaurantWorx™ who wrote about Building the Ultimate Customer Experience.
Today’s Guest Post is by Joan Koerber-Walker who has recently stepped up again as President and CEO of AZBio and whose blog we follow and share regularily because of it’s insight and great messages.
And now, here’s Joan…
The Great Wall of China – © Chris Walker 2001 all rights reserved
Change is not a passive activity. Leadership isn’t either. When we see something that is changing, we find our opportunity to step up and lead. Just as with the Great Wall of China, there are thousands of opportunities to step up.
As we look around our businesses, our homes, our communities and our countries, we can always find areas in need of improvement. In each of these areas, we have a choice. We can sit back, watch and complain OR we can step up, lead and direct change for the better.
Take your walking stick on the journey.
Whether we choose to keep our world small or embrace it globally, each of us have our own unique talents, skills, and experiences that we can use to drive innovation in the world around us, These are the tools at our disposal that act as walking sticks, supporting us with each step we take IF we choose to use them. Some leadership journeys can be very long and others can be incredibly steep. Bringing everything you have to offer to the project gives you something to lean on along the way.
Connect your steps.
Stepping up does not have to mean traveling alone. It’s been said that it’s lonely at the top. Keep in mind that it does not have to be. Just like the Great Wall, there really is no “top” just a series of plateaus and mile posts that connect along the journey. With each connection comes the opportunity to form a bond with others who share your goals, passions and reasons for taking the lead. These bonds foster communication and the sharing of ideas just as in ancient times the Great Wall served as China’s foundation for a network of communications linking outpost to outpost.
Look back… Move Forward.
At times, when stepping up, the journey may seem too long ahead of us. This can sap our energy and slow our steps. When this happens, don’t be afraid to pause and look behind you at all of the steps that have lead you to this point. The progress you have made will fuel your energy once again and the momentary rest will give your leadership muscles a chance to recover. Then, when it is time, move forward to step up again. You might just leave a legacy as enduring as the Great Wall of China.
Joan Koerber-Walker recently stepped up again as President and CEO of AZBio, the Arizona BioIndustry Association to lead an organization dedicated to the growth of the bioscience industry in her home state and its impact on health, energy, agriculture and the economy. A two time Stevie Award National Finalist and former Fortune 500 executive, she is also the Chairman of the Board of CorePurpose, Inc. and the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation and serves as Executive in Residence for Callaman Ventures. As the former CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association in Washington, D.C. she has worked with hundreds of small businesses and on behalf of thousands. Chat with her on Twitter as @joankw, @JKWgrowth, @JKWinnovation, @JKWleadership and @CorePurpose or at her blog at www.JoanKoerber-Walker.com.
Patti Blackstaffe, President of Strategic Sense Inc, is a Speaker, Strategic Advisor and Trainer in Leadership, Customer Service and Cultural integration through Mergers and Acquisition.You can book her to speak at her personal page.
Need Strategic Sense for your business? – hire us for Leadership Development of individuals, teams, group training and company strategy. Read what folks have to say about her eBook Leadership XXL: 11 Practical Steps to Living Leadership Extra, Extra Large.
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