Lead By Example: Narrowing The Gap

"There comes a time when simply knowing truth will no longer satisfy. If it does not change circumstances for good, what good is it?" ~ Bill Johnson

SIMPLY KNOWING A TRUTH or good idea is not enough. How many of your aha moments have actually changed your life in some way? Or brought you closer to a desired result? Very few? Some? Many?

Many of us would probably have to admit to a lot fewer than we'd like. We get excited over new ideas, but the trouble is that sometimes we're a little weak in our follow through. The gap between what we believe and what we're experiencing is a lot wider than we'd hoped for.

Perhaps we've picked up the idea that just knowing the truth about something will somehow magically bring about the desired change.

But, a new idea is just a seed, and like any other seed, we've got to plant it before it will root, grow, and produce a harvest.

We may have read a lot of great books, listened to inspiring speakers, or written reams of notes, but they won't do us any good UNTIL we take the first step to do something with it all.

So, think of one truth or idea you believed would change your life in some way, but it hasn't (yet).

Do you still believe it's true? Then what could you do today, this week, to implement a change in your life? What tiny step could you take to begin to bring about the desired result in your life, family or business?

To enjoy a harvest, we first must plant the seed. How will you narrow the gap today?

Lead By Example: Are You Consistent?

IT'S NOT SO much the words we speak when we're at a meeting or talking to our director and sister consultants that change things. It's the words we speak the rest of the time that will make the difference for us.

We can all easily say the 'right' things occasionally, when we're in the right mood, or when someone else can hear us, but it's important that we're saying them ALL the time, even when we're not excited, and when all is not well.

 

Why? Because there is someone paying attention to what you are saying. And, that someone is you!

We can easily say we're going to be a successful millionaire unit a few times. We can jump up and down and Rah! Rah! with the rest of the group, but we need to speak (and believe) the same message when the lights are turned off and everyone else has gone home.

To do something consistently means to do it time after time, time after time, time after time. Pay attention to what you're saying when the 'right' people aren't around to hear you. Determine to speak only what will encourage you to keep believing your goal is possible. If faith (or belief) comes by hearing ... what are you hearing when you open your mouth?

Consistently speak what you desire, for as author and speaker Gloria Copeland says, "in consistency lies the power".

Lead By Example: Just This Once

 

 HAS ANYONE ever used the phrase 'just this once'? For instance ... just this once I'll sneak an extra piece of cheesecake even though I shouldn't. Just this once I'll skip my MK weekly meeting because I'm just too busy. Just this once, I'll leave my purse in the car, I'll only be gone a moment.

Often the phrase is used when we choose to compromise something ... a promise, a value, a principle, or an attitude. And often when we do that, we end up regretting it. The extra piece of cheesecake keeps our weight and cholesterol level up. Skipping our weekly motivational meeting leaves us feeling guilty and the help we could have received is lost. Leaving our purse in the car just this once opened the door for someone to break in and steal it. It's not worth it, is it?  Now we feel guilty or weighed down.

I like to use that phrase in a more positive way. For instance, what if we're trying to cut down on coffee and we say, "Just this once I think I'll skip that next cup." Or if we want to cut down on our sugar intake, just this once I won't have that extra cookie. Just this once, I won't respond unkindly when someone shoves her way in front of me in the grocery line.

'Just this once' doesn't commit us to a new pattern or habit for life, so we don't have to feel overwhelmed by it. We're not immediately committed to it for life. Rather, we are empowered to make small changes without feeling defeated before we even begin. And, when we continue to make this choice several times in a row, it won't be long before we're on the path to a new and freeing habit.

A well-known writer once said that each decision we make, however large or small, trivial or important, will either bring us closer to heaven or closer to hell. When you think about it, every time we decide to act, talk and live by the Golden Rule, we choose a habit, a lifestyle that brings us closer to having a little 'heaven on earth'. I'm all for that, aren't you?

I believe it's a great way to lead by example!

Lead By Example: Aspire to Inspire

 

ONE CHARACTERISTIC OF A GREAT LEADER is the ability to inspire others. So, how can we inspire other women to dream their dreams and come aboard?

1. Think about one person who inspires you. Ask yourself, when I'm around this individual, what is it about her that inspires me to get excited and motivated? Her example will give you your own clues of what makes an inspirational leader.

2. What excites you? That's what you share with others, get then excited too. If you aren't passionate about something, you won't get anyone else excited either.

3. Be on the lookout for women who identify with what you are excited about. When you share your I-stories, do you see the light coming on in her eyes? Do you see her relating to you? If her eyes glaze over with indifference or boredom, then you haven't found the right one to recruit yet (which is no one's fault, just keep looking).

4. Present the opportunity, but then let her have the space and freedom to find out if that's what she really wants. If you try to persuade before she truly believes this is a good thing for her, you may end up dragging or carrying her along. If her heart's not in it, it only drags you both down in the end.

An inspirational leader often helps me see what may already be in my heart, but is still lying dormant, because sometimes she can see what I can't see as clearly. She helps me to look at new possibilities and her enthusiasm gives me the courage to even allow myself to think past my comfort zone.

Then, when I'm ready to say yes, an inspiring leader is one who excitedly and eagerly shows me how I, too, can aspire to heights I've never been before.

That's the kind of inspiring example I'd like to be. You too?

Photo source:  antique clipart

Lead By Example: Honesty is the cornerstone

"Honesty is the cornerstone of all success, without which confidence and ability to perform shall case to exist." ~~ Mary Kay Ash

I AM ALWAYS GRATEFUL when someone tells me up front what she wants and what it is going to cost me in terms of time, effort, and money. I want to know what's expected of me.


That's why I like what Lee Iacocca, American philanthropist and former Chrysler CEO, said about honesty:

"I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you are trying to accomplish and what you are willing to sacrifice to accomplish it."

When we're honest at the beginning, people can make an intelligent decision and when they choose what we have to offer -- whether it's Mary Kay or something else entirely -- we will have gained a team member who has counted the cost and still wants it.


When you're thinking about recruiting someone new to your team, tell the whole truth. Yes, tell her the fantastic benefits, but share the costs too. Don't hide the fact that, like anywhere else, success in MK still takes commitment and hard work. Knowing what's ahead, she won't have illusions that will later disappoint or make her angry with you, or the company.


If she doesn't want to sign up for whatever reason, trying to gloss over things like time and cost factors won't stop her from leaving when she eventually figures out it requires more than she first thought.

Honesty....it's not just the best policy; it's the cornerstone for success and that's a great way to lead by example.

Perfectly Pink!
(c) Brenda Leyland

Lead By Example: Golden Rule Always In Fashion

MARY KAY ASH once said, "We must not compromise our principles in order to further our careers."

Everything Mary Kay did during her lifetime came out of her simple belief that 'doing unto others as you would have them do unto you' was the right way to live and do business.

She believed that if we truly live by the Golden Rule in our every action and even in our thoughts, then our lives will take on new meaning and so will the lives of those about us.

She also said, "My sincere desire is that each and every Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant will learn to live by the Golden Rule, not only in her Mary Kay business, but in her daily life.

If there is ever a question about how to deal with a situation, simply put yourself in the place of the other person and treat that person exactly as you would want to be treated. In the long run, you will find that you will gain more than you lose, for it is true that all you send into the lives of others comes back into your own."

Mary Kay Ash was a role model par excellence. Through her example, she has inspired many women to become a role model for individuals who still struggle to find their own creative path of beauty and purpose.

Living the Golden Rule -- it's one thing that never goes out of fashion!

Lead By Example: Are You Present?

 

We all know women are queens at multitasking, and it's a good skill to have.  But the downside is that we tend to transfer this incredible ability into our relationships with our family, friends, colleagues, and customers.

Have you ever chatted with someone or you've been in the middle of sharing a gut-wrenching experience, only to realize your listener has zoned out on you? Somehow you pick up the vibes that her mind was elsewhere? And, though she was present in body, her thoughts were not.

It's easy to zone out on people, especially when we're on the phone and we're engaged in numerous other activities at the same time. Has it ever happened to you -- while you're trying to deal with today's mail, scan a recipe for tonight's supper, feed the cat, you are also catching up with someone on the phone -- only to suddenly realize you have lost track of the conversation?

Somewhere along the line, your mind wondered and you think you've missed something important in the conversation. It's a little difficult to respond with heart-felt enthusiasm or empathy when you're not really sure what just happened. So now, do you fake it? Pretend you've been listening intently all along? That's not my idea of living the golden rule.

So, how to deal with this? I believe it's learning to develop the heart skill of 'being present' to whoever I am with at any given moment. I must admit I haven't totally developed the art.

But is my desire to leave a fragrance of beauty by being present to the person I'm engaged in a conversation with. I want to listen not with half an ear, but with my entire being, to listen with my heart, not just my properly-smiling face. To be present to you and not focused on who I will be meeting in 15 minutes.

A friend once said, "When we don't give full regard to the moment, it's cheating the hearts of two people."

Being present.... it's the best gift... a golden way to lead by example.





Photo source:  vintagefeedsacks 

Lead By Example: Don't Play Small

 WHAT IF Mary Kay Ash had sat down at her kitchen table all those years ago and dreamed about her new company and then decided she was just too small and too insignificant to accomplish anything that big with her life? What if she had decided she could not – or should not – follow this dream? Where would many women be today?

South African leader Nelson Mandela once said something I believe Mary Kay would applaud: “Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?”

I ask myself that question and I ask it of you. Who are we not to be great? Our playing small does not serve our world. To feel unworthy and insignificant throws our gifts into the wind (into the face of God, if you believe He’s there). Our world will stay in a mess if we each continue to believe that our contributions are hardly worth it.

Mary Kay Ash paved the way for women all over the world to make a difference. We’re not starting from scratch. I believe she would want us to stand on her shoulders and use her successes – not as our ceiling – but as the floor of where we can start. Don’t think dozens, think hundreds. Don’t think hundreds, think thousands. Don’t think 10’s of thousands, think millions. Not for your benefit only, but for the enrichment of many, many others!

Where would many women be today if Mary Kay had not believed that her dream was worthwhile? Like her, we need to first believe that our playing small does not serve our world.

Will you risk opening your imagination to greater things for your own life? Whether it's with Mary Kay or some other venture, start where you are, but don’t stay there. Then encourage others to also step out into their destiny too.

It's a great way to lead by example.

Lead By Example: You Are The Gift

AS MUCH AS I LOVE to give and receive presents, I've learned that the most precious gifts usually don't arrive packaged in tissue and ribbons.

It may be the encouraging word during down times, the loyalty of a friend who stays near through thick and thin, the kindness of a total stranger who notices you struggling to get a door open. Or, it may be the wonderful new idea someone shared that now inspires me to move forward. Often, it's these kinds of 'gifts' that linger in our memories longer than many store-bought ones.

Mary Kay Ash once said, "We are the recipients of countless gifts from friends of the past. We remember these friends with gratitude and try to pass on to others something of what we have received."

Try to pass on to others.....  Yes, I desire to create an outlet for the inspiration to flow to others.  I wish to allow my knowledge and ideas to flow freely and gracefully from my life, so they can also refresh and nourish yours too.

What great tip helped make your home more peaceful or organized? What inspired idea is making your business work better? What truth has come alive for you and has positively changed how you perceive yourself?  Know any great websites or blogs that you love?

Look for creative ways to pass along the awesome gifts you've received. People will be drawn to your generous living... and will want to follow your example.