Making a Difference

by Dr. Denise Trudeau Poskas

One of the most common phrases in leadership and followership is “I want to make a difference” or “I do this to make a difference”.  What exactly are we saying or wanting, really?  This is wonderful statement, yet it is generic.  Think about it.  Ordering a pizza when you are hungry makes a difference, taking a dog for a walk makes a wonderful difference, or even getting groceries makes a difference.  Yet are these not simply differences we all need to make? 

Thus, I suspect and have seen plenty of evidence from clients that for most leaders and active followers “making a difference” is something more.  The question needs to be “what difference do I want to make it the world and how exactly is that difference measured?”. 

For example we can make a positive difference in all the people I meet by encouraging their potential, speaking a language of positivity, and asking good questions.  That statement of making a difference is very measurable and indeed very impactful.  “Positive difference” infers that your difference has integrity, a good outcome and is for benefit of others.  That distinction alone is a great start! 

Yet there is more of course, for you can make a positive impact in so many ways.  Referring back to the sample statement “in all the people I meet”  yield to the extent this positive impact will be. One could make the extent smaller or bigger.  At the same time, it produces a certain responsibility in the person saying it.  That it is their responsibility to directly have a positive impact with co-workers, neighbors, family, friends etc.  Not a small goal.

Finally, making a difference means you can define how that difference actually looks.  Thus our sample statement does exactly that “encouraging their potential, speaking a language of positivity, and asking good questions.”  If you are going to “make a difference” know how you are going to do that.  How will you interact? What language will you use?  How will you show up?  How will you think? What will be your metaphor for life?

Moving forward, as you choose to become the best person, best leader you strive to be, consider how you will choose to make a difference and reflect on how exactly that looks!  Having a clear vision of that can be a concrete statement or two as just shown.  It makes the difference of making a difference and being that difference.  The latter demonstrates a vision of influence.

Subscribing to our blog now easier than ever!

It has come to our attention that the email subscription area on the blog was not functioning properly!  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for those that wish to read our blog and be notified as soon as a new post is published.  This issue has now been corrected.

Thank you!
-Blue Egg Leadership

Leadership Journey for 2014

by Dr. Denise Trudeau Poskas

With advent of a New Year comes the opportunity to do two very important things in the area of our personal growth as individuals and leaders.  First, it provides a great opportunity for every leader or personal leader to step back and do a year-end review.  Essentially requires 30-40 minutes of time to reflect on what we accomplished to improve our lives, impact our families or develop our leadership.  To complete a year-end review you need a computer or journal to document it.  You can write free flow or use a template like the one below.  

 

Year-end Review for 2013

Month	Health & Wellness	Connection & Service	Purpose & Spirituality	Financial & Security

Your year-end review should encompass all your core areas that involve your leadership and personal growth, as well as your connection to others.  It works most effectively if you retrace the year month by month, working from December backwards.  It is your year-end review so get to choose what you feel is important enough to record.  Remember you are recording those things you felt that were accomplished to improve your life or the lives of others.  Some clients report a degree they completed, or a family event that brought the family closer, getting a child into a great college, or practicing a new form of exercise.  Once that is completed, look through and appreciate all those moments, accomplishments, and events.  It is very important for you to appreciate what changes you have inspired. 

From there, consider for a moment some changes or personal opportunities that were not there that would have had positive impacts.  If you could the year over again, what lessons, events or experiences would you have included?  What would have you told yourself to do in the areas of health, family, finances, etc.  How might you help yourself this year face fear with the knowledge that fear is simply an emotion and sometimes it is an indicator for us to face what we fear? 

What are those accomplishments, experiences or people that could have made a positive impact in your life?  Those aspects that you know would have given you synergy, happiness, or connection at a new level yet you simply did not make time or feared to do them.  Now, realizing that you have a year of experience with yourself and the world, commit to adding those things you missed to the New Year.

Now do a Leadership for 2014!  Again this would be a similar format and you would start from the end of 2014 and work backward.  Visualize for a few moments what your ideal self would look like in 2014, who would you be with?  What leadership position would you have? How would you be positively impacting those around you? What are you passionate about, but haven’t tried?  Once you visualize this look at the year of 2014 again.  What would you need to do each month to accomplish this ultimate leadership journey?  What resources or connections you may need?  Now consider breaking up the year into each month.  You can enter a strategy for each category or focus only on one or two categories, entirely up to you.  However, those areas that you have high priority see as a 30 day challenge.  What will you challenge yourself to do for 30 days?

Leadership Journey for 2014

Month (30 Day Challenge)	Health & Wellness	Connection & Service	Purpose & Spirituality	Financial & Security	Resources

Thirty days is a great way to focus your philosophy.  When you spend 30 day challenges, it provides you with new esteem, new confidence.  Small changes will stick, forever.  Research on habits and goal explain just how powerful focusing on a 30 day challenge is. It is called a keystone habit.  Focus on one area for thirty days.  What would you challenge yourself each month in order to make 2014 one of your best years yet?  Finish your Leadership Journey for 2014 and print it out.  Take it with you to remind yourself daily that is your focus.  Block off 20-40 minutes each day to work on your 30 day challenge.  Commit to your Journey.