Tuesday at 2:00pm with Russ

It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

Currently, I'm exploring different leadership quotes on this blog post, and pulling out some application for all of us. This is part of my personal journey to keep growing, learning and being stretched! Join me each Tuesday at 2:00pm (PST). It will take you just a few minutes to read through the 2 sections of this post, but don't miss the final section where I share some of the things I'm reading, listening to and enjoying this week.

Russ

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Perspective is everything when you are experiencing the challenges of life." Joni Eareckson Tada

What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I mentioned PERSPECTIVE last week and talked about how it can lock you in or free you up.

This quote from Joni is a great follow-up. She shares about the accident that paralyzed her and how she was so tired of laying in bed that she was miserable, in fact, she just wanted to die. But, when the time came for her to sit up in a wheelchair, she was so thankful to be sitting. Her entire perspective changed and she found a reason to live, and realized that from the wheelchair, she could still have an impact.

If you're like me, when I'm facing something challenging, I allow it to completely paralyze me. It's all I can see, and I'm not able to step back and find a new perspective. I'm too close to it, I'm in it, I'm focused on it.

When I'm able to take a deep breath, step back from whatever situation I'm facing, I'm able to see things differently... this is called PERSPECTIVE, it's the way I'm looking at a given situation or circumstance.

Joni sat up from her life-changing accident, and found a new passion, a new purpose, and has spent the past decades impacting peoples lives because she turned a challenge into an opportunity.

Are you stuck in a tough situation? Are you frozen because you don't know what to do? Take a step back, and look at where you're at and find a new perspective. Things will begin to clear up and you may find some new hope.

DEEPER STILL:

Tom Paterson, the author of the LifePlan Process and the StratOp Process I use talks about PERSPECTIVE in every plan.

He talks about the fact that in the western world, we usually want to get from point A to point B as quickly and as directly as possible. We want fast results, we want to solve problems immediately, and we often don't pause to look deeper at the situation.

He shares that in eastern cultures, they "circle the situation", gaining perspective. Speed isn't the goal, but completely seeing and understanding what's going on informs how to make the best decision.

I've been practicing this in my life and leadership, and while it's sometimes difficult to slow down and take a deeper look, I am finding that I make better decisions and I feel more confident in my decisions because I've stopped to look around and ask some questions first instead of just charging into the opportunity.

I remember early on in Latin America, I had invited a bunch of leaders to my office for a training session, and I had about 20 people show up. I rushed them into the room, sat them down, and then stood up to begin the session. One of the guys raised his hand and simply said, "Can we get to know each other before we begin?" I realized that in my pursuit of effectiveness, I had ignored one of the most important things in a latino's life: relationship.

We stopped the meeting, spent some time connecting on a much deeper level, and the training event took a turn to better address the issues these leaders were feeling.

Perspective. Try to find some, but you have to slow down to really find it.

 

Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:

Source: www.leadermundial.org