Leaders aren’t born; they are made. Recognising the power of movement can get us through almost anything and this is a fundamental truth. I think it’s not about speed; it’s about starting. Sometimes, it’s someone else’s responsibility, privilege, or role to help a friend or colleague see what they may not have been able to recognise on their own. For example, instead of asking your company or team to take on large, overwhelming initiatives, start small. When working on leadership development, one of the things I often recommend is for people to do less than they would usually expect. Rather than making a long, heavy list of tasks, start with something simple and manageable. For instance, instead of aiming to master delegation right away, set a goal to ask one follow-up question each day. Even if this feels small or insignificant, starting in this way builds momentum. Over time, the small, consistent actions lead to meaningful progress. It’s the act of starting, not the size of the action, that creates momentum and allows us to achieve more substantial goals in the long run.
Your story is your core
The story creates the context that you build your business around, your story is your rocket fuel and your story is also about you. A great storyteller can guide a listener to their truth and the vision for the next step they need to take. When you have this story at the core of what you are doing, it starts solidifying and making everything easier in your business. Your story is going to influence your copywriting, web design, emails and social media posts. You need the right story to be able to attract the right customers therefore, you need to start by looking at who your story is for and why it is interesting for them.
A great storyteller can guide a listener to their truth and the vision for the next step they need to take. By asking good open ended questions and listening to your client, you can guide them to their own truth and this is what creates lasting results. You want to get to a point where you know your key audience so well that you coach them when you’re speaking about your own story and teaching them what you have to teach. A good coach is one that asks great questions and my process as a coach starts long before the person has signed on. Contact me via e-mail to arrange a meeting or workshop about how to include your customers in your storytelling.
Whistle to the mouth
Nowadays everyone is harking on about authenticity! What exactly does authenticity mean? I think the only time when we are being our authentic self is when we are wearing nappies (diapers). And ever since then we have been faking it and the big question is why we fake it. This may be because when people see us they will judge us differently based on our appearance.
It’s not because this is our authentic self but it’s because it's the self we choose to put forward. So perhaps we could redefine authentic to mean consistent. And our consistent self is one that if you look at it from the back or look at it from the side - it’s the same. Our consistent self is the way we behave in front of our parents and in front of our customers. I think when we are consistent then we can define that as a version of consistency.