It Takes Confidence to Take a Compliment

It happened... the project went wonderfully well and it took the entire team to make it happen. Then during the staff meeting your boss singles you out and says "You really did a great job! Let's all give (YOU) a hand for the wonderful work on completing this recent project!"

There is light hearted applause and a few looks and you realize immediately that yes, it feels good to hear the words, but you didn't do it all by yourself. Do you say something or do you bask in the glory?

Well, that depends. How much confidence do you have? Do you really need to bask in all that glory and fill your cup of approval or can you confidently turn the spotlight to the others who helped you. My hope is that the latter is true. Try saying something like this:
"I'm delighted that you noticed the extra effot, and I really must share your compliment with the others on the team who helped me to achieve this. Let's all give ourselves a round of applause (or high five or pat on the back or whatever suits your fancy).

It takes confidence to accept a compliment, but also to realize that it rarely is all about you and the work you did. Someone likely helped you get there or learned what you know to get where you've gotten.

Until we have the pleasure to meet in person...
Monica

Leadership - Is Today the Day for It?

Some days you feel like a leader, some days you do not. Sound like an old familar commercial? But, isn't it true? Some days you feel like getting out of bed and leading the charge and some days you just don't and you end up with the remnants of a game face that sticks with you for most of the day.

Well, today is a day to lead. Grab the bull by the horns, focus on those you have the privilege of leading and in good old Texas fashion - go get 'em ya'll.

I am headed off to explore leadership in another country and culture in South Africa. Looking forward to the adventure and to sharing updates with you along the way.

Cheers,

How Exactly Do You Lead Other People?

When I am asked "What do you do?", the response varies. However, the answer I enjoy the most and say most often is:

"We rescue life jacketed leaders in the deep end of the pool who were promoted but never taught how to swim."

You see, in our experience at MWI (Monica Wofford International), so many people appear to have been bestowed leadership titles (i.e. life jackets) and promoted to deeper or larger pools (i.e. bigger teams, bigger offices, etc) yet never put through any training on how to actually lead. (i.e. SWIM).

Leadership, or rather effective leadership, requires that you know how to and are proficient in:
1. Building Rapport
2. Building Trust
3. Helping others Grow
4. Motivating and Recognizing Others in Ways that Work for Them
5. Delegation, Prioritization, and Communication
and perhaps as important as all of these skills...

Knowing who you are, what your boundaries are, what your needs are, and having enough confidence to stand up for what you believe, as well as the needs of the team you lead.

That is a lot, but leadership is not easy. It's work. Learning how to swim in what can sometimes be rather choppy and complicated waters is not easy. People are not easy. That doesn't mean leadership is never fun or always drudgery, but it does mean that it is often misinterpreted as somthing that you gain when you get promoted, sort of like the surprise in a box of cracker jack. No one gives you leadership. You create, develop, hone, practice on, and earn leadership - one day and one person at a time.

Until we have the privilege of meeting in person....
Monica