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Transition – 3 tips for successfully navigating it

navigating-transition

I am on vacation with family for a couple of weeks and will be posting occasionally. Though I have limited access to email and social media, I look forward to reconnecting and resuming my regular posting schedule when I return. If you would like to guest post in the future, please contact me.

Life is a series of new beginnings. One chapter closes – and another opens – over and over. Which means that you and I periodically encounter seasons of transition.

You know what I’m talking about. Because you’ve been through it. Depending on the circumstances leading up to the transition, it’s natural to focus on the crisis, the pain, challenging circumstances. It’s all too easy to  assign blame, point fingers, and ask why me.

These behaviors have little value and almost never help the situation. Let’s face it, we really can’t do much about the transition anyway – it’s going to happen one way or another.

Instead of being consumed with the uncontrollable, those facing transition are better served when they focus on these 3 disciplines:

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Are you leading or manipulating?

leading-manipulation

Most of us agree – leadership is influence. And there are times when influence morphs into down-right-out manipulation.

At it’s core leadership involves change. After all, what are we leading people to do? To be? Yet there’s a fine line between leadership and manipulation.

Both involve influencing others. Both attempt to persuade people to do what you want them to do. And both leverage vision, passion, and emotion to elicit a desired result.

So how do you know if you are leading or manipulating?

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Leaders work with their eyes open

work-eyes-open

There are times when it would be perfectly appropriate for a colleague to square up, grab both shoulders, and ask – What are you looking at?!

What do you REALLY value in your work? What elusive dream or fulfillment are you seeking?

According to the Smith-Kettlewell Institute, the vision of a newborn is substantially developed over the first 8-10 months of life. It is believed that most infants have 20/30 (or nearly perfect) vision by 8 months.

I know this because this week I Googled “when can my baby see”. I wanted to know…

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Taking a Day Off

taking day off

I’m taking the day off (sort of) to hang out with my new son. I hope you’re OK with that.

Michael Andrew Nichols was born Monday, July 2. If you like details, he was 7 pounds 6 ounces and 19 1/4 inches. Mom and baby are both doing great!

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What does longevity have to do with leadership?

longevity-and-leadership

Longevity is not leadership. Leadership is leadership. And longevity is longevity.

Don’t get me wrong – I love hearing about leaders who launch organizations and serve them for 20, 30, or 40 years. But does tenure make great leaders?

One of my best friends is one of the most loyal people I know. He will likely serve his current organization for the rest of his life. I have learned much about consistency and contentment through our friendship.

My father has been serving the same organization for more than 25 years.

Organizations and teams can benefit significantly from a leader who communicates and implements bold, compelling vision through changing seasons over a long period of time. And Sarah and I are looking forward to investing the most fulfilling and productive years of our lives in a long-term role within an organization.

Yet I’ve learned that although some executives man the helm of an organization for a long period of time, they are not always leading.

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