Good morning! We are now halfway through summer. This reminds me to make every day (of summer) count! Rest. Enjoy. Be intentional.
A couple of quick thoughts for you this morning – one, a powerful leadership thought; the other, a book I have been reading this summer.
First, a powerful thought that you can use today. With thanks to my friend Mike Gerber, who pointed me to it. Rasmus Hougaard wrote this article for Forbes – The Four Most Important Words in Leadership. They are:
“What do you think?”
Try using them yourself today. This four-word question sends some powerful messages to those you lead:
“I am glad you are on my team.”
“I value your opinion.”
“I am open to views other than my own.”
And all of these add up to signaling humility as a leader – humility being a key differentiator between good and great leaders.
A book for your summer reading. We all know this is a good time of year for mindful, or mindless, reading. Both have their place. I have a suggestion for you of the former type.
The Book: “Designing Your Life – How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life”
How I found it. A client recently sold his business. Like many leaders, he has put all of himself into growing this company and I am happy to see him reap some rewards for all the hard work. He and his wife are going to take a weekend with Marta and me to pause, reflect and make some adjustments for the next part of their journey (he will continue as the company’s CEO). His wife found and recommended this book, and we will use it in our conversations.
Why it might speak to you right now. Significant in the title is the “-ing” in “Designing.” The authors contend this type of work is on-going for all of our life. (I agree.) So, theoretically, if you are always wanting to grow, this book is a constant companion to focus your efforts.
Teaser Questions (best contemplated away from your desk!): What is the good life? How do you define it? How do you live it?
The authors. Bill Burnett and Dave Evans are Silicon Valley veterans and professors. This book evolved from what became one of the most popular elective courses at Stanford.
Why I like it. This book is practical. If you read it, you can’t help but make some positive changes in your life. Among other things, it contains . . . self-assessment tools (how are you doing at Work, Play, Love and Health?) . . . a whole chapter on “Getting Unstuck,” . . . and paradigm shifters like –
Dysfunctional Belief: If you are successful, you will be happy.
Reframe: True happiness comes from designing a life that works for you.
It has a companion workbook.
Why I really like it. It helped me re-assess how I use my time. And . . . it fits right in with our everyday work of helping leaders be “the best version of themselves possible.”
Check it out. You still have six weeks of summer left!
Please pass this on to one of your leader friends and encourage them to sign up.
Lead well.
