Making Managers into Leaders® » tools for critical times http://www.enleadership.com/blog ...bringing out the best in individuals, teams and organizations! Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:57:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Personal Leadership Series – FLY or FALL? Five Tools for Critical Times – Tool Number 4 By Jonette Crowley http://www.enleadership.com/blog/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-4-by-jonette-crowley http://www.enleadership.com/blog/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-4-by-jonette-crowley#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:33:01 +0000 admin http://www.leadershipmadesimple.com/journal/leadership-development/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-4-by-jonette-crowley/ In this Personal Leadership Series, Jonette Crowley, author and principle of Enlightened Leadership Solutions, presents five tools to assist us in flying, rather than falling during critical times—times of chaos, confusion and conflict.

Following is Tool Number 4.

Number four is Enjoy the heck out of it!  Take the risk, trust yourself, have a smile on your face and see where the roller coaster takes you.  Sometimes when you are facing critical times the first thing you lose is your good humor.  You need joy, humor!  None of the other tools, Self Acceptance, Focus, Risk Taking mean anything if you’re not enjoying it.  Pure joy, silly joy, humor!!  One thing people notice about the Dali Lama is that he smiles and laughs.  The most important thing is not that he’s a spiritual leader; the most important thing is that he is a man of light.  People of light take themselves lightly.  Humor is their number one interaction with themselves and the world.  If there’s a leader who is somber, dry, and very serious find another mentor.  Do not be oppressed by all the things you are doing for others. If you’re not enjoying it, stop. Joy.

This isn’t really a step, but I invite you to stop dramatizing what is so.  What is so is just what is so.  When we dramatize the good or the bad, we take the truth away from it.  So, a hint to make all of these tools for critical times work is to see how much you’re addicted to drama and how it actually is a false sense of joy.  It isn’t joyful, it is hollow.  It takes you from authenticity and reality.

What are your thoughts on THIS tool? Please leave your comments below.

Jonette Crowley and the Enlightened Leadership Team

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]]> http://www.enleadership.com/blog/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-4-by-jonette-crowley/feed 0 Personal Leadership Series – FLY or FALL? Five Tools for Critical Times – Tool Number 3 By Jonette Crowley http://www.enleadership.com/blog/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-3-by-jonette-crowley http://www.enleadership.com/blog/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-3-by-jonette-crowley#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:20:47 +0000 admin http://www.leadershipmadesimple.com/journal/leadership-development/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-3-by-jonette-crowley/ In this Personal Leadership Series, Jonette Crowley, author and principle of Enlightened Leadership Solutions, presents five tools to assist us in flying, rather than falling during critical times—times of chaos, confusion and conflict.

Following is Tool Number 3.

Number three is Take Risks.  Be that eagle that jumps off the cliff.  A risk is only a risk before you do it.  Haven’t you been in a situation that seems risky – you’re riding a roller coaster; the worst part of the ride is the part up that first hill.  Once you go down, that’s the best part because you’re surrendering to gravity.  Risk taking is doing things differently than you’ve done them before, treating people differently than you’ve been treated, trying something you don’t have the recipe for.  What is the most dangerous thing in critical times?  It is approaching the new horizon in the old vehicle.  You don’t get a new vehicle unless you’re willing to change.  Change is probably the hardest thing to do in critical times, but risk taking and change are the most important tools.  Decide what your tolerance is for change.  If you’re comfortable with big change, go for it.  If you’re not comfortable with a big change, cut it up and make small changes.  If you’re afraid of a big risk, cut it in half and take half of a big risk.  Excuses are not acceptable.  Excuses are a poor man’s reason for staying poor.  Excuses are a poor soul’s reason for staying weak.  Excuses are an adolescent’s reason for blaming the rest of the world.  Take Risks, no excuses.

What are your thoughts on THIS tool? Please leave your comments below.

Jonette Crowley and the Enlightened Leadership Team

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]]> http://www.enleadership.com/blog/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-3-by-jonette-crowley/feed 0 Personal Leadership Series – FLY or FALL? Five Tools for Critical Times – Tool Number 1 By Jonette Crowley http://www.enleadership.com/blog/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-1-by-jonette-crowley http://www.enleadership.com/blog/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-1-by-jonette-crowley#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:51:53 +0000 admin http://www.leadershipmadesimple.com/journal/leadership-development/personal-leadership-series-%e2%80%93-fly-or-fall-five-tools-for-critical-times-tool-number-1-by-jonette-crowley/ Jonette Crowley  In this Personal Leadership Series, Jonette Crowley, author and principle of Enlightened  Leadership Solutions, presents five tools to assist us in flying, rather than falling during critical times—times of chaos, confusion and conflict.

Following is Tool Number 1.

The number one point during critical times should be number one at any time: Self Acceptance.

We can read about this in every how-to book in every bookstore, but it doesn’t mean we’re any better at it.  Self-Acceptance.  First, Self-Acceptance starts with actually looking at you.  You can’t accept yourself if you’re looking in every other direction than inside.  In critical times step number one is surrendering to what is—not necessarily agreeing with it, but not resisting or fighting it.  That puts you in yourself.  It takes you away from the conflict.  When you’re focused on your smallness or darkness then you can’t see your grandness.  When you focus on your grandness, sometimes you deny the smallness.  Darkness, shadow, and light – it takes them all to make a photo.  You are all.  Surrender to what is.  Self-Acceptance.

Think of three current and specific things that are grand about you, that are great, that you’re proud of.  You may notice that each one has a specific feeling associated with it. Whatever the feeling is, one at a time let the feeling of those qualities move into your cells until they totally merge with who you are.

Think of three things about you that are your shadow side, things that might be a little dark about you.  Think of specific things – only three though.  You can be honest; no one is listening to your head.  Those have feelings too. They are different than the first 3 feelings in their quality and tone.  One at a time, accept those three things as qualities that merge and dissolve into your cells.  Self-Acceptance.  Notice how you feel.  Did those dark things destroy the grand things, or did it make you feel more whole, stable, full, and honest?  When you accept not just the idea but also the feeling of all of you, you’re stronger.  Accept all of you.  If you were perfect you would have wings and a harp.  No one ever asked you to be perfect, they ask you to be perfectly you!  Feel the solidity and strength of yourself now.    Self-Acceptance, the number one tool in critical times.

What are your thoughts on THIS tool? Please leave your comments below.

Jonette Crowley and the Enlightened Leadership Team

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