Being a good leader means knowing who to follow and where to find inspiration. A tremendous source of inspiration can be found in powerful, successful women who are movers and shakers, changing things for the better for all of us.
I happen to know one such woman. Her name is Amanda, and she has kindly agreed to share her success story and shed light on how she got to where she is today.
Not Waiting Until You Feel Ready
There were many times she didn’t feel ready for a big step she was supposed to take.
When you boldly venture into the unknown, this is bound to happen. She now knows that it is not necessary to ‘feel’ ready.
In her experience, once she’s done her calculations, it is only by jumping straight in that she eventually finds her feet and starts to thrive.
Tolerating this little bit of uncertainty and not waiting for that elusive moment when you will be 100% confident is what she considers to be one of the keys to success.
Nurturing Your Team
Like other truly great leaders, she reflected on the importance of nurturing and motivating her team. No one is an island, and a good leader does not take their people for granted.
Actively investing in the team should not be just an afterthought. It’s all about showing and communicating appreciation.
She does this by organizing meaningful team events, outdoor activities, team dinners, and potluck events having weekly check-ins over coffee, and saying ‘thank you’ with funny personalized post-it notes.
These may be little things, but they are a staple of good leadership.
Nurturing Yourself
“Just like your team needs nurture, so do you,” Amanda says. All people have needs, and she considers being in touch with herself as a core tenet of her success.
A strong leader leads by example and makes an effort to stay healthy in every sense of the word, have a social life, and have creative pursuits outside work.
Once, she signed herself up for a dance class as a fun experiment. The aim was to just shake things up and try something new.
On the flip side, it resulted in her being inspired to conduct one of the most exciting work campaigns.
Treasuring Your Mistakes
This point really resonated with me. In the search for the ultimate guide to great leadership, she says, we can often be too hard on ourselves when we fall short.
It is tempting to gloss over one’s mistakes and consider them a personal failure when in fact, they are evidence of growth.
It may take some time to be able to face a mistake and take advantage of its learning potential.
But every now and then, she looks back, owns her mistakes, and sees them as little gems that fit well into the tapestry of her success.
When there is a Plateau
Amanda talked about this dreaded feeling of being at a standstill. For someone who is all about moving forward, changing landscapes, and creating new ones, it can be frustrating when things seem to get stuck.
She sees this as an opportunity, a time to start learning something new and undertaking a creative task that can inspire productivity in the long run.
Practicing Gratitude
This is another tip that can easily be overlooked but is actually essential for sustaining success. She has a morning ritual that she practices every day, and once a week, she does it with her team. She sets herself two goals for the day but also reflects on two things she is grateful for.
Sometimes, this prompts her to reward individuals in her team to who she is particularly grateful to that day. Usually, it just reinforces her happy mindset and encourages her to stay productive.
This was just a glimpse into some of the exciting experiences that have made this amazing woman the spectacular leader that she is today. She has had her fair share of setbacks, as all successful entrepreneurs are bound to have.
With commitment, focus, continual learning, and the help of her valuable team, she has risen to the top of her field and is a beacon and an inspiration to the rest of us.
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What Have You Learned from Your Experience?
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