Thursday, January 10, 2013
One of my favorite quotes by Mahatma Gandhi is, “Be The Change You Wish To See In The World”. At the beginning of a New Year, this is something we could all benefit from remembering, especially in leadership roles and in our careers. I hear a lot of the leaders I work with talk about what would make their lives and jobs easier: less changing priorities, more time management and control over schedules, more motivated and engaged employees… (to name a few). Yet when I ask them what role they are playing and steps they are taking to create these changes, I am often met with blank stares.
We all know that we cannot control how other people behave or the circumstances that surround us. We can only control what we do which is why this quote is so powerful. We must be the change we want to see. If you want less changing priorities, don’t change your priorities so much; if you want more control over your schedule, then start honoring your own time; if you want more motivated and engaged employees, be a more motivated and engaged employee. You then become a role model and a teacher to those around you. You begin to attract the types of behaviors from others, which you are displaying yourself.
Last year one of my clients told me she wanted to feel more inspired by her work. My suggestion to her was to be inspiring to those around her and she might just inspire herself along the way. Related to this quote by Gandhi is the following statement (which I also love) “Life is an echo. What you send out, comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others exists in you.” I think that completely sums up what Gandhi said in his famous quote
As we step into a New Year, take responsibility for the changes you want to see in your career, your leadership role, your life – be that change first and then watch what changes around you.
