Thursday, January 17, 2013
As many of you know, I have a new book coming out in a couple of months. This book is one I co-authored with my friend and colleague and is a personal story of how we each reinvented our lives by Letting Go Of The Status Quo. (And that is the title of the book: Letting Go Of The Status Quo).
My desire to share my personal story of going through some big life changes (including two failed marriages and leaving a great corporate career to start my own business) was because I want to help others who want to do the same. It’s definitely not easy and can be quite scary to let go of familiar things, to let go of life as we know it and truly step into a new chapter, a new version of you. So, I thought that perhaps if I shared my experiences via this book, others could find some inspiration from reading my story and perhaps they could avoid some of the pitfalls I experienced along the way.
It took me some time to be comfortable with the vulnerability that comes along with sharing my personal story. Yet I know my decision will help others, and, not only that, but I believe it is a big piece of being an authentic leader. I’ve spoken (and written) a lot about authentic leadership in the past and know that sharing personal stories is a great way to display authenticity while leading. It’s also a great way to demonstrate self-leadership. When we can demonstrate our own abilities to guide ourselves through difficult situations and big life changes, we exhibit the ability to lead others through the same – whether at work with work situations or through a personal situation (which leaders almost always have to do while at work!) Sharing this type of information with others helps them gain confidence in you as well as respect for you.
Although it’s not always easy to share your story, I highly recommend leaders be as authentic as they can about themselves – flaws and all. After all, no one is perfect and everyone knows that! Sharing how you’ve led yourself through personal life situations and how you’ve come out on top in difficult circumstances will almost certainly add credibility to your leadership ability at work.
In the spirit of practicing what I preach, future blogs posts will include snippets from my upcoming book and personal accounts of the journey I took over the past 6 years to re-create my life.
For more information on the book, please visit: www.lettinggoofthestatusquo.com
