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Fixing stuff around yourself
By: Tashifa Zainab
Tags: Fixing Stuff Around You, Leadership Development, Amal Fellowship, Responsibility, Organized

Being organized gives us inner peace, the most important thing for all of us!

Being organized makes everything easier, and saves our time, the most precious thing and if once gone can’t be recovered.

So just realizing the importance of being organized, I decided to make my bed right after getting up in the morning as it was too messy. Here’s what my bed looked like before.

fixable state

I placed all things accurately, put the bedsheet properly, and here what it looks like after getting it fixed.

Ideal state

Now, everything is in proper symmetry, looking quite organized giving happiness and satisfaction. I felt a boost of energy inside me. It was a wonderful feeling.

After doing the very first task, I felt accomplished. I felt so energetic and positive. I had a CAN DO ATTITUDE. After organizing my bed well, I felt that I can plan & organize the rest of my tasks too. And likewise, all things in my life will get fixed In Shaa Alla. It made me realize the importance of time that NOW IS THE TIME to start and get done anything. This JUST START ATTITUDE is crucial for success and helps in making good and positive decisions.

As everything is organized now, this peaceful environment will enhance my productivity. Also, the environment has a great impact on our health, so this organized environment will surely lead to reduced stress and good mental health.

It also emphasizes the importance of any process, that everything needs to be done step by step. There is no shortcut to success. If we want to achieve something, we definitely have to work for it, and then wait for time to get the desired outcomes.

It also specifies the importance of small things and reminds me that little things matter a lot. We shouldn’t ignore minor details instead we have to work hard on small pieces to achieve something bigger. We should take baby steps towards any goal. We should enjoy little success daily and learn from small failures or minute mistakes to avoid any blunder in the future on a big scale.

It also relaxes me when after a tired/bad day I come back to an organized and clean bed. It boosts my self-esteem. It keeps me motivated that as I have fixed this bed, I can do anything.
Everyday Leadership
By: Ali Haider
Tags: Leadership, Leadership Development, Fixingstuff, Leadership Skills, Everyday Life

Leadership without having any Authority or Power

Fixing stuff around myself

You manage things; you lead people. — Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper

The word “Leadership” doesn’t mean only to lead people , it also means to lead the internal abilities and the things in which you are the best. As Rear Admiral Grace Says that you manage things ; you lead people.

Leadership doesn’t required any authority or power. You can become leader of yourself. To justify the above sentence , here i would like to share something about Leadership from my today’s experience , which requires no power.

Today I did a small activity to experience Leadership without having any authority or power. That was about fixing stuff around me. I was sitting in my bedroom doing my routine work. I just clicked pics of my surroundings. I have added some of them here.

Then I look around carefully and try to find something which need to fixed. I noticed that the bed on which i was lying is in that condition which really needed to fix. In the following pic you can see it.

In above picture you can see a lot off stuff which was need to be fixed. My blanket, my chador, my laptop and a notebook with a pencil were lying on my bed roughly. And an empty tin-pack , an empty cup of tea and charger without connecting a device were lying on side table. Which are needed to be fixed. This is known as fixable state.

In the above pic you can see all the things are well managed. This is an Ideal state. I just folded the blanket and lifted all the unnecessary things. I unplugged the charger , put the tin-pack in dustbin and lifted laptop , notebook and chador from bed.

I felt very comfortable and calm after doing this activity. This encouraged me to fix all the things around me which are not well managed. By doing this activity i realize that there are a lot of things around us which are needed to be fixed in our daily life and we just ignored them and says this is not my responsibility.

I do this some time when I feel something is need to be fixed. I fix that but often I do not do it at the same time because I was going to sleep at that time and I fix that in the morning.

As you can see in the above activity I didn’t need any power or authority. But I felt that this is also a type of leadership. To help someone in doing his stuff and to make easy for someone. I am the Leader of my own acts. I took responsibility of doing something and I did that in a good way, which feel me like to be a Leader of myself.
The Power of Virtual Assistants
By: Daniel Ramsey
Tags: Leadership Development, Business Development, Small Business, Virtual Assistant, Business

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Fixing Stuff Around Yourself
Tags: Leadership Development, Leadership Skills

If you are looking to start your journey on becoming a leader, what better place to start than your own house, your room or your own surroundings.

Ironed father and brother dress

‘I select the dress of my father and my elder brother from wardrobe in my house in order to start my journey to become a leader.’

After doing every task is easy and before doing every task is difficult. There are many things around us that we do not take into account. We think that this task is very easy and I can do it easily. Or it is very difficult. I can’t do it easily .But in both cases we are challenging ourselves and we become underestimated. But to meet this challenge we need courage, endurance, and sacrifice, and all these qualities belong to a leader.

I have done the same thing. I looked around and saw a lot of things and a lot of things. But I chose the thing that was most important at that time and no one. The other person was not ready to do it. I accepted the responsibility of ironing my father’s and elder brother’s clothes. I had a lot of work to do but I didn’t give much importance to my priorities and sacrificed my time and endurance. I spent half an hour of my precious time ironing clothes. The benefit of doing this work was that my mother’s responsibility and burden was reduced and my father and brother faced any problem regarding clothes. Did not have to. My mother Abu Bhai was all happy with this work of mine and I was also happy that I have given happiness to everyone for a short time so it did me no harm. I could say but I volunteered. I worked with patience and endurance to do this job because there are many people who are reluctant to iron clothes.

Action speaks louder

They find this job difficult when I have the courage and I did the job. I relate to the leadership in such a way that I did it without any authority. I did it voluntarily. I took it upon myself when there was no one else .There are so many things in our lives. There are those we should not take for granted. While I believe that we should give importance to every work because every work gives happiness to someone.
Leadership: Power or Responsibility??
By: Mohsin Raza
Tags: Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Development, Leadership Skills

Leadership: Power or Responsibility??

Whenever I thought about the word Leader many things came to my mind. “A leader is a person who leads an organization, people who have more power than others are leaders” and so on…

I grew up with this definition of Leader throughout my life. I went to school, college, university, started my professional career but nobody triggered my mind about Leadership. During second week of my fellowship at Amal, Sir Ahmad and Miss Rabia changed my mind by saying “You can be a Leader”

I started thinking about Leader over and over again. I am going to be a Leader. I am going to have my own Organization. I’ll instruct people who will be working under me…

But the interesting part of this story is that they gave me a new definition of Leader. According to Sir Ahmad and Miss Rabia “A leader is someone who can see how things can be improved”. Leader can be anyone. There are no requirements, no racial differences, no rich no poor anyone who can take responsibility and can fix the fixable things is a Leader.

Now I got a new meaning of Leader and I was so eager to call myself a Leader so I started looking around for anything that can be fixable. And I realized that my sitting place needs my attention. I would have never done it by myself because my wife is responsible for all these things but as I wanted to become a leader so it was a good chance for me to take responsibility.

The author’s sitting place before .

I started fixing by placing my laptop in the laptop bag, folded my blanket and removed other objects from my sitting place. And the result was so relaxing and amazing.

Sitting place after.

This one activity helped me to realize how important it is to take responsibility. Do not think about your power, your financial stability, your strengths etc just start taking responsibility and believe me you will feel the difference. Leadership is not about leading a group of people or gaining more power its all about taking responsibility. Start taking responsibility and you’ll be a Leader.
- Mr Right
By: Mr Right
Tags: Celebration, Leadership Development, Birthday, Team Workflow

Arrangement of a birthday party

Today I arranged a birthday party for my cousin shakeel ahmad who is also my best friend. in this arrangement I worked in the team of my whole family...while working in a team I have applied all the rules which I have learned from the leadership course of #AmalAcademy

By using these rules I worked with my team in a very beautiful manner. It was a really great experience for me and we all enjoy the party a lot.
Taking a Responsibility by Fixing Stuff Around Yourselves..
By: Asad Shafique
Tags: Leadership Development, Taking Action, Stay Organized, Taking Responsibility, Actofkindness

A few days earlier I was assigned a task to fix stuff around yourself in order to feel responsible and learn from it.Although there are many areas which needed fixation but I chose one of my friend food point for fixation.I took the first step in order to make a change around me. I was at home before the activity and decided to give it a go.

Starting things which needed fixation …

Above area was required to be fixed in order to look demanding and beautiful to one selves and coming customers.It was a big deal as it required a lot of working and a lot of time was required to complete. All the crockery was needed to be setup like usual before the start of daily operations.

Just after the fixation

WUHooo….

I just setup the things which was really messy at first but later seen an organised and managed food stall.

I feel an utter sense of comfort by doing this task before it was looking weird to normal eyes but later on it was quite charming to eyes like things seems to be at place where they needs to be.

I would have done the task if was not asked to because to me it was looking unorganised and needed fixation, I was feeling a sense of awkwardness while being there so I took the lead and fixed it my way.

We can see the clear change what our few minutes can make in someones lives. Start doing it today #StayOrganised

It was an act of leadership by me without authority like I was not asked to do so but still that was messy so I decided to give it a go and fixed. In real life there are many things which needs fixation without leading and demands very little time to get them done . Here was the only one example which I am sharing but there are many other which I had done recently. As a leader one can take the initiative and start by his surrounding that needs fixation without being asked, just by himself…#act of leadership
Coaches Corner Chat #2: Developing Leadership
By: Kieron Boyle
Tags: Leadership, Leadership Development, Leadership Coaching, Leadership Skills, Leadership Training

Brian Shrum, Head Womens Coach at Youngstown State University — What is Leadership? A leader is someone who is going to make the team better.

Coaches are leaders! Leadership within the program starts with the coach! Consistency in behavior and message are important — and must match the definition the coach has for “What is Leadership?”

Communication is key! Consistent feedback — even better is the idea of “balanced” feedback — positive and negative!
Fixing Stuff Around Yourself
By: Mahnoor Waqar
Tags: Leadership Development, Everyday Leadership

When you start your journey to becoming a leader you should first look at what can you fix in your house in your surroundings.

“I selected the room in which I was sitting. I decided to make the bed perfect and things around them in order to start my journey towards leadership”

After identifying what needs be to fixed around me. I decided to make the bed perfect and the things around it. I identified that the bedsheet the pillows should be changed and some things like a laptop, mobile should be removed from the bed and put in their place. The study light lamp should be removed from the side of the bed and put the lamp on the study table. I put the laptop in its place because it's not sufficient to place the laptop on the bed. I removed the study light lamp from the corner of the bed because it's needed on the study table and it should be placed there. the glasses also should not be on the bed it may fall and break. so I put them on the table and removed them from that place. I also placed nice flower plants at the corner of the bed to make it look nice.

My mother was happy that I did this work because of her I was happy I gave happiness to her. My mother’s burden was a lit bit reduced and she could do breakfast at that time. I would still do this task if you hadn’t asked for it. I do this task daily. I do this task daily at this time because whenever I wake up I make sure that everything is neat and clean in every room and every bed should be made perfect. I don't like to ask my mother to do this all work so I try to do everything by myself. This activity is related to everyday leadership that I do every day and I feel satisfied after doing this.
Language of Theory U is quite interesting. Would like more reads on Theory U.
By: Girish Kurup
Tags: Leadership Development, Leadership Coaching, Learning

Not deny my feelings of worthlessness / powerlessness/ face them squarely. In the language of Theory U , it is about observing and suspending Voices of Judgement, Cynicism and Fear.
Make 2021 Your Best Year Yet..
By: Coach Dana Cavalea
Tags: Leadership, Leadership Development, Management, Mindset, Business

Make 2021 Your Best Year Yet..

Hi Team…

I am writing to your from the farm today where we got pounded with what looks like two feet of snow!

It may be time to get back to Florida! 😉

But, during the holiday season it is nice to wake up and see a fresh coating of snow- because for me, I always feel like the snow just slows us down a tick…

Which, for many high performers, is the only time they slow down.

Monday, I recorded a podcast / video where I talked about a few things you MUST do so you can head into the New Year locked and loaded….

Let me give you a few of the takeaways…. but first, take out a piece of paper. I want you to write these, not type these.

You MUST study 2020- write down your good and your bad. You see, I find that many of us spend a lot of time studying others, yet very little time studying our selves and our daily habits. Remember:YOU ARE YOUR HABITS. You MUST do things differently- you may need to change some things and pivot/ adjust so you do not repeat yesterday….what are those things you need to adjust and pivot from doing? Write them down. You MUST write down what you did well in 2020-and what you are working towards in 2021. You can no longer keep things in your head. It is far too crowded up there. SO, write down 5-bullet points of things you did well and 5-bullet points of what you strive for in 2021…

These are very important questions to answer if you want to blast off in 2021…

Don’t put pressure on yourself- but look at this as time spent with you and an opportunity for you to really up your game.

Nothing is worse than just having a repeat of the prior year- even those who did great.. they are always striving for more… and so should you.

More is OK.

More is GOOD.

It does not make your greedy or a bad person- it makes you somebody that is special.

Special because you are excited for growth.

Excited to develop yourself.

And- truly excited to see just how far you can take your mind, body, spirit, and performance.

That is what this is about.

YOU BEING YOUR BEST…

SO, YOU CAN HELP OTHERS BE THEIRS…

Let’s GO!

Your Coach,

COACH DANA CAVALEA

Listen To This Weeks Podcast on Making 2021 Your Best Year Yet-Click Here.

COACH DANA CAVALEA

Dana Cavalea is the World Champion Director of Strength and Conditioning & Performance of the New York Yankees.

Currently, he is a High Performance Speaker & Consultant to Pro Athletes, Entrepreneurs, Business Executives, and Workforces on lifestyle strategies to reduce stress, improve work/life integration, and most importantly improve daily performance /outcomes.

Book Dana to Speak at your Company Event or Conference Today!
Fixing stuff around yourself
Tags: Fixing, Leadership Development, Skills

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing

Leadership is about taking responsibility, ownership and initiative, so that others will follow you.

Effective leadership changes the company culture , it is much needed in corporate environment to have a growing culture where Boss is acting like a leader and everyone is growing with the company . All this happen under the great leadership .

Changes happen within ourselves and everyone can take charge of their life and be the leader of their life . We will be a Great leader when we change ourselves daily and try to do things that makes our or someone life better .

Surrounding Space

This is my room and work space

As you can see surrounding does not have anything that I can fix it , I only have my Laptop and my bookshelves above it .

Different Side

I saw my old RC plane project , which I made in my first semester.

Remote Controlled Plane

After seeing plane up close and saw that it was quite dusty and had minor damage due to its last test flight .

I cleaned my old plane and did some minor damage repair to it as you can see the outcome it great and it is again ready to take another flight .

After completing the task it felt nostalgic and made me look back at time when I was in my first semester

I was just a quite kid back then and did not know anything about life and now when I look at myself I still does not know about my life but things has been a lot different now and all this year I have lost people and on the other side got connected to different amazing people life has come a long way.All this time a lot of things have happened.

I would not have done this thing if I hadn’t been ask to do it , reason for this is certain people and things make u travel in time , when you look at it ,they bring you back to that memory .

That period of my life was amazing and full of memories with great friends . That is why I wouldn’t have done that on my own will because some memories are treasure and they need to be kept safe from every bad things happening in life .

At last I wanted to show the flight mode of this plane
Fixing stuff around yourself
By: Siddiqa Soomro
Tags: Leadership Development, Everyday Leadership, Improve Yourself, Fixingtheproblem, Take Responsibility

According to a research “ Clean surrounding improves your productivity” and that’s true. whether we work in an office, or on our work table at Home everyone of us might often feel this. when we work on our bed or table if the surrounding is clean and organized we fell positive and motivating energy. But, if the surrounding is messy, unorganized, and full of things here and there our work energy and positivity also affects. we try to accommodate anyway and complete whatever work as soon as possible.

When you see left side you will feel stressful and the right side it feels relax

If I give my example I was quite busy these days and was working on different things. The room where I do my work I have spread books, notepads, registers, all around. the room is looking so unorganized especially my coffee table. both of my laptops, books, and other stuff is spread over it.

So I get up and start Fixing all stuff spread here and there. Collect all my Books, sweater, and my fleece kept them at their places and Room was looking a lil bit organized.
Create sense of Leadership via fixing stuff around yourself
By: Saddam Rafiq
Tags: Leadership Development, Self Improvement, Life Changers, Leadership Skills, Change Your Life

Hello Guys, I am back again with another exciting blog about Fixing Stuff around yourself. Basically, it is an activity that make us to examine our immediate surrounding and find areas that you can improve or fix right away.

To be very honest, I was sitting in the kitchen of my house when I was reading this project guideline or instructions. So, the area was the “Kitchen” :) of my house when I was doing this activity.

Surrounding (Before)

As you can see in the picture that the area was little bit messy and had dust all around the slab so I decided to clean that mess and make it better for me. I took initiative by pick up laptops and every stuff that was on the slab and then I started cleaning the slab with the dry dusting cloth and after it, i clean the slab by the wet towel and put the things back on the slab. After cleaning it, I feel really very good because I really wanted to do this but never had the time and opportunity to do this J so that’s really make me feel happy from inside. To be very honest, I can’t think of doing this task if you hadn’t asked me to do because I never put my effort this. Rather than putting effort on this, I would prefer to do my work but I am wrong and thank you “Amal Academy” to change my perspective. In my personal opinion, I feel that this activity related to leadership by making me realize that “Whatever You want to do just do it right now, No matter wherever you are. Just take the initiative as a ‘Leader’.First we need to change ourselves. It also make me realize that I must to adapt the changing growth mindset in order to be a good leader and respect everyone perspective. ”
The Importance of Supportive Leadership
By: Robert Assaf
Tags: Business Strategy, Leadership, Leadership Development

Embodying supportive qualities as a leader is one of the most effective behaviors you can utilize in the workplace. Leadership is all about putting your team’s needs over personal success. Consistently supporting your employees will bring success to your endeavors and those successes will speak for themselves. Use the tips below to implement a more supportive leadership style, so you can continue to grow and transform your team into its best possible version.

Build Relationships and Cohesiveness

Building strong relationships within your team is essential for the cohesion of the group, but it isn’t the only factor at play. How your team collaborates in the environment in which they work is just as important. Create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and grow. That may mean changing the way you’ve been leading, but it will give your team a strong advantage when it comes to tackling difficult tasks together.

Steering Your Team to Positive Action

There will always be instances at work where you’re fed up and just don’t want to deal with the situations arising around you. Check in with yourself frequently and encourage your team to do the same. What is causing stress and what can be changed to make the workplace a more positive experience? It may involve taking more downtime at home or allowing your team to work more flexible hours. Discuss the options with your team so you can get back on track as quickly as possible with a more positive outlook.

Allowing Failure to Be an Option

Leaders who expect their employees to never fail are setting their teams up for added stress and more failure. Failures teach us valuable lessons about where we can improve and what processes are not functioning as expected. Take any failures as learning opportunities and give your team the opportunity to grow and learn from their mistakes instead of chastising them.

Making Yourself Available

Nothing says you’re unsupportive more than being constantly unavailable for your team. When leaders become too bogged down in tasks, they tend to lose focus on their team. Assess whether or not you need to make yourself more available. Then, try to schedule individual and group meetings, keep an open door policy, reevaluate your body language, and find ways to manage your time more effectively. These changes may seem small, but they can go a long way in showing your team that you are as committed to their success as possible.
6 Key Questions to Help Coach Team Members Through Challenging Situations
Tags: Leadership, Leadership Development, Management, Team Building, Coaching

6 Key Questions to Help Coach Team Members Through Challenging Situations

One of the key skills of a good manager is asking open-ended questions to help your team members find their own solutions to challenges they encounter, before jumping in to advise them on what to do. Coaching people through this process will help them grow and be confident even as they face obstacles. During 1:1s and other meetings, most of your time should be spent listening and helping people think through how they can solve problems autonomously.

Here are some sample questions you can use to coach your team:

· What does your intuition say? · If you had a magic wand, what would you do? · What is your assessment of the situation? · What is your desired outcome? · What are your next steps? · What can I do to support you?

After people take a stab at thinking through solutions on their own, it’s then fine to jump in and add other ideas or help them evaluate different options. The key is to get people comfortable with being able to ideate first on their own.

Suggestion versus Direction

Another thing to keep in mind when serving as a coach is to be clear about when you are asking for something, versus just making a suggestion. One of the things that team members find challenging is when their manager suggests something, but isn’t clear about whether it is a mandate or just a suggestion. Remember to differentiate whether a request is:

Suggestion: Just an idea, which can be used or not

or

Direction: Expected to be done unless someone makes an effective case of why it shouldn’t be

Practice differentiating between suggestions and direction during your 1:1s and other meetings to help avoid confusion around your expectations.
6 Ways to Develop Your Leadership Skills by Aamer Naeem
Tags: Business Strategy, Coaching, Leadership Development

6 Ways to Develop Your Leadership Skills by Aamer Naeem Aamernaeemuk ·Dec 16, 2020

You’re the manager of your organization. Of late you’ve seen that the work is being finished at a consistent pace, yet you’re seeing an absence of eagerness and drive from your team. What would you do? Your first idea may be to have a conversation with your team. Profitability may be at a high, but is that worth it over the long haul if you lose your team’s dedication? The real conversation actually needs to be with yourself!

As a leader, you should search internally and centre around your own capacities, strengths, and weaknesses. The capacity to self-talk, reflect, and adapt behaviour is the first pillar of leadership and its development. Taking time to hone this capacity, turn the discussion internally, and create new skills.

Resource: https://londondailypost.com/6-ways-to-develop-your-leadership-skills-by-aamer-naeem/
Just Start Effort to Become a Leader
By: Engr Shayan Ahmad
Tags: Leadership, Leadership Development, Leaders, Covid 19, Just Start

What is Leadership? Well, Amal Academy has helped us redefine the definition of Leadership and that is “To make small positive impacts on your surroundings”. Well, this new definition of leadership hits me to the core and it inspires me that I too can become a Leader in many ways.

Standout from everyone else to show Leadership

To practice leadership in our daily life, we are assigned to do a small activity in the 2nd Project Work of Amal Fellowship. So I am sharing my story of becoming a leader.

So, when I went through this project work activity, I was sitting in my room at the plant site of CPBM (Century Paper & Board Mills). And I decided to clean my bed to practice leadership (to make a positive impact). But when I looked at my bed from this perspective, I felt some guilt that what I had been doing and what I was lacking.

So my bed was very messy and there were a lot of things distributed on my left and right side. I used to sleep on this bed without making it neat & clean and without placing the things at their respective place. The idea of cleaning it and sleeping on a neat bed came to my mind several times but I ignored it. Not knowing what impact it is making on me and my surroundings (especially on people’s minds around me). I was thinking about these things when it was 02:00 am on Tuesday night. So I made up my mind to clean it the first time in the morning, before going to the office.

My Bed before cleaning

I woke up, got freshened up, and started cleaning it. I placed the things at their respective place and cleaned everything. The interesting thing is that it took only 10–15 mins to clean everything. And I learned many things from this leadership activity.

After practicing Amal Leadership

I felt gloomy after seeing my bed so neat and clean. I even sprayed a little perfume on my Blanket. And I kind of felt a sense of positive energy flowing in my body that little deeds are actually very powerful in our life.

I could have cleaned my bed after some time but would not be able to learn the lesson of making small positive impacts on our surroundings. Amal’s lesson on leadership has changed my thinking.

The Final Message

Today, I learned that for leadership we don’t need some kind of authority. We just need to take responsibility and let people follow us by getting inspiration from our small positive changes (impacts).

Again, I am thankful to Amal Academy for changing my thinking style of Leadership. Hoping to learn more and more from this Fellowship.
Passion isn’t innate
By: Peter Shepherd
Tags: Leadership, Leadership Development, Coaching, Leadership Skills, Personal Development

A writer isn’t born a passionate writer. They develop said passion after experiencing the profound effect of writing.

A Broadway artist isn’t born passionate about performing. They experience theatre at a young age and then develop a passion for it.

A peanut butter enthusiast isn’t born one. This comes from experiencing the deliciousness of such a magical spread.

Passion isn’t innate.

It is developed through experiences and practising specific skills.

PS. Jen Waldman and I recently recorded a podcast on this very topic. I hope you’ll check it out.
What Your Bed Says About Your Leadership
By: Toku Mccree
Tags: Leadership, Leadership Development, Traveling Tips, Leadership Coaching, Hotel

What Your Bed Says About Your Leadership

When I worked as a roadie I never made my bed in hotels. Sure I would pick up trash and try not to leave the room as a total disaster (something I wasn’t always effective at), but I never made my bed.

After all, I thought, they’re just going to strip the sheets anyway.

Then I noticed how it made me feel.

I noticed that when I left my room, I felt a bit sad, a bit like a slob, a bit like I don’t really care about myself or my bed.

So I started making it. No military corners or tight lines, but I’d place the pillows in a good place, pull up the comforter and fold it over.

As I sat there and looked at my bed, it felt complete.

Leadership at times is like this, it’s making a bed that someone else will simply mess up.

It’s being something and creating something in the face of that very thing being undone.

Right now as our world is going through so much, you may see this great being undone as a reason not to lead.

When in fact, it’s when we need your leadership the most.
3 Strategies To Move From Negative To Positive Thinking
By: Jacob Morgan
Tags: Growth Mindset, Leadership Development, Positivity, Mindset Shift, Entrepreneurship

If you want to succeed in anything in life, from being an entrepreneur to playing competitive chess, you have to learn how to think positively.

So often, our default language to ourselves is negative. With every little mistake, we start to beat ourselves up and think negative thoughts.

But the best mindset you can create shifts that negative self-talk to positive self-talk.

I made a video about this which you can see below. If you want more content like this then make sure to subscribe to the Be Your Own Boss Podcast Youtube Channel where my wife Blake and I teach you how you can be your own boss.

Here are three strategies to make the switch to more positive thinking:

1. Imagine an older version of yourself.

When you make a mistake and are tempted to think or speak negatively, picture an older and wiser version of yourself. What would that more experienced person say to you? They wouldn’t beat you up — instead, they would likely tell you to try again and keep going. Imagining an older version of yourself gives you perspective and lets you know that one mistake doesn’t define your entire life or career.

2. Lean into negative thoughts.

Often, our negative thoughts are trying to tell us something. In many cases, our mind or body is afraid and trying to protect us from that fear. It can be helpful to lean into the negative thoughts and address why those thoughts are there. If a fear of failure or losing is causing negativity, address the fear as the root problem of the negativity. Instead of pushing down negative thoughts, try to work through the fear.

Blake and I made lots of mistakes during our entrepreneurial journey and learned things the hard way, but you don’t have to. Whether you are considering going off on your own or you already have, this will be a valuable resource for you. Download our PDF on the 7 things you need to master if you want to be a successful entrepreneur.

3. List positive and grateful things.

When you find yourself falling into the trap of negative thinking, stop and create a list of three positive things. Even if you made a mistake or something went wrong, you can list positive things like having a learning experience or discovering something about yourself. You can also turn to positivity with gratitude. Instead of thinking or speaking negatively, make a mental list of three things you are grateful for. Replacing your negative thoughts for positive ones can train your brain and help you move away from negative self-talk. Over time you will be able to catch yourself in the moment and make the mental switch.

Mistakes and bad things happen — it’s inevitable in your life and career. The key to success is turning those mistakes into learning opportunities and not tearing yourself down about every little slip up. These strategies can turn negative thinking into positive thinking and set you up for long-term success.
Is Doing Nothing Safe?
By: Louie Rahil
Tags: Future Self, Leadership Development, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Personal Development

Is Doing Nothing Safe?

Photo by Loic Leray on Unsplash

I know a business owner who refuses to do more things because he is afraid to do the wrong things. He thinks that doing nothing is safer and easier.

I can argue that doing nothing is riskier, and doing nothing is more dangerous.

In the long run, doing nothing is the fastest way to fail. Blockbuster did nothing to adapt and respond to their customer’s needs. They no longer exist. The future belongs to people who are willing to invest in themselves and their business. The future will be owned by people who are eager to be the fastest and be the best.

As easy as it seems, being the fastest is difficult because it requires you to use all of your physical, emotional, and mental capacities. Being the best is hard becuase it forces you to invest in yourself and do things that you are not comfortable doing.

So, most people choose to do nothing because doing something is hard. It exposes them to do wrong things.

Are you doing difficult work?

Do The Work
Here We Stand
By: Careers In Gov.
Tags: Leadership Development, Leadership, Covid 19 Crisis, Covid 19, Coronavirus

It would not be outrageous to suggest that the pandemic of COVID-19 has created havoc in both the working life and the personal life of many. It has challenged our understanding of normal. Depending on the country or jurisdiction that you live in, the year may well have been marked by separation from family and loved ones for an extended period of time.
F.A.S.T. L.A.N.E. To Becoming a Leader.
By: Kuan Demarco
Tags: Leadership, Leadership Development, Leadership Coaching, Leadership Skills

F.A.S.T. L.A.N.E. To Becoming a Leader.

One of the Paradoxes of life is that slow is fast and fast is slow, hence the maxim “Hasten slowly and you’ll soon arrive”. Make no mistake there are no shortcuts! But there are ways to become more efficient and straighten the trajectory (based on principles that are tried and true) as you go from point A to point B. Life is too short to learn everything on your own but we can learn from others to mitigate the learning curve 1in many areas of life.

The F.A.S.T. L.A.N.E. to Becoming a leader consists of a set of principles and modalities that will harness the leadership potential in serious-minded individuals. Below is a brief description of what each principle/modality represents.

FAST = Flow | Adapt |Secure| Transend

Flow — To flow is the principle of being fluid in action versus being rigid. Being able to flow will enable you to find the path of least resistance and get in where you fit in.

Adapt — Once you develop the ability to adapt to circumstances you are then able to detect perceived boundaries and push the limits. This principle is shown in the way water takes on any shape that contains it. The ability to flow correlates with your ability to adapt.

Secure — To secure is the ability to hold and bind what you have gained. Subsequently laying and paving your own road/lane toward Success. This is the counterpart to the flow. But don’t make it a comfort zone because It is not the end goal!

Transcend — To transcend is to go beyond the perceived range or limits e.g. goal.

LANE= Leverage | Accountability | Navigation | Experience

Leverage — Is to use something that you already have to achieve something new or better. Your skill-sets, talents, accomplishments, and determined ideas fall into this category. Leverage is what gets you in the door.

Accountability — You are accountable for utilizing your abilities to make the rubber meet the road and expected to do what you say.

Navigation — Navigation is how you maneuver using your social and emotional intelligence. You must know when to speed up, slow down, or put the breaks on in each situation. The speed necessary for each terrain and road you will travel will vary. Subsequently, the weight or baggage you bring will affect your ability to drive the necessary points home (in hearts and minds).

Experience — Wisdom is a byproduct of time and experience. Although each situation may be unique, reflecting on how you handle various situations increases your ability to gauge and respond F.A.S.T. and efficiency. As a result, your experiences will give you a broader scope on your journey moving forward. Flowing better, adapting quicker, securing more confidence, and transcending higher!

Get into the F.a.s.t L.a.n.e and be on your way!
4 Human Skills that will be Valuable in the Future
By: Charles Stephen
Tags: Skills, Skills Development, Future, Future Of Work, Technology

4 Human Skills that will be Valuable in the Future

Image by Pixabay

The mainstream media loves to shower doom and gloom stories on us about how technology will render humans useless one day. They describe a future world where robots will be performing all tasks and possibly even making all decisions after the singularity.

But I got news for them.

The basic skills that humans can provide are not only irreplaceable; they are exclusive — and no machine can ever mimic them. After all, didn’t humans create the technology, to begin with?

Whenever feeling discouraged by our place in this technologically driven world in which we find ourselves, just a simple reminder is needed regarding the powerful human skills we possess.

These 4 human skills have always been valuable and are sought after by smart employers — and they always will.
The Importance Of Being Human In A Technology-Driven World
By: Jacob Morgan
Tags: Leadership, Future Of Work, Technology, Humanity, Job Security

There’s no denying that our world is becoming increasingly technology-driven. What’s the best thing you can do to prepare? Focus on being human.

Why Is It Important To Be Human?

Every company can exist without technology, but no company can exist without people. No matter how advanced technology becomes, it will never totally replace humans.

Before we had automation, we created jobs that could neatly fit into buckets and easily be done in a series of steps. But because we didn’t have technology, we put humans in those jobs. Now we have technology that can step in and take over those jobs, leaving humans to actually be human. As technology becomes more prevalent and powerful, the biggest value we can bring is to be human.

I put together a video which talks about this in more detail. Please check it out below and if you want more content like this you can subscribe to my Youtube channel.

How Can We Be Human?

Being human at work means practicing the innately human skills that technology can’t do — things like empathy, creativity, collaboration, self-awareness, innovation, coaching, mentoring, and much more. As humans, we are naturally skilled in these areas, but we’ve been conditioned to not practice these things within our companies. To truly be human at work, we have to practice what makes us human and build real, human connections with our colleagues and customers.

What’s The Benefit Of Being Human?

Technology will only grow in the future, and being human and embracing our uniquely human characteristics will be the most valuable skills organizations will need. People who are good at being human will be in high demand, even above people with advanced technical skills. If we want to create human organizations, we need humans. When you practice human skills regularly, your value will increase and you’ll be presented with new opportunities.

Leadership is changing. What are the skills and mindsets you need to master in order to lead in the new world of work? According to over 140 of the world’s top CEOs there are 4 mindsets and 5 skills that leaders need to master. Learn what they are and hear directly from these leaders by downloading the PDF below.

Technology is a powerful tool for future organizations. But so are humans. The most important thing you can do to future-proof your career is to be human in a technology-driven world. Embrace and develop those uniquely human skills that technology can’t replicate. When you build empathy, creativity, communication, and more, you set yourself up to lead in the future of work.
5 years in: a renewed commitment to diverse founders and those building solutions for diverse audiences.
By: Ajit Verghese
Tags: Venture Capital, Future Of Work, Entrepreneurship, Open Innovation, Investing

This October marks five years since humble ventures first started. As 2020 wraps up, I am thankful and grateful.

Like so many others, COVID and this pandemic have affected the health and safety of our family, friends, and our network on a global basis.

We are thankful to be ambulatory and currently surviving and we have learned a lot about a lot.

The lesson of 2020 has been to be like Water. And in 2021, our goal is to continue to Flow.

Some humble ventures stats since April 2020 — December 2020:

200+ Zooms

75 Medium posts

7 newsletters sent

70% subscriber increase

20 virtual pop-ups

38 design thinking workshops

120 pitches of our creds deck

33 investments

$150K in grant funding to 50+ Black-owned businesses

200+ students taught

Facilitated 1 innovation challenge

We’ve made some changes to our website to communicate our focus and direction. Take a look and let us know what you think.

A few highlights of our new changes (TL;DR):

Our Approach

We continue to use lean startup, design thinking, and community power in our business model.

We spend time either consulting or providing programming to early-stage companies, enterprise organizations, or fellow investors.

Our Fund

We invest in businesses off our balance sheet and have launched our t-shirt fund to increase the capital invested in our dealflow. Buy your humblethread$

Our Team

We continue to highlight the various partners such as Ogilvy Consulting, National Black Chamber of Commerce, Sparks Consulting Group, and Republic.

We appreciate problem solvers in search of fellow collaborators. Take a look at our updated website, and reach out if you think we might be able to help.