What will be your goals for 2013?

One of my favourite Facebook Pages is Leadership Freak Coffee Shop http://www.facebook.com/wendy.moore.923?ref=tn_tnmn#!/LeadershipFreak

Yep it is a strange name for a Facebook page.  I came across it when I was looking at twitter # tags on leadership.  What I like about this particular page is that the author posts the start of a sentence and invites readers to complete the sentence with their own comments. 

The most recent sentence posted was this one:

My goals for 2013 include ________________

When I last visited the page there were 19 comments which included things like, being more organised, spending more time with family, blogging more, focus, growing professionally etc.

I have given this sentence a lot of thought and while all of the above comments are also true for me, I couldn’t help but reflect on the past year and on the experiences that have shaped my life so far.  Sadly for one family, 2013 will start with a funeral.  My dear friends lost a father-in-law/father on Christmas day. Another family I know lost 8 family members throughout 2012. My thoughts are very much with these people and others who have experienced such sadness in their lives.  Tragedies such as these provide opportunities for thoughtful reflection on what is really important.  For me this was truly a wakeup call.  It is not what is important but who is important. I am fortunate to have family, friends and colleagues in my life who provide friendship and insight.   It is my family, friends and colleagues who are important to me.  Now with clarity of thought and a different perspective I am able to complete the above sentence.

My goals for 2013 include

Stress less, enjoy more, carpe diem (Seize the day), be creative and just Be!

 Lifeline 13 11 14

The Power of Nice: Make someone's day

I remember some time back being in a queue to order a meal at a sports club venue.  The card reader had not being working properly which meant that payments made by card were taking a long time.  Customers were showing their annoyance.  The person who was taking the orders and payment remained calm and greeted each new customer with cheerful courtesy, despite some customers venting their hostility.  When it was my turn, I complimented her on her excellent customer service in a difficult situation.   A smile came over her face and she seemed to show a sense of relief that someone had taken the time to understand and acknowledge her ability to handle a difficult situation with excellent customer service skills and professionalism.

In an article "6 Unexpected Ways to Make Someone's Day" by Jeff Haden on INC. (Small Business Resources for Entrepreneurs) Website, Jeff Haden writes "When you see a person struggling, give them hope.  Let them know you see something in them that they don't yet see - even if, sometimes, you don't yet see it either".   
6 Unexpected ways to make someones day

I love stories like these about building people up by acknowledging their ability to handle a difficult situation in a courteous, calm, confident and professional manner.  Taking a moment to be present and to see a situation from another's perspective shows not only empathy but leadership in building someone up by providing hope and encouragement.

Volunteer Manager’s Mission - seek out strange new worlds

I attended a seminar at the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) in Brisbane, recently.  I will be honest, I was a little apprehensive.  For whatever reason, I thought that I wouldn’t fit in.  Usually when I am talking to people and the topic of conversation turns to what work do you do, I say “I’m a Volunteer Coordinator” and then hold my breath and wait for the reply of “how nice” followed by an awkward silence or a quick change of subject, because people are generally unfamiliar with the role and feel uncomfortable because they don’t know what to say next. 

So it was with some trepidation I entered the AIM building.  I was greeted in a friendly, yet professional manner and shown where I could either sit and wait or browse through the library and bookshop while I waited to be taken to the seminar room.   The event coordinator, Simone, noticing I was by myself and perhaps a little nervous, made me feel a bit more at ease with a polite conversation and you guessed it, asked the dreaded question, what do you do?   Imagine my surprise then, when after giving my usual reply, Simone responded with “that must be challenging”, finally, someone who understood my role.  Yes being a volunteer coordinator can be challenging.  A person who coordinates events would know this.  The role of coordinating or managing volunteers is challenging, because to do it well requires matching the skills, abilities, talents and needs of people to tasks, ensuring also that tasks are appropriate and meaningful.  To get the balance right requires flexibility, understanding, empathy, multitasking, organisation and time management skills to name just a few.