Last week I had a great keynote here in Annapolis with Leadership Anne Arundel. Leaders gathered from across the county to be with one another, refocus, and refresh. Remember my last post about a coaching refresh? Sometimes we need to refresh our skills and at other times, our souls. Leadership can be lonely; we all know that. An evening of good, honest connection resets us.
Back to that night. Looking over College Creek from my vantage point at the US Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, I sat for a few minutes in quiet before the event began. I do this before I speak. Then, leaders gathered, and the night kicked off in flash.
I spoke about my Flight Lessons which in fact are Leadership Lessons. Hands flying in the air (aviators must speak with their hands, it is part of our DNA), I talked first about gritting it out during my time at the Naval Academy. “Grit is built through struggle, there is no way around it,” I reminded my audience. I moved onto navigating turbulence early in my career, and then literally and metaphorically, “earning my wings.” My audience laughed, cried, and connected deeply with my universal “flight” lessons of leadership.
Afterwards, I got feedback. Lots of feedback. Speakers want to know if their message resonates and to find ways to refine our work. My message reminded leaders to look at their own stories in a different way. To remember those who came before us, whose shoulders we were standing upon. The giants that came before us.
One leader remarked to me, “You gave us a sense of calm even in the midst of struggle. We need to hear more of that from leaders today.” Her comment struck me the most. Yes, we do.
Hence, here is my question to you:
What are you doing to refresh and reset so that you lead with a sense of calmness that is so much needed in this world?
Fly high,
Barbara
Want to know more? Need a speaker to inspire and refresh your teams’ leadership? Connect with me at CaptainBarbaraBell.com and of course check out my book, Flight Lessons: Navigating Through Life’s Turbulence and Learning to Fly High.
#reset, #refresh, #leadership
