The Art of Leadership – Uplifted!

Recently, I had the good fortune to attend the Art of Leadership conference with Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions, here in Ottawa. I have offered Career Transition and Management Services in conjunction with Knightsbridge for several years. Through this supportive partnership, I’ve worked with many amazing clients who have moved through their transition to do some truly wonderful things. It’s always an honour to be a part of the process.

The Art of Leadership Conference hosted a roster of energetic, thought-provoking speakers. It was a full day of soaking up new insights and ideas among leaders from every sector. The energy was high; there were hundreds of people in the room and loud, vibrant music intended to ‘pump-up’ the spirit played during the breaks.

For extroverts, this environment is a place to thrive but for introverts like myself, the raucous energy had taken its toll by the end of the day when I could hardly wait to go home to my peaceful, quiet sanctuary — to take a big exhale and integrate all I had witnessed.

After connecting a few dots, I left the conference with low energy but an infused sense of passion and conviction for Uplift’s cause. I am always so grateful for moments when the big picture emerges. For example, when Mitch Joel, Marketing & Social Media guru and author of ‘Six Pixels of Separation‘, presented I was taken aback by a couple of things: first, by the rate of change and exponential growth of technology (Apple’s stock over $700, just as the iPhone 5 came out, I think says much). Our world is moving fast, at a rate within which it has become difficult to keep pace. I feel this every day in my business – I’ve seen and experienced so much change and growth over the last few months that it blows me away. The change is fast, complex, and the speed of this future is not going away.

My heartfelt concern with all of this change is in the ‘humanity’.   How are we managing individually? At work? Within our communities and in the world? Most of us, not so well; our energies are drained and compromised as we do everything in our power just to keep up.

Even more disconcerting, Mitch threw out a question to the audience of ‘Leaders’ which went something like this, “Who is raring to go, I mean like a horse out of the gate, to get to work on a Monday morning?” Very few in the audience raised their hands. How can we follow leaders who are not raring to go on a Monday morning.  If they are not raring to go, are they fresh, inspired, enthusiastic, and passionate? Do these business leaders embody a strong sense of ‘Being Human’?

It’s not that these leaders don’t love what they do, it’s a matter of timing and energy. The ‘system’ – the traditional structure of business — is, now more than ever, calling to be Uplifted! It requires a shift toward grounded qualities and mindful positivity or it won’t be able to maintain itself.

Through Uplift!, my message has been clear and consistent: first, we need to get grounded, which means taking care of ourselves. This ‘knowing of thyself’ allows access to our best attributes and aligns us with our greatest potential — to Be Brilliant, inspiring others to do the same.

“Knowledge of the self is the mother of all knowledge. So it is incumbent on me to know my self, to know it completely, to know its minutiae, its characteristics, its subtleties, and its very atoms.” ~ Kahlil Gibran (1883 -1931)

I say, “Wake Up!” and let’s get going. It’s time to be brave, bold, and do things differently because if we continue at the rate in which we are going, what happens to our humanity – the qualities or conditions of being human; kindness and benevolence.

I think there is much light to be found around doing things differently. I have these witnessed remarkable changes within my clients; leading from a solid and unshakable foundation fuels positive, mindful growth.

With mindful self-knowledge, we become leaders with greater kindness, compassion, trust, and integrity.  This is not a complex idea; this is about choice. We can choose to continue in the bubble or we can jump out, be bold, and make conscious choices towards positive mindful actions that contribute to our overall wellbeing and happiness — not just within ourselves but to create a much greater impact on the people in our lives and in the world.

The energy of the conference was interesting; even the speakers were ‘fast’ talkers trying to fit so much into a short amount of time. That is, all with the exception of Susan Cain, author of ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts‘, whose pace and tone was nothing but calm, refreshing and inspiring.

Susan conveys the Uplift! message perfectly. “If you are quiet or shy, that’s okay. Focus on and get clear about your sense of conviction and courage to follow your heart. The rest will follow.”

Let this be your guiding and driving force with everything you do. This is the beginning. It is time to move forward from simply doing. We will look back and be proud that we finally allowed ourselves to start being human beings again.”

Be YOU, put yourself out there, trust in the process, and believe. You are fully supported. There is no better time than this to start fuelling your own positive, mindful growth.

As always, if you need help or guidance on this path, let me know how I can help nurture your journey.  The door is open.

Love and Light,

Paula

Photosource: Mindshift Consulting.

Inspiring quote via Sylvie’s Yoga