When we have the privilege of being in a leadership role whether in an official capacity or not, we have the opportunity to be part of many defining moments. This could be either for our self or others. We also have the opportunity to create these defining moments for others, this could be in a good way or maybe in a not so good way. It can be a fine line between the two however if have some of key attributes of a people leader like self awareness, then you will be setting yourself up to have a positive influence on the situation.
In People: People First People Always you can read the about defining moments and also what are key attributes for being a people first leader. Below is an insight into what you can read in Chapter 11 Defining Moments.
So far in my lifetime I have had many defining moments. The value of some of which I wasn’t aware of until later in life, or until I started writing this book.
Others I was well aware of, however took a while to process them. I have also had the opportunity to be part of other people’s defining moments and these were sometimes purely because I was listening and supporting them, or I had some part to play in providing them with an opportunity.
Earlier in the book we touched on one of my earliest defining moments: the day we moved to a new house and I ended up going to different schools with different kids and situations. Moving away from my best friend and my little group of friends created other situation
where my drive to help people become more prominent than maybe if I had stayed put. I will never know, as I have continued the path that was created, and today I am writing a book about how we need to change the landscape of leadership, and step into the world of
people-first or truly human leadership (Bob Chapman).
Taking the new pathway that was created for me when we moved to that new house provided me with opportunities to experience different situations. As I said earlier, I was the 100th student at this school, which also had a satellite class for special-needs kids. Being involved in a close-knit school meant I stood out more. Maybe because I was much bigger than the rest of the kids, but maybe also because I acted a little differently, and had different things to offer the school and other students. It was there that I also came to understand that not all kids are as okay as I was around special-needs kids, or kids who had different backgrounds. Looking back, I can see that it was during the short time I was at this school that embedded some of the attributes that I now dearly value—resilience, and being accepting of people or situations.
As a teenager, one of the defining moments was when I came out. However the defining part was more around how I influenced others, including how the school looked at people who were different in some way. I find this interesting, as I do not believe I did anything special to influence this change apart from being myself and being open to discussing the topic of being gay. You’ll remember I mentioned the senior student thanked me for making their life easier at school? Moments like these you never forget. For me to be open about who I was, and I guess be comfortable with that, provided support for others who were having a hard time with the great debate that was happening within their head, heart, and guts. Even in today’s society too many young people, and even older people, struggle with being who they really are. They fear the actions or judgement of other people; they fear they do not fit the mould that society as told them they have to fit into.
All it takes is for one person to give another person a chance, an opportunity, a defining moment. That defining moment will be different for everyone however hiring an intern, smiling at a stranger, stopping what you are doing and really listening to your child, partner, colleague, team member could be the difference and the cool thing is that you might never know how much of a difference you make to that person. However, they will always remember how you made them feel in that moment.
If you would like to get your own copy of People: People First People Always check out the store through www.peoplefirstpeoplealways.com.
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