Talking Story

Starting new conversations in the workplace!

Beautiful Confidence

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A thought to keep close for the weekend: “Confidence is good’s natural extension.”

As Liz Danzico writes:

“People should be so fiercely passionate about good ideas that self-promotion is a natural extension. Otherwise, why is it worth doing in the first place? It’s when confidence and self-promotion are obfuscated from passion that the claims become flimsy and empty. Confidence can bridge the gap between desire and outcome as long as the integrity for what we believe and the authenticity of what we create remain in place. We have the ability to both do good work and to recognize it — the choice is ours to make. Confidence is good’s natural extension.”

Time to Seize Control. Be Commanding!

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I received a phone call recently which made me do my little hula dance of joy. The call was from a former client who had invested in a few Managing with Aloha workshops for his staff about three years ago (by ‘invested’ I mean it was not a flavor-of-the-month training for them, and they followed-up. Still do), and after our hellos and small talk to catch up he said,

“Rosa, I’d like to book another Ho‘ohana Session for all my staff. I don’t care if other people still feel we are in a recession: I’m not going to sit around and wait for the rest of the world any longer.

No more hesitation or conservative thinking, for quietly playing it safe isn’t a winning strategy for us. Time for us to get moving again and you can help move us faster.”

In other words, he’s seizing control and placing himself in charge of his own destiny [‘Imi ola].

Chain link resting place

His company is extremely lucky to have him at the helm. Playing it safe is for wimps, and wimps don’t lead winning businesses, or develop winning teams of people.

We’d all have come out of the economic messes we might still be in if each and every one of us had made the same courageous decision months or even years ago. Perhaps not to book a session with me (though that would be nice) but definitely that decision to get moving in a more forceful, positive direction, and to deal with the business of life on our own terms.

To seize control and be commanding is a very good thing.

‘Control’ is one of those words that has a bad rep, especially when it comes to leadership, for we have been conditioned to prefer words like ‘ownership’ and ‘engagement;’ pull and persuade words over more forceful push words. However I love these stronger words when it comes to our own butt-kicking. I’d love to see more business people get back in charge of their own destiny and seize control again with both hands, just as my recommitted client has done.

Where do you stand?

Are you taking a stance today, in the right here, right now?

Is it time you seize back control too?

The Gallup Organization labels this willingness ”“ this eagerness to be in control a strength, one they refer to as ‘command:’

“Command leads you to take charge” Once your goal is set, you feel restless until you have aligned others with you” People are drawn to those who take a stance and ask them to move in a certain direction. Therefore, people will be drawn to you. You have presence. You have Command.”
—Tom Rath, StrengthsFinder 2.0

Alaka‘i managers are commanding. They lead with their own ideas, their own energies, and their eagerness to be in charge, in control, and in fully confident command.

Those are never traits to apologize for or be hesitant about. It’s long been time to be more assertive, aggressive and brave. If any of those more forceful words make you squirm, well good.

Are you an Alaka‘i manager up to the challenge?

We certainly need you to be. That much is very, very clear.

From the Say “Alaka‘i” archives:

Leaders Don’t Wait for Any Cycle was written in November of 2008. How much movement and progress might you have realized in your own business if you had seized control and command back then?

Article originally published on Say “Alaka‘i” August 2009
Time to Seize Control. Be Commanding!