Tag Archives: leadership skills

Developing Leadership Through Sharing Wisdom

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Networking, Success, Uncategorized by

Developing Leadership Through Sharing Wisdom

wisdom

               Maya Angelou was such a wise woman – an inspiration for us all. I was so sad to learn of her passing a couple of weeks ago. She was definitely a woman who left her mark on this world and that is truly wonderful! I came across this quote of hers and couldn’t wait to create a blog post around it because I couldn’t agree more!

               There is so much wisdom that can be gained from listening to the stories of other people. Hearing the personal successes and struggles of others can give you the courage and the strength to overcome obstacles. It can be that extra “push” you need to take a big step or make a major decision. It call pull you out of feeling isolated when you are dealing with some of the heavy blows life sends our way sometimes.

                 On my Dinner With Nerds Food Blog (now retired), I created a series of interviews with people for this very reason! My “In The Kitchen” and “At The Table” series are interviews I conduct with professional, successful people over dinner/coffee/lunch. I believe we learn more about others in more laid back environments over dinner/coffee/lunch than we do in an office setting or stuffy board room. I know the value of learning from others – their mistakes, successes and journey’s along the way.

               Take the time to invite someone for coffee or lunch and invest in learning from their life experiences. We are more alike than we are different! There are common themes we all encounter in everyday life that can be used as inspiration for each other. Let the experience and wisdom of others help you to develop your Leadership skills today!

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

              Dr. Carmen April is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is a 2014 Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for College Students and Young Professionals.

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An Important Key to Making Leadership Decisions

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success by

An Important Key to Making Leadership Decisions

               Let’s face it – we all get the same 24 hours in each day. No more and no less. How is it then that some people seem to successfully juggle a million activities on their daily schedules while others have difficulty managing the few activities they have. Well, this quote from Seth Godin hits it right on the head! It’s not that we need more time, we simply need to be more decisive in making important decisions.

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                The indecisive back and forth game we play out in our heads actually wastes more time than coming to a solid decision then subsequently planning out the specifics as it relates to that chosen decision.

Leaders are charged with being decision makers. Even though you may be tempted to delay important decisions, don’t punt them until “later”. More time to decide may not be your answer, but your decisiveness probably is!

What important Leadership decision have you been delaying lately? Trust your leadership instinct and be decisive, now!

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

           This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.

3 Ways to Overcome Fear of Failure in Leadership

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success by

3 Ways to Overcome Fear of Failure in Leadership

           Some Leaders fall short of achieving desired results because they allow the fear of failure to stagnate progress. Fear is crippling because it initiates a cycle that leads to inactivity and insufficiency of the skills needed to obtain what you desire. This then leads to more fear and the cycle repeating itself.

Fear Cycle

The way to break the cycle and gain strength is to jump out of this vicious fear cycle early on. Eleanor Roosevelt says “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face.”

Here are 3 things you can do to “gain strength, courage and confidence” and move forward with pursuing your goals:

1.) Name Your Fear – When you admit your fear, you deflate its power! When you name your fear, you remove the confusion over what is causing your fear in the first place.

2.) Figure out WHY you have developed this fear. Did something go wrong? Did someone say something to you that was discouraging? Do you think you’re not talented or gifted enough to accomplish your goals? Getting to your “WHY” will lead you to “HOW” you can break out of the cycle.

3.) Replace the images of fear with images of Power! Fear can have such a powerful grip on your mind that it will cause you to be absolutely consumed with it. Realize that you have the power to control your thoughts. Memorize a mantra or inspirational quote and every time the feelings of fear creep into your mind, repeat this over and over until it becomes the controlling thought. Napoleon Hill, in his best seller “Think and Grow Rich”, states it best when he says, “Each of us is what we are because of the dominating thoughts we permit to occupy our minds” That’s POWERFUL and very much true! When you leverage the power of shutting down negative thoughts with positive affirmation, you create a door of opportunity to break out of that dreaded Cycle of Fear!

Dominating Thoughts

What Fear do you have today that is inhibiting you from the Leadership success you desire?

– Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

        

        This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.

Leaders Cultivate Climate

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Leaders Cultivate Climate

            Sir Richard Branson has built a successful empire with his Virgin Brand and I love reading his advice on business and success. This Leadership quote of his stood out to me recently because it is a philosophy I use in my business:

VirginLogo“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to” – Richard Branson

              I work hard to train my team to do everything I don’t do, ie – everything in my office that does not directly involve diagnosing and treating patients. I personally train them through a series of over 100 training videos I created as well as with hands-on instruction. I know that at any time my employees can leave and get a job with any other doctor’s office and excel due to the hands-on learning and training they’ve received from me. This training not only makes my office run efficiently, but it makes me feel empowered to know that I am directly involved with the professional development of others.

              What’s awesome is that I’ve had pretty much the same team since I started my business almost 3.5 years ago! My team knows that I value their hard work and dedication to making my practice successful. I practice positive reinforcement on a daily basis and always end the day by saying “Thank You”. Those two little words are super encouraging to those working with you and for you. We all have a desire to feel useful and appreciated in our work and careers. When your team members feel valued, they will stick around. The mark of a great leader is cultivating a climate in which team members are excited about staying with you as part of your team!

What does your current business/job climate say about your Leadership Skills?

Train people well

— Dr. April

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

             This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.

Power Under Control in Leadership

Posted in Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success by

Power Under Control in Leadership

               Defining your Leadership style early in your career or community involvement can sometimes be tricky. You have to balance being a leader whom people respect by being likeable, with the confidence in your capability to lead your team toward the intended goal. It’s a delicate balance that those who are new to leadership positions have to establish early on. There is the fear by some that if they are too “meek”, their teams won’t take them seriously or trust their leadership decisions. You should remember, however, that “meekness is not weakness. It’s power under control.”

              Leadership should not be an ‘in your face’, aggressive method of influencing others. Garnering trust from your team and leading by example is a perfect way to exercise leadership power under control. Sometimes, simply verbalizing your own version of this quote below is necessary to remind people of your capabilities.

               Has your “power under control” in Leadership ever been confused with you being less capable? If so, in what ways can you use your leadership skills to convey your strengths to your team?

– Dr. April

life coach, nashville life coach

Dr. Carmen April's Speaker Series

Dr. Carmen April’s Speaker Series

          This post is part of a series on Leadership presented by Dr. Carmen April. She is a young entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2013 Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient and is currently a 2014 New Leaders Council Fellow – Nashville Chapter.  Dr. April is available for speaking engagements Entrepreneurship for college students and young professionals.