Peer to Peer Magazine

The Wizardry of Leading Others and Yourself with Courage, Heart and Brains A critical component to empathy is truly listening — giving your full attention and your best effort at understanding what someone else has to say. You are absorbing and processing, not just hearing. We hear background music. When we really want to listen, we are working to connect with and value someone else. Being authentic is another way to ensure your followers that you care. If you are honest with your followers about your own shortcomings, it is much easier to continue your journey of self-awareness and provide grace when others make mistakes. Be true to yourself and true to others — the grace and trust will follow. The final essential appeal in gaining leadership traction concerns the intellect. • Rational Appeal — “Do you know what you’re talking about?” (This is brains.) Intelligence and logic, though contributing factors, are not the main ingredients in the rational appeal. The main ingredient is right thinking. By right thinking I mean you lead, you coach, you explain to people what they need to do, and you do it in such a way that people buy into it. They know you know what you’re talking about, because you describe life like you’ve been living in their shoes. You take the time to relate versus just dictating what you think you want to happen. I have discovered that the more I live in reality about me, the more influential I can be. Living in reality about me means sharing my strengths and weaknesses, my successes and failures. It means owning my mistakes and not trying to hide them. It means leading by example and walking the walk. It also means finishing well. Finishing well allows you to set goals, make commitments and gain credibility without losing trust throughout the process. If you are willing to consistently keep your word and finish well, you will be respected and will bring out the best in your followers. Exceptional leaders surround themselves with people who are smarter and stronger, people who complement their weaknesses. They are not intimidated by people that think differently and are not afraid to speak their opinions and beliefs. Look at the strengths of the people surrounding you, and you will see the strength of your team and your future. For people to really buy into you and your leadership, you must successfully make all three appeals: ethical, emotional and rational. If any of the three is absent, you cannot become an effective leader. In other words, on the yellow brick road of leadership, you need courage, heart and brains. I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom from the Wizard of Oz to ponder . . . enjoy! Scarecrow: I haven’t got a brain... only straw. Dorothy: How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain? Scarecrow: I don’t know... But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking... don’t they? Dorothy: Yes, I guess you’re right. Wizard of Oz: A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others. Wizard of Oz: You, my friend, are a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you’re confusing courage with wisdom. Cowardly Lion: I’d be brave as a blizzard . . . Tin Woodsman: I’d be gentle as a lizard . . . Scarecrow: I’d be clever as a gizzard . . . Dorothy: If the Wizard is a wizard who will serve. Scarecrow: Then I’m sure to get a brain . . . Tin Woodsman: A heart . . . Dorothy: A home . . . ILTA Gina Buser is CEO and co-founder of Traveling Coaches. Since 1997, She has served as the company’s managing partner. In her own words, Gina’s personal mission for Traveling Coaches is to “build a leading edge company that provides an environment where team members can strive for both professional and personal excellence without sacrificing themselves and their families.” Gina has been named as “Woman Business Owner of the Year” by the National Association of Woman Business Owners, DFW Chapter. She can be reached at gbuser@travelingcoaches.com. Peer to Peer the quarterly magazine of ILTA 51

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