Relationship building, networking and community building are some of women’s finest gifts. Therefore, The Essential Feminine Company™ is opening its “Living Room” as a place for women to get together once a month to share ideas and suggestions about various topics. This is a free event happening at noon (Pacific Time) on March 24 and continuing on the fourth Wednesday of the months following. You will need to register for the event at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/448858688

We will begin our Living Room discussion with the topic, “Inviting The New, The Different and The Good Into Our Lives”. After the initial theme has been presented we will be opening the lines for announcements, wishes, desires, and general networking. Please contact us at info@theessentialfeminine.com if you have something you would like to share during the second half hour. We need at least forty-eight hours prior to each Living Room event for your comment or need to be considered.

We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to join women from around the globe and help us create a community of women who want to create their lives from their true selves and thus make a difference.

Maureen Simon

Note: Yesterday (March 8) “was International Women’s Day celebrating the progress women have made in their struggles for equality and development and also focusing on what remains to be done to ensure there is equality for all. The theme this year is “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All.””

Note from The Hunger Project: “(THP) firmly believes that empowering women to be key change agents is an essential element to achieving the end of hunger and poverty. Wherever we work, our programs aim to support women, build their capacity and ensure their voice is heard and influence felt, both in their own communities and more widely.” To read more: http://www.thp.org/learn_more/publications/newsletters/february_2010

Note from Heifer International: Women Working Wonders; Since they received goats from Heifer, the members of Zambia’s Evergreen Women’s Club have been able to provide life-saving milk for their children, grow valuable crops to support their families and help their neighbors support themselves. To read more: http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.201594/?msource=kwg538

Maureen Simon
“Designing Business & Lives”
Create Your Blueprint for 2010
info@theessentialfeminine.com

http://womeninfluencingnow.wordpress.com

http://www.facebook.com/maureensimon

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Seeing the folly of my ways, I led myself out of my self-induced blog-fog. I looked at my concerns (being rejected, not seen as being smart enough), then called up my commitments (to connect and learn), then I chose. I chose to act from my commitments, let my concerns embolden my actions, rather than stop them. Thus, the title and theme of my blogs is (until I change it, which I could do at any moment, just so you know): lead yourself first.

Eggshells and Jell-O: The Un-breakfast of Champions

Leadership isn’t timid-ship.

If you are walking on eggshells with someone, afraid to raise an issue, give it up. If you’re hoping that she (let’s call her Sally) gets your wobbly-as-jello hints and changes her behavior, give it up. If you don’t (and you do have free will), you are giving up your ship, your leadership.

What is the “it” that you have to give up? Your current behavior. It’s not Sally who has to change, it’s you. To give up your behavior, redesign your current view and opinion of Sally and yourself and generate what matters to you.

This is good news. It’s good news because you have the possibility of changing your point of view. You can’t change Sally’s. Question? Yes, in the back, I see your raised hand (with the other one texting). Yes, you absolutely can create an opportunity for Sally to change. I think this is a leader’s accountability.  Sally has to generate the change for herself for it to stick.  Ok, we know all this. Yet, leaders that we are, from time to time, we walk on eggshells, skirting and shirting (equal opportunity of slamming) issues that drain energy and draw down performance.

Rather than enter the dark ‘why-do-I-have-Jell-O-for-arch-supports’ tunnel, let’s stay in the light. Ask yourself: If I am not holding Sally to account, where am I not holding myself to account? (Recognize the adage “I won’t call you on your stuff so you won’t call me on mine”?)  Get your own integrity in (and that doesn’t mean do everything on your list), get clear on the cost of not holding Sally to account, and then act from what you are committed to. Lead yourself first, then Sally.

Camille Smith understands what it takes to change at the individual, team and organizational levels. It’s not easy, it’s worth doing, and it’s required of today’s leaders. Specializing in transformational leadership, she provides the knowledge and coaching to teach others to create and sustain breakthroughs in performance. She can be reached at camille@wipcoaching.com