10 ways to fuel your leadership
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REFLECT – One of the biggest things we’re bereft of in modern society is time for reflection. We’re so busy and connected to our devices making us absent from many places we’re present in The absence of time for this means we miss important time to work on our businesses, see what’s missing and find the creative solutions this time will always deliver.
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SUPPORTERS – A woman’s instinctual role is to support. This means we’re frequently challenged when prioritising the support WE need and deserve. Without it we’ll have a more painful, and at times slower journey. Being a leader is often a lonely experience and wise leaders don’t expect to go it alone.
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LISTEN – The myriad of Podcast channels devoted to interviews or talks with experts in their fields are packed full of knowledge and wisdom. In addition Co.OfWomen’s digital channel features members at every stage sharing tips for success.All of these are easily accessible via computer, tablet and smartphone.
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WATCH – Co.OfWomen’s digital channel features short videos from inspired thinkers and are guaranteed to increase your knowledge or deliver a boost of motivation. Our digital resources feature members sharing their intelligence and the LegUp series focuses on building habits, mindset and skills to support your success.
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LEARN – At co. we often refer to the fact that some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs recommend reading every day. It’s about increasing our knowledge, so it doesn’t really matter if we’re reading words on a page, listening to a podcast or watching a TED Talk, all have the capacity to increase our knowledge, inspire, motivate and teach us more.
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TIME – The all too frequent complaint of busyness has an extraordinarily simple remedy called an effective schedule. But this is true only 100% of the time! We can control the ‘bookends’ of our day, so use the start to do your quality thinking and planning (no email first!) and the end to rejuvenate and you will be more productive and confident.
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MOVE – It’s all too easy when the day gets underway for us to be sitting for huge chunks. Our bodies are made to move and our brains work best when we do. The health risks of immobility are well documented.Experts recommend a goal of 5-10 minutes of activity every hour, so build the habit in to feel fresher and think better.
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BREATHE – Breathing properly is hugely underrated and can impact our moods, our energy levels and our momentum. Dr Libby calls it diaphragmatic breathing, which is apt as it means breathing so deeply that your abdomen rises (so you’ve breathed right into your diaphragm). A great app to give you a nudge is BreatheSync.
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SELF-TALK – When it comes to our internal dialogue it’s imperative for us to have a healthy conversation going. In much the same way that we wouldn’t down-talk a child’s achievements to them, our brains also need positive, useful messages to keep it in optimal functioning mode. There’s no arguing with the science, negative self-talk is damaging and produces nothing.
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CHAT – Conversation is a fantastic tool for filling up our tank. Having others who understand our journey to share the ups and downs with can be both morally supportive, energising and provide some much needed perspective on what’s truly worth worrying about or focusing on. A trusted sounding board can be one of the greatest tools for feeding ME, the leader.