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“Creating Successful Leaders”

Tag Archives: margaret smith leadership

September 15, 2021 Insights Discovery and Transformational Leadership

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I frequently refer to Insights Discovery. For those who haven’t seen my posts about Insights, here’s a quick summary: It’s a science-based program that is meant to improve team dynamics, leadership, communication, and more through gaining personal insights and building self-awareness. (For more, read this blog post about Insights). One key factor of the Insights program is leadership.

Leadership is closely tied to Insights Discovery because the best leaders are those who have a strong understanding of themselves and their leadership tendencies. These are the leaders who also understand their team and how to communicate and inspire them. To cultivate this type of leader, Insights has designed a proprietary Transformational Leadership program.

What is a transformational leader?

To me, a transformational leader is someone who is both motivating and empowering. This a leader who has their team’s back and will stand up for them. A transformational leader believes in communication, clarity, and transparency. They believe in people over profit.

Perhaps Bernard Bass and Ronald Riggio, authors of Transformational Leadership, said it best: “Transformational leaders help followers grow and develop into leaders by responding to individual followers’ needs by empowering them and by aligning the objectives and goals of the individual followers, the leader, the group, and the larger organization.”

Great leadership, however, is not always about inspiration and rallying the team. It can also involve engaging in tough (but necessary) conversations, creating an accountability system, or sticking to firm standards. When it comes to tough conversations, Insights has developed a model called the D4 Model to guide leaders through both appreciative (“Here is what’s going right”) and developmental (“Here’s what needs to improve) feedback. By leaning on basic Insights principles, the D4 Model helps leaders deliver empathetic, specific, and urgent feedback.

In my experience, successful organizations are carried by effective leaders. These leaders are passionate and visionary, and yet down to earth. Above all, they care. How could transformational leadership improve your organization and help you achieve your goals?

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. 
CHECK OUT MARGARET’S ONLINE LEADERSHIP COURSE. 

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August 4, 2021 Schedule Time To Do Nothing (seriously)

tea cup and blanket

Many of us live packed-to-the-gills lives. We bustle around to work, soccer practice, meetings, and doctor appointments. We do our best to keep our homes clean and our appliances in working order while trying to juggle careers and families. On average, Americans are 400% more productive today than they were in 1950…and our salaries are not keeping pace.

Amid all the hustle and bustle, it’s important to squeeze one more thing into your schedule: “Do Nothing” Time.

If scheduling in swaths of free time sounds radical or even absurd, hear me out. Those periods between your commitments—the times when you allow yourself to simple sit and think and be—are incredibly important for creativity and future productivity. These are times when you can let your mind wander to wherever it wants to go. You are free to recuperate from the constant barrage of activities and de-stress.

If sitting around doing nothing seems uncomfortable or awkward at first, that’s okay! If you’re used to constant activity, it can be a little strange to suddenly step away from it all. To transition into your “do nothing” time, you may want to start slowly. Find a quiet spot and jot down your thoughts in a notebook. Go on a walk and take in your surroundings. As long as you’re not bombarding yourself with media (phones on airplane mode!), that’s a good start.

If you’re still not convinced that “do nothing” time can help generate creativity or replenish your tank, look no further than some of the greatest thinker and inventors in the past century: Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs. Both of these highly influential, bright men were adamant about creating down time for themselves. Einstein enjoyed riding his bicycle through the countryside, and many of his most profound thoughts happened while perched on the seat of a bike. He simply needed the time and space to let his mind meander to wherever it wanted to go.

Next time you pull up your calendar, commit to scheduling in a little “do nothing” time. You might choose to pencil in a little time each morning, or a few hour-long chunks during the week. Even a half-hour is good start. By taking the time to simply be, you are not only giving yourself a gift, but also aiding your future productivity and creativity. In the end, you’re really not doing “nothing.” You’re investing in the future.

Looking for a job change? Or, hoping to accelerate your current career? Check out the career resources (both FREE and paid) on my website!

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. 
CHECK OUT MARGARET’S ONLINE LEADERSHIP COURSE. 

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June 2, 2021 Using Your WORRY as a Motivator!

dessert road and sunshine

“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life. Most of which never happened.”

Mark Twain

“Worrying only means you suffer twice”

Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Worrying is part of the human existence. We worry about our children, our relationships, our work performance. We worry about finances and health. We worry about the future. This tendency to worry is part of what makes us human. It’s natural to fret about the wellbeing of ourselves and those around us. However, if we worry too much, it can become debilitating.

What percentage of your day is spent fussing about the future or dwelling on past events? If you’re like most people, it’s probably quite a lot. And, here’s the thing: worrying about something doesn’t help the outcome in the least. We can’t improve a work project by fretting about it. We can’t fix something harmful that we did or said through worry.

If worrying doesn’t solve anything, why is it a human emotion in the first place?

The possible answer is that worrying can prompt us to act. It isn’t useful on its own, BUT it can act as a catalyst—a bit of fire under our shoes.

Worried about your upcoming presentation?

Let that be motivation to thoroughly prepare and practice.

Worried about your current physical health?

Let your worry drive you to go to the gym and eat a healthier diet.

Worried about finances?

Use that emotion to create a better savings plan and spend a smaller portion of your income.

Worried you offended someone?

Leverage that worry by 1) apologizing and 2) learning from your mistake and vowing to not say or do the same thing again.

The above examples have one important thing in common: they all involve action. If you’re going to fret anyway, let your emotions be a motivator. Don’t stew in your misery; act instead!

We could all use a little less worry in our lives. It doesn’t do to sit and dwell on either the past or the future. BUT, if you do find worry surfacing in your life, know that you don’t have to let it consume you. Instead, use it as a catalyst to take action, forge ahead, and make positive, meaningful change.

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. 
CHECK OUT MARGARET’S ONLINE LEADERSHIP COURSE.

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