How You Can Become An Extraordinary Leader

Photo by Alex Dos Santos on Pexels.com

‘How will you behave when your ethics are tested?
How will you respond to suggestions that you help the organization by looking the other way while laws are violated?’

Stephen H. Baum & Dave Conti

‘Ordinary beginnings are not an impediment to becoming a great leader.’

Self-knowledge is critical as you move ahead in your career, and you need to understand the strengths and weaknesses in your own character.’

As you move from stage to stage, you test your ability to lead, you assess your satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the outcome.’

The test comes the first time there are real personal stakes on the table and a choice has to be made that would have a serious monetary, career, and reputation consequences.’

The development starts early, but character is completed only by experience- your sense of ethics, your integrity, fairness, and compassion, all become sound and reliable only when they are tested in the world.’

Character means doing the right thing when no one is there to see as well as when your actions are visible or will likely be revealed to the world at large.’

‘Leaders are able to transcend their own fears and self-doubt when facing challenges.’

Stephen H. Baum & Dave Conti

Being ready to lead means being able to confront issues and make decisions without regard to your own insecurities and self-limiting beliefs, your personal job security, or your reputation.’

Leaders learn to act quickly and wisely and lead in the face of life’s many surprises. As a leader, you not only exhibit the emotional readiness to act when others avoid or recoil from the risk and stress that action would entails, but you also exhibit the critical thinking to do so wisely.’

The question is, ‘How did they develop these traits in the first place?’

Source:

Stephen H. Baum & Dave Conti (2007). What Made Jack Welch Jack Welch: How Ordinary People Become Extraordinary Leaders

You Are Not Rejected. You Are Redirected

Life is full of rejections. When you face one, it is not about you. Rejections are about what you are selling, not about you.

Because you are more than that. No one can reject you. If you are for yourself, no one can reject you.

If you are struggling with rejections, you are not alone. Here are some quotes that you can use to overcome future rejections.

‘When you tell someone a new idea, you are looking for approval- we all are. But that doesn’t always mean you need it in order to move forward.’- Angela Duckworth

Sometimes a work-related heartbreak can inform your next steps in a useful way.’- Andie Kramer

You don’t have to accept a below-average performance review in an all-or-nothing way. You can work on critiques that resonate but call bullshit on the ones that don’t.’- Isa Watson

Self-reflection is useful; self-recrimination is not. You have to keep going.’- Sarah Koenig

A rejection in the moment feels so dramatic because it’s what is right in front of you.’- Laura Weidman Power

Tracking rejections can help you find informative patterns.’- Laura Huang

Major, heartbreaking disappointments can happen on the path to success.’- Rachel Platten

Doubling down on yourself and working harder than you ever thought possible can help you get through rejection.’- Rachel Platten

There’s more than one way to reach a goal.’- Elizabet Bell

When someone rejects your creative work, it just means that they can’t see a path for it. It doesn’t mean there isn’t one.’- Michelle Tea

Sometimes ‘no’ is just ‘not this and not yet.’- Alysia Reiner

Practice allowing yourself to not be perfect.’- Keri Smith

You don’t have to pay attention to every critique, and you don’t need to be good at everything.’- Keri Smith

A rejection can feel like it was your ‘one shot at success and fulfillment.’ That doesn’t mean that it is.’- Emily Winter

‘It sounds strange, but aiming for rejection can lead to success.’- Emily Winter

You don’t have to take every opportunity; it’s okay to reject the ones that don’t feel right.’- Sam Jay

Rejection might be more about the rejecters than about you. And you might just have the last laugh.’- Roz Chast

If you always protect yourself from rejection, you may not build the emotional stamina you will need to deal with rejection when it happens.’- Kate Manne

Getting rejected can lead you to take initiative in ways you wouldn’t have imagined.’- Tara Schuster

Pay attention to the work that brings you satisfaction- and the work that doesn’t.’- Ana Homayoun

‘In a moment of transition, take time to think about everything you’ve done workwise, even some of the work that never felt like part of a ‘career.’- Ana Homayoun

A mindset of ‘I’ve got nothing to lose! can be useful if it helps you to imagine new opportunities and be brave.’- Jessica Bennett

Sometimes it’s okay to reject an opportunity, even if everyone around you tells you that you’re crazy to turn it down.’- Unmi Abkin

You may fail once in a while, but that does not mean you ara a failure. Learn from your mistakes and then get right back on your path.’- Unmi Abkin

Behind the rejections are real people, and it’s a good idea to acknowledge their humanity.’- Pamela Shifman

Source:

Jessica Bacal (2021). The Rejection That Changed My Life: 25+ Powerful Women on Being Let Down, Turning it Around, and Burning it up at Work.