In this issue: Unleashing Your Inner Superhero… The Power of Identity in Creating Long-term Success / How everyday interactions shape your future / Gen Xers and older millennials really just want to go back in time to before the internet existed / The Lighter Side of Superheroes
Why you’re getting this:
I'm Andrea J. Miller and this is my “On Leading Well” Newsletter. I send this to people in my networks, people I’ve met recently, and friends I want to keep in touch with. You can unsubscribe (SEE THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE EMAIL) anytime, I won’t be offended.
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Whether it’s the first time, or if it’s just been a while, let’s connect and get to know each other (better) as humans.
1. If we’re not connected yet, connect with me on LinkedIn. I post some useful stuff there, as well :); and/or
2. Put 30 minutes on my calendar to chat. No strings attached, whatsoever.
Of course, if there’s something I can help you with, just ask and I’ll do whatever I can to help.
I look forward to connecting!
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Unleashing Your Inner Superhero… The Power of Identity in Creating Long-term Success
It’s highly unlikely that any of us will be bitten by a radioactive spider, born with a genetic mutation (X-men), or be the product of science experiments (Captain America)…though I wouldn’t rule it out :).
Most of us follow a far more mundane and difficult path.
We are what the late, great Joseph Campbell called “Everyday Heroes”.
Day in and day out we show up, face and overcome challenges, and (if we’re lucky) undergo personal transformation… in the process, we impact our ordinary worlds with the newfound wisdom and insights gained from these experiences.
However, Campbell didn’t foresee the pace or intensity of our current reality when he wrote about the hero’s journey.
These days we have little time to process what happens around us, let alone the opportunity to recognize its wisdom and use it to potentially transform us.
Often, we’re so busy trying to be “great”, we don’t have time to recognize our own greatness.
While you might roll your eyes at this, do the unthinkable and think about it.
I’ve been around long enough to remember before we had little computers in our pockets.
When we could go home at the end of the day and choose how we spent our time.
There was little or no expectation of taking work home.
Nothing to post or read online.
There were minimal outside distractions.
Things were simpler.
We had time to think.
To process.
To see ourselves and others as we really are and, more importantly, how we have the potential to be…
These days, that’s not so easy.
Our attention is pulled in so many directions that we rarely have time to reflect on anything, let alone who or what we want to be.
Mirror, Mirror…
When you look in the mirror, who do you see?
Mother, brother, sister, colleague, friend, CEO, entrepreneur, creator, etc.
While our vision of ourselves isn’t always accurate, it’s usually clear and frequently fixed.
…unless we find a way to shift it.
Last week, one of my coaching clients, a superhero if ever I’ve seen one, was having an identity crisis.
She’d lost her way in the busyness of her packed days.
She’d lost track of the vision she’d had for herself.
It had become obscured by what I like to call OPS or Other People’s Sh*t.
This is neither surprising nor unusua.
Poor organizational mismanagement can be one of the most significant contributors to lost potential.
Too many (usually unnecessary) meetings, dead-end projects, and a general lack of clarity leave many smart, dedicated people so overwhelmed that they cannot unleash their superpowers.
As we talked, it became clear to me, she needed a way to see herself as clearly as I saw her.
She needed to own her C-suite superhero identity.
I shared this with her and asked her if she’d be willing to stop waiting to take on that identity and start being the person that we both knew she was meant to be.
She briefly thought about it and within moments a smile came over her face, replacing her furrowed brow.
In that moment she was no longer willing to wait for someone else to determine who she knew she was capable of being.
She took on her new identity and took back her control (we humans hate uncertainty and the unknown).
A few days later, she wrote and said this simple shift already made all the difference!
Even if she doesn’t get the role at her current company, she now knows and owns her superhero-ness and that it’s only a matter of time before she uses her powers somewhere to help the world become a better place.
So, until that spider bites you, what identity are you willing to take on to unleash your not-so-hidden superhero powers onto the world?
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RECOMMENDED LISTENS, READS And other interesting things
How everyday interactions shape your future
In this great TedX talk learn how a few words can change the course of a life; they have the power to shrink, expand or transform someone's identity -- even your own.
Gen Xers and older millennials really just want to go back in time to before the internet existed
According to a new survey, Americans are yearning for an era before constant connectivity. Can we blame them?
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The Lighter Side of Superheroes
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Are there any other subjects you want me to cover? Hit “Reply” and tell me!
I love hearing from you :)!
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Andrea J. Miller
+1 (646) 556-5401 (Whatsapp)
Thanks for reading!