Harvard Business Review on Leadership/Discovering your Authentic Leadership/ Mini Lesson 1

Yet many leaders, especially those early in their careers, are trying so hard to establish themselves in the world that they leave little time for self-exploration.
-George, Sims, Mclean, and Mayer

Female Defenders Thoughts: I know what I like (so we say), I often do not explore new ice cream.  Last week, I went into the supermarket and purchased rum raisin. I had never tried it before. Aside for the title “rum”, it didn’t sound appealing. Well, It was so much better than I could ever imagine.  I discovered my NEW favorite. I had been missing out for so many years! What are you missing out on?

It’s the SMALL things that matter! You may be wondering, what does ice cream have to do with anything. Its about exploring and trying new things. If you are new to your work center, you are a commodity! Leaders should be asking what you think! Leaders need folks with fresh new eyes and new perspectives. Leaders should value the new people; we at Female Defender see new folks in the work center as “opportunities” to try new things!

In my past work centers, I would schedule meetings with the newest members of the organization. I would ask the new folks what he/she thinks about the workplace. I would ask what changes could be made to make the office better. I requested that the new guys keep me updated with ideas for new processes.

In one particular office, this method lead to me deciding to change work center hours to accommodate a mother who was having some troubles with juggling her husbands new job hours and her day care hours.  She began to work a very early shift. This SIGNIFICANTLY improved production. We were able to get a LOT of work done in those early hours. We reduce our backlog and increased morale. It helped her personal family situation and she was very motivated to achieving great results for the workplace…WIN-WIN.

Are you ready to try a new flavor for your workplace?