Consultant, international speaker, and author Marlene Chism has a passion for developing wise leaders and helping people discover, develop, and deliver their gifts to the world. In her new book, “No-Drama Leadership,” Marlene “introduces the mind-set shifts and practical skills you need—whether you are a high-level executive, a first-level manager, or a front line team member—to develop a decision-making approach that converts obstacles into opportunities for growth.”
We talked to Marlene about the new book and what readers can expect to learn.
How can drama be transformed into a stepping stone?
In the book, I talk about a drama-perspective versus an enlightened perspective. The drama-perspective is to view every setback, or uncontrollable circumstance as drama—an obstacle blocking your goal. From an enlightened perspective, drama is a gift in disguise. The more enlightened viewpoint is to believe that the obstacle, or drama if you will, has something of value to teach you. The enlightened perspective is about taking full responsibility for your choices, rather than viewing yourself as a victim of circumstances. The enlightened leadership journey is about transforming obstacles into stepping stones. What often seems like a dark night of the soul, sometimes becomes the catalyst or the purpose for a whole new creation, or culture transformation.
What do you mean by transformation?
Transformation is the result of inner-work born of a desire to overcome an environmental threat. An environmental threat can be something on the inside of your environment, or on the outside.
In the book, I give at least two examples of CEOs who were faced with the threat of closing down the company due to threats from the outside. I also profile a start-up company owned by a married couple who found out their unborn child would be born with birth defects. Their example is inspiring to see how this new aspect of their lives turned into a greater gift and focused their mission to donate a portion of their profits to help fund research.
Transformation is always the result of “inner-work” that occurs when an individual is faced with the most challenging circumstances that offers an opportunity to step into the fullness of their power.
You have dedicated an entire chapter to alignment. Why is alignment so important?
Almost every internal conflict is either about values, priority or alignment. As important as alignment is in the company, the most important alignment is your own alignment.
I give an example in “No-Drama Leadership” about a researcher being offered a million dollars to go to a foreign land to work for eight months. He turned it down because he didn’t want to be away from his wife and child. Most of us marvel at this kind of decision making, but when you look closer, you simply see that here is an enlightened being who values work, prosperity and family, however he also understands his priorities. When you understand your values, and you know how to prioritize them you are in alignment. When you have an internal conflict—when something keeps eating at you, it’s usually a values or priority issue.
Why is personal alignment important for leadership?
If leadership is about anything, it is about alignment. When you don’t even know yourself well enough to live true to your own values, how can you model leadership as a way of being?
What advice do you have for emerging leaders?
If you are entering a new company, my advice is to learn about the culture. Spend time learning the history, and how people do things. Listen for the assumptions and belief systems. Look at how people do their work. Spend more time asking questions and learning before you try to make changes. Don’t go charging in and expect cooperation. Use the power of cultural awareness so you can meet them where they are and bring them along. You’ll save lots of time and prevent lots of drama. Pay attention to the mission statement, and look for evidence or lack thereof regarding alignment. This is where you can have the most impact as a leader. This is easy if you understand your own values and live in alignment with those values first. Then you can make more enlightened choices.
For more information about Marlene Chism and her new book, “No-Drama Leadership,” visit NoDramaLeadership.com. The book is available for purchase on Amazon.
Refresh Leadership is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.
No comments yet.