# data[].attributes.body
What positive feedback have I already had from people who have worked with me?

# data[].attributes.headline
RADA in business: ABCD Structure for introducing yourself when presenting

# data[].attributes.subject
RADA in business: ABCD Structure for introducing yourself when presenting

# data[].attributes.body
ABCD

Attention - Capture it immediately
Benefits - Outline what they stand to gain by listening
Credentials -  Explain why you have the authority to speak
Direction - Draw them a verbal map of the order of play

For example,
A - I wonder how many of you are aware that within a decade there will be no more room for cars on London roads?
B - Today we'd like to show you how we will capitalise on this fact to use it as a marketing tool for London transport
C - I'm Joe Bloggs, and for the past three years I have been working on the British rail account at Saatchi & Saatchi
D - Today I'd like to begin by outlining our strategy for the next year's advertising. I will then talk you through our media plans and conclude by showing you the creative work we have devised for the campaign.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI) - Psychotherapy, Research, Training

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Overcoming Low Self-Esteem: This information package is designed to provide you with some information about low self-esteem - how it develops, how it is maintained, and how to address this problem. This infopax is organised into modules that are designed to be worked through in sequence.

# data[].attributes.body
Some resources

# data[].attributes.headline
Assertiveness -what is it, and how might it help me?

# data[].attributes.subject
Assertiveness -what is it, and how might it help me?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Improve your Assertiveness. Being assertive is an important communication skill which can reduce your levels of depression and anxiety and improve your self-esteem. This information package is designed to provide you with some information about assertiveness - what it is, what stops us from being assertive and how to become more assertive. This information package is organised into modules that are designed to be worked through in sequence. We recommend that you complete one module before going on to the next. Each module includes information, worksheets, and suggested exercises or activities.

This module introduces the concept of assertiveness, describes some myths about assertiveness, identifies reasons why we become unassertive, looks at the effects of not being assertive, and also what factors stop us from being assertive. It also gives you the chance to assess how assertive you are in a range of situations.

This module shows you how to recognise the differences between passive, aggressive and assertive communication and introduces the verbal and non-verbal characteristics of each communication style.

This module introduces the concept that it is how we think that can stop us from being assertive. It identifies a number of unhelpful thoughts, and then gives the more assertive counterpart to this thought. It then introduces two techniques for changing your unhelpful thinking: thought diaries and behavioural experiments.

This module introduces a number of techniques designed to help you become more assertive.

This module helps you to identify areas of physical tension in your body and introduces a number of techniques designed to help you reduce this tension and become more relaxed.

This module examines the effects of not being able to say "no". It identifies a number of unhelpful thoughts that may make it difficult for you to say "no" and helps you come up with a more helpful thinking style. It then introduces a number of ways to say "no".

This module identifies the different types of criticism and why we may have trouble responding well to criticism. It looks at the underlying beliefs which may stop us from being able to deal with criticism and helps you come up with a more helpful thinking style. It then gives some tips for dealing with criticism and also for giving constructive criticism.

This module helps you identify how you deal with disappointment and examine the unhelpful thinking that may be making it difficult for you to deal with disappointment. It then helps you come up with a more helpful thinking style to deal more assertively with disappointment.

This module addresses coping with compliments; it helps you recognise passive and aggressive responses to compliments and then helps you to develop more assertive responses by uncovering and challenging the unhelpful thoughts that make you uncomfortable with compliments. It then takes you through the steps for giving compliments appropriately.

This module summarises the skills you have learnt so far. It then helps you build a hierarchy of challenges to help you practice to become more assertive. It provides a worksheet to help you work through the challenges you set for yourself. Finally it gives you a chance to reassess yourself to see if you have become more assertive.

Click the link above to download all modules in this workbook at once, as a zip file.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
have more positive relationships with friends

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Improve your Assertiveness. Being assertive is an important communication skill which can reduce your levels of depression and anxiety and improve your self-esteem. This information package is designed to provide you with some information about assertiveness - what it is, what stops us from being assertive and how to become more assertive.

# data[].attributes.headline
Some websites, books, films and other resources that investigate what authentic personal impact is...

# data[].attributes.subject
Some websites, books, films and other resources that investigate what authentic personal impact is...

# data[].attributes.body
In no particular order (yet)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Idea in Brief

The Problem

When we view authenticity as an unwavering sense of self, we struggle to take on new challenges and bigger roles. The reality is that people learn-and change-who they are through experience.

The Solution

By trying out different leadership styles and behaviors, we grow more than we would through introspection alone. Experimenting with our identities allows us to find the right approach for ourselves and our organizations.

The Sticking Point

This adaptive approach to authenticity can make us feel like impostors, because it involves doing things that may not come naturally. But it's outside our comfort zones that we learn the most about leading effectively.

Editor's note (2022): To mark our 100th anniversary, we're highlighting 12 of our very favorite articles. Subscribers can access all 12 at any time and, for nonsubscribers, we're unlocking one per month this year. For October, we're sharing a 2015 article by HBS professor Herminia Ibarra in which she explains how aspiring leaders can grow by focusing less on authenticity and more on playful experimentation.
Authenticity has become the gold standard for leadership. But a simplistic understanding of what it means can hinder your growth and limit your impact.

Consider Cynthia, a general manager in a health care organization. Her promotion into that role increased her direct reports 10-fold and expanded the range of businesses she oversaw-and she felt a little shaky about making such a big leap. A strong believer in transparent, collaborative leadership, she bared her soul to her new employees: "I want to do this job," she said, "but it's scary, and I need your help." Her candor backfired; she lost credibility with people who wanted and needed a confident leader to take charge.

Or take George, a Malaysian executive in an auto parts company where people valued a clear chain of command and made decisions by consensus. When a Dutch multinational with a matrix structure acquired the company, George found himself working with peers who saw decision-making as a freewheeling contest for the best-debated ideas. That style didn't come easily to him, and it contradicted everything he had learned about humility growing up in his country. In a 360-degree debrief, his boss told him that he needed to sell his ideas and accomplishments more aggressively. George felt he had to choose between being a failure and being a fake.

Because going against our natural inclinations can make us feel like impostors, we tend to latch on to authenticity as an excuse for sticking with what's comfortable. But few jobs allow us to do that for long. That's doubly true when we advance in our careers or when demands or expectations change, as Cynthia, George, and countless other executives have discovered.

In my research on leadership transitions, I have observed that career advances require all of us to move way beyond our comfort zones. At the same time, however, they trigger a strong countervailing impulse to protect our identities: When we are unsure of ourselves or our ability to perform well or measure up in a new setting, we often retreat to familiar behaviors and styles.

But my research also demonstrates that the moments that most challenge our sense of self are the ones that can teach us the most about leading effectively. By viewing ourselves as works in progress and evolving our professional identities through trial and error, we can develop a personal style that feels right to us and suits our organizations' changing needs.

That takes courage, because learning, by definition, starts with unnatural and often superficial behaviors that can make us feel calculating instead of genuine and spontaneous. But the only way to avoid being pigeonholed and ultimately become better leaders is to do the things that a rigidly authentic sense of self would keep us from doing.

Why Leaders Struggle with Authenticity

The word "authentic" traditionally referred to any work of art that is an original, not a copy. When used to describe leadership, of course, it has other meanings-and they can be problematic. For example, the notion of adhering to one "true self" flies in the face of much research on how people evolve with experience, discovering facets of themselves they would never have unearthed through introspection alone. And being utterly transparent-disclosing every single thought and feeling-is both unrealistic and risky.

Leaders today struggle with authenticity for several reasons. First, we make more-frequent and more-radical changes in the kinds of work we do. As we strive to improve our game, a clear and firm sense of self is a compass that helps us navigate choices and progress toward our goals. But when we're looking to change our game, a too-rigid self-concept becomes an anchor that keeps us from sailing forth, as it did at first with Cynthia.

Second, in global business, many of us work with people who don't share our cultural norms and have different expectations for how we should behave. It can often seem as if we have to choose between what is expected-and therefore effective-and what feels authentic. George is a case in point.

Third, identities are always on display in today's world of ubiquitous connectivity and social media. How we present ourselves-not just as executives but as people, with quirks and broader interests-has become an important aspect of leadership. Having to carefully curate a persona that's out there for all to see can clash with our private sense of self.

In dozens of interviews with talented executives facing new expectations, I have found that they most often grapple with authenticity in the following situations.

Taking charge in an unfamiliar role.

As everyone knows, the first 90 days are critical in a new leadership role. First impressions form quickly, and they matter. Depending on their personalities, leaders respond very differently to the increased visibility and performance pressure.

Psychologist Mark Snyder, of the University of Minnesota, identified two psychological profiles that inform how leaders develop their personal styles. "High self-monitors"-or chameleons, as I call them-are naturally able and willing to adapt to the demands of a situation without feeling fake. Chameleons care about managing their public image and often mask their vulnerability with bluster. They may not always get it right the first time, but they keep trying on different styles like new clothes until they find a good fit for themselves and their circumstances. Because of that flexibility, they often advance rapidly. But chameleons can run into problems when people perceive them as disingenuous or lacking a moral center-even though they're expressing their "true" chameleon nature.

By contrast, "true-to-selfers" (Snyder's "low self-monitors") tend to express what they really think and feel, even when it runs counter to situational demands. The danger with true-to-selfers like Cynthia and George is that they may stick too long with comfortable behavior that prevents them from meeting new requirements, instead of evolving their style as they gain insight and experience.

Cynthia (whom I interviewed after her story appeared in a Wall Street Journal article by Carol Hymowitz) hemmed herself in like this. She thought she was setting herself up for success by staying true to her highly personal, full-disclosure style of management. She asked her new team for support, openly acknowledging that she felt a bit at sea. As she scrambled to learn unfamiliar aspects of the business, she worked tirelessly to contribute to every decision and solve every problem. After a few months, she was on the verge of burnout. To make matters worse, sharing her vulnerability with her team members so early on had damaged her standing. Reflecting on her transition some years later, Cynthia told me: "Being authentic doesn't mean that you can be held up to the light and people can see right through you." But at the time, that was how she saw it-and instead of building trust, she made people question her ability to do the job.

Managers can choose from countless books, articles, and executive workshops for advice on how to be more authentic at work. Two trends help explain the exploding popularity of the concept and the training industry it has fed.

First, trust in business leaders fell to an all-time low in 2012, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer. Even in 2013, when trust began to climb back up, only 18% of people reported that they trusted business leaders to tell the truth, and fewer than half trusted businesses to do the right thing.

Second, employee engagement is at a nadir. A 2013 Gallup poll found that only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. Only one in eight workers-out of roughly 180 million employees studied-is psychologically committed to his or her job. In study after study, frustration, burnout, disillusionment, and misalignment with personal values are cited among the biggest reasons for career change.

At a time when public confidence and employee morale are so low, it's no surprise that companies are encouraging leaders to discover their "true" selves.

Delegating and communicating appropriately are only part of the problem in a case like this. A deeper-seated issue is finding the right mix of distance and closeness in an unfamiliar situation. Stanford psychologist Deborah Gruenfeld describes this as managing the tension between authority and approachability. To be authoritative, you privilege your knowledge, experience, and expertise over the team's, maintaining a measure of distance. To be approachable, you emphasize your relationships with people, their input, and their perspective, and you lead with empathy and warmth. Getting the balance right presents an acute authenticity crisis for true-to-selfers, who typically have a strong preference for behaving one way or the other. Cynthia made herself too approachable and vulnerable, and it undermined and drained her. In her bigger role, she needed more distance from her employees to gain their confidence and get the job done.

Selling your ideas (and yourself).

Leadership growth usually involves a shift from having good ideas to pitching them to diverse stakeholders. Inexperienced leaders, especially true-to-selfers, often find the process of getting buy-in distasteful because it feels artificial and political; they believe that their work should stand on its own merits.

Here's an example: Anne, a senior manager at a transportation company, had doubled revenue and fundamentally redesigned core processes in her unit. Despite her obvious accomplishments, however, her boss didn't consider her an inspirational leader. Anne also knew she was not communicating effectively in her role as a board member of the parent company. The chairman, a broad-brush thinker, often became impatient with her detail orientation. His feedback to her was "step up, do the vision thing." But to Anne that seemed like valuing form over substance. "For me, it is manipulation," she told me in an interview. "I can do the storytelling too, but I refuse to play on people's emotions. If the string-pulling is too obvious, I can't make myself do it." Like many aspiring leaders, she resisted crafting emotional messages to influence and inspire others because that felt less authentic to her than relying on facts, figures, and spreadsheets. As a result, she worked at cross-purposes with the board chairman, pushing hard on the facts instead of pulling him in as a valued ally.

Many managers know deep down that their good ideas and strong potential will go unnoticed if they don't do a better job of selling themselves. Still, they can't bring themselves to do it. "I try to build a network based on professionalism and what I can deliver for the business, not who I know," one manager told me. "Maybe that's not smart from a career point of view. But I can't go against my beliefs....So I have been more limited in 'networking up.'"

Until we see career advancement as a way of extending our reach and increasing our impact in the organization-a collective win, not just a selfish pursuit-we have trouble feeling authentic when touting our strengths to influential people. True-to-selfers find it particularly hard to sell themselves to senior management when they most need to do so: when they are still unproven. Research shows, however, that this hesitancy disappears as people gain experience and become more certain of the value they bring.

Processing negative feedback.

Many successful executives encounter serious negative feedback for the first time in their careers when they take on larger roles or responsibilities. Even when the criticisms aren't exactly new, they loom larger because the stakes are higher. But leaders often convince themselves that dysfunctional aspects of their "natural" style are the inevitable price of being effective.

Let's look at Jacob, a food company production manager whose direct reports gave him low marks in a 360 review on emotional intelligence, team building, and empowering others. One team member wrote that it was hard for Jacob to accept criticism. Another remarked that after an angry outburst, he'd suddenly make a joke as if nothing had happened, not realizing the destabilizing effect of his mood changes on those around him. For someone who genuinely believed that he'd built trust among his people, all this was tough to swallow.

Once the initial shock had subsided, Jacob acknowledged that this was not the first time he'd received such criticism (some colleagues and subordinates had made similar comments a few years earlier). "I thought I'd changed my approach," he reflected, "but I haven't really changed so much since the last time." However, he quickly rationalized his behavior to his boss: "Sometimes you have to be tough in order to deliver results, and people don't like it," he said. "You have to accept that as part of the job description." Of course, he was missing the point.

Because negative feedback given to leaders often centers on style rather than skills or expertise, it can feel like a threat to their identity-as if they're being asked to give up their "secret sauce." That's how Jacob saw it. Yes, he could be explosive-but from his point of view, his "toughness" allowed him to deliver results year after year. In reality, though, he had succeeded up to this point despite his behavior. When his role expanded and he took on greater responsibility, his intense scrutiny of subordinates became an even bigger obstacle because it took up time he should have been devoting to more-strategic pursuits.

Whatever the situation-taking charge in unfamiliar territory, selling your ideas and yourself, or processing negative feedback-finding authentic ways of being effective is even more difficult in a multicultural environment.

As my INSEAD colleague Erin Meyer finds in her research, styles of persuading others and the kinds of arguments that people find persuasive are far from universal; they are deeply rooted in a culture's philosophical, religious, and educational assumptions. That said, prescriptions for how leaders are supposed to look and sound are rarely as diverse as the leaders themselves. And despite corporate initiatives to build understanding of cultural differences and promote diversity, the fact is that leaders are still expected to express ideas assertively, to claim credit for them, and to use charisma to motivate and inspire people.

Authenticity is supposed to be an antidote to a single model of leadership. (After all, the message is to be yourself, not what someone else expects you to be.) But as the notion has gained currency, it has, ironically, come to mean something much more limiting and culturally specific. A closer look at how leaders are taught to discover and demonstrate authenticity-by telling a personal story about a hardship they have overcome, for example-reveals a model that is, in fact, very American, based on ideals such as self-disclosure, humility, and individualistic triumph over adversity.

This amounts to a catch-22 for managers from cultures with different norms for authority, communication, and collective endeavor because they must behave inauthentically in order to conform to the strictures of "authentic" leadership.

A great public example of this phenomenon is Margaret Thatcher. Those who worked with her knew she could be merciless if someone failed to prepare as thoroughly as she did. She was capable of humiliating a staff member in public, she was a notoriously bad listener, and she believed that compromise was cowardice. As she became known to the world as the "Iron Lady," Thatcher grew more and more convinced of the rightness of her ideas and the necessity of her coercive methods. She could beat anyone into submission with the power of her rhetoric and conviction, and she only got better at it. Eventually, though, it was her undoing-she was ousted by her own cabinet.

A Playful Frame of Mind

Such a rigid self-concept can result from too much introspection. When we look only within for answers, we inadvertently reinforce old ways of seeing the world and outdated views of ourselves. Without the benefit of what I call outsight-the valuable external perspective we get from experimenting with new leadership behaviors-habitual patterns of thought and action fence us in. To begin thinking like leaders, we must first act: plunge ourselves into new projects and activities, interact with very different kinds of people, and experiment with new ways of getting things done. Especially in times of transition and uncertainty, thinking and introspection should follow experience-not vice versa. Action changes who we are and what we believe is worth doing.

Fortunately, there are ways of increasing outsight and evolving toward an "adaptively authentic" way of leading, but they require a playful frame of mind. Think of leadership development as trying on possible selves rather than working on yourself-which, let's face it, sounds like drudgery. When we adopt a playful attitude, we're more open to possibilities. It's OK to be inconsistent from one day to the next. That's not being a fake; it's how we experiment to figure out what's right for the new challenges and circumstances we face.

My research suggests three important ways to get started:

Learn from diverse role models.

Most learning necessarily involves some form of imitation-and the understanding that nothing is "original." An important part of growing as a leader is viewing authenticity not as an intrinsic state but as the ability to take elements you have learned from others' styles and behaviors and make them your own.

But don't copy just one person's leadership style; tap many diverse role models. There is a big difference between imitating someone wholesale and borrowing selectively from various people to create your own collage, which you then modify and improve. As the playwright Wilson Mizner said, copying one author is plagiarism, but copying many is research.

I observed the importance of this approach in a study of investment bankers and consultants who were advancing from analytical and project work to roles advising clients and selling new business. Though most of them felt incompetent and insecure in their new positions, the chameleons among them consciously borrowed styles and tactics from successful senior leaders-learning through emulation how to use humor to break tension in meetings, for instance, and how to shape opinion without being overbearing. Essentially, the chameleons faked it until they found what worked for them. Noticing their efforts, their managers provided coaching and mentoring and shared tacit knowledge.

As a result, the chameleons arrived much faster at an authentic but more skillful style than the true-to-selfers in the study, who continued to focus solely on demonstrating technical mastery. Often the true-to-selfers concluded that their managers were "all talk and little content" and therefore not suitable role models. In the absence of a "perfect" model they had a harder time with imitation-it felt bogus. Unfortunately, their managers perceived their inability to adapt as a lack of effort or investment and thus didn't give them as much mentoring and coaching as they gave the chameleons.

Work on getting better.

Setting goals for learning (not just for performance) helps us experiment with our identities without feeling like impostors, because we don't expect to get everything right from the start. We stop trying to protect our comfortable old selves from the threats that change can bring, and start exploring what kinds of leaders we might become.

Of course, we all want to perform well in a new situation-get the right strategy in place, execute like crazy, deliver results the organization cares about. But focusing exclusively on those things makes us afraid to take risks in the service of learning. In a series of ingenious experiments, Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has shown that concern about how we will appear to others inhibits learning on new or unfamiliar tasks. Performance goals motivate us to show others that we possess valued attributes, such as intelligence and social skill, and to prove to ourselves that we have them. By contrast, learning goals motivate us to develop valued attributes.

When we're in performance mode, leadership is about presenting ourselves in the most favorable light. In learning mode, we can reconcile our yearning for authenticity in how we work and lead with an equally powerful desire to grow. One leader I met was highly effective in small-group settings but struggled to convey openness to new ideas in larger meetings, where he often stuck to long-winded presentations for fear of getting derailed by others' comments. He set himself a "no PowerPoint" rule to develop a more relaxed, improvisational style. He surprised himself by how much he learned, not only about his own evolving preferences but also about the issues at hand.

Don't stick to "your story."

Most of us have personal narratives about defining moments that taught us important lessons. Consciously or not, we allow our stories, and the images of ourselves that they paint, to guide us in new situations. But the stories can become outdated as we grow, so sometimes it's necessary to alter them dramatically or even to throw them out and start from scratch.

That was true for Maria, a leader who saw herself as a "mother hen with her chicks all around." Her coach, former Ogilvy & Mather CEO Charlotte Beers, explains in I'd Rather Be in Charge that this self-image emerged from a time when Maria had to sacrifice her own goals and dreams to take care of her extended family. It eventually began to hold her back in her career: Though it had worked for her as a friendly and loyal team player and a peacekeeper, it wasn't helping her get the big leadership assignment she wanted. Together Maria and her coach looked for another defining moment to use as a touchstone-one that was more in keeping with Maria's desired future self, not who she had been in the past. They chose the time when Maria, as a young woman, had left her family to travel the world for 18 months. Acting from that bolder sense of self, she asked for-and got-a promotion that had previously been elusive.

Dan McAdams, a Northwestern psychology professor who has spent his career studying life stories, describes identity as "the internalized and evolving story that results from a person's selective appropriation of past, present and future." This isn't just academic jargon. McAdams is saying that you have to believe your story-but also embrace how it changes over time, according to what you need it to do. Try out new stories about yourself, and keep editing them, much as you would your résumé.

Again, revising one's story is both an introspective and a social process. The narratives we choose should not only sum up our experiences and aspirations but also reflect the demands we face and resonate with the audience we're trying to win over.

. . .

Countless books and advisers tell you to start your leadership journey with a clear sense of who you are. But that can be a recipe for staying stuck in the past. Your leadership identity can and should change each time you move on to bigger and better things.

The only way we grow as leaders is by stretching the limits of who we are-doing new things that make us uncomfortable but that teach us through direct experience who we want to become. Such growth doesn't require a radical personality makeover. Small changes-in the way we carry ourselves, the way we communicate, the way we interact-often make a world of difference in how effectively we lead.

A version of this article appeared in the January-February 2015 issue of Harvard Business Review.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Authenticity has become the gold standard for leadership. But as INSEAD professor Herminia Ibarra argues, a simplistic understanding of what authenticity means can limit leaders' growth and impact. All too often, we tend to latch on to authenticity as an excuse for sticking with what's comfortable.

# data[].attributes.headline
Some things I have done that helped me to get to know my strengths and weaknesses better...

# data[].attributes.subject
Some things I have done that helped me to get to know my strengths and weaknesses better...

# data[].attributes.body
Myers-Briggs personality tests- free

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Extensive, research-backed profiles of 16 personality types: learn how different personalities approach romantic relationships, career choices, friendships, parenthood, and more.

# data[].attributes.headline
Authentic personal impact in workplace meetings

# data[].attributes.subject
Authentic personal impact in workplace meetings

# data[].attributes.body
(as an attendee/ meeting chairperson/ presenter...)

# data[].attributes.headline
Authentic personal impact in interviews (and job applications)

# data[].attributes.subject
Authentic personal impact in interviews (and job applications)

# data[].attributes.headline
Why is authentic personal impact important to me?

# data[].attributes.subject
Why is authentic personal impact important to me?

# data[].attributes.headline
Eureka moments and impactful transitions I have made over time as I have become more focused on increasing my authentic personal impact

# data[].attributes.subject
Eureka moments and impactful transitions I have made over time as I have become more focused on increasing my authentic personal impact

# data[].attributes.headline
How will I find out what I need to know if it is time to try a new approach? 

# data[].attributes.subject
How will I find out what I need to know if it is time to try a new approach? 

# data[].attributes.headline
How will I decide whether now it is time to consolidate using my current approaches?

# data[].attributes.subject
How will I decide whether now it is time to consolidate using my current approaches?

# data[].attributes.body
Adaptability is genius and generosity - A positive, motivating blog /article by Kate Nasser

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Adaptability is Genius & Generosity

Adaptability wins in people skills, leadership, teamwork, customer service, and everywhere else!

Image by Reinaldo Aguilar via Flickr Creative Commons License.

Adaptability is nature's genius. Species that can adapt, evolve and survive.

There are those who think adaptability is genius in nature but not in people. They see people skills adaptability as weakness and lack of authenticity. To them, an adaptable person is a chameleon. Yet this is not true. Adaptability doesn't make you a chameleon; what's in your heart does.

With a generous heart, adaptability is genius. It is the brilliance in leadership, teamwork, customer service, innovation, career, people skills, personal relationships and much much more.

The Genius & Generosity of Adaptability

Adaptability is the capacity to see differences and changes and the willingness and skill to respond for a positive result. Adaptability is not submission and surrender. Adaptability and authenticity are not opposites nor mutually exclusive.

In Leadership.

Adaptability is the keen sense of what changes will impact the organization and the skill to change appropriately. A changing workforce, competitive products, global markets, educational strengths and shortfalls, laws and regulations, political shifts, human tragedies all create the need to adapt. Adaptability is the organization's genius to survive.

In Innovation.

Innovation is adaptability in action. It requires leaders and teams to overcome comfort and love of what they previously created. Adaptability is the generosity to overcome habit and the genius to focus on what is needed going forward.

Adaptability is rooted in a humble heart and an evolved mind that know life is not just about the self. Adaptability is both the genius to see we're all on earth together and the generosity to truly live that way.

Adaptability is the genius of survival and the generosity of coexistence!

What do you think?
What stops people from adapting to changes and to others?
How can someone develop adaptability?

From my professional experience to your success,
Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™

Related Posts:
Change Leaders, Is the Beloved Bully of Habit Stopping You?
Leadership & Team Secrets: Profitable Adapting to Personality Types
12 Most Beneficial People Skills to Adapt & Succeed When You Have No Power

©2013 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc. Somerville, NJ. I appreciate your sharing the link to this post on your social streams. However, if you want to re-post or republish the content of this post, please email info@katenasser.com. Thank you for respecting intellectual capital.

Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach™, delivers coaching, consulting, training, and keynotes on leading change, employee engagement, teamwork, and delivering the ultimate customer service. She turns interaction obstacles into interpersonal success. See this site for workshop outlines, keynote footage, and customer results.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Adaptability is Genius & Generosity - Kate Nasser

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Adaptability is Genius & Generosity Adaptability wins in people skills, leadership, teamwork, customer service, and everywhere else! Image by Reinaldo Aguilar via Flickr Creative Commons License. Adaptability is nature's genius. Species that can adapt, evolve and survive. There are those who think adaptability is genius in nature but not in people.

# data[].attributes.headline
How will I stimulate my creative thinking about this area of my life and how it affects the people and things that matter to me?

# data[].attributes.subject
How will I stimulate my creative thinking about this area of my life and how it affects the people and things that matter to me?

# data[].attributes.headline
authentic personal impact in report writing

# data[].attributes.subject
authentic personal impact in report writing

# data[].attributes.body
What is going well in my journey to increase my authentic personal impact?

# data[].attributes.body
Mr Rogers, you've got 6 minutes to save children's TV!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In 1969, Mr. Rogers gave the following emotional plea to a Senate Subcommittee. Nixon was trying to cut funding for PBS. Mr. Rogers was trying to save it. This speech is one of many fantastic...

# data[].attributes.headline
Definitions from the online oxford learner's dictionary:

# data[].attributes.subject
Definitions from the online oxford learner's dictionary:

# data[].attributes.body
Authentic
Real, genuine, true, accurate, not a fake, not a copy

Personal
your own; not belonging to or connected with anyone else

Impact
The powerful effect that someone/something has on somebody/something

# data[].attributes.headline
If you like this padlet you can SHARE it - ask people to comment,  contribute and ask questions! 

# data[].attributes.subject
If you like this padlet you can SHARE it - ask people to comment,  contribute and ask questions! 

# data[].attributes.body
Use the SHARE link in the banner above to

Share

Copy link to this padlet

Embed in your blog or your website

Email

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Export

Save as image

Save as PDF

Save as CSV

Save as Excel spreadsheet

Print

Contributions to this padlet are monitored by a small group of volunteer moderators.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As women, we face unique challenges as leaders, whether we work in the corporate world or as a business owner. There seems to be a large chasm between female leaders who too easily sacrifice authority, and iron-fisted women who never budge once their minds are made up. Unfortunately, neither approach is effective in a long-term leadership position.

There are many aspects of leadership, but the core question is this: as strong and capable women, how can we lead without being labeled bossy, bitchy, or worse?
Authenticity Matters
It's easy to play the game and pander to what others expect us to be in the workplace. However, when strong leadership becomes synonymous with negative labels like "controlling" and "demanding," the female leader has not only lost her power, but often her respect as well.

Early in my career, I observed a much younger manager effectively lead her older subordinates during a conflict. In trying to meet a shipping deadline, it was all hands on deck, but one team member was questioning every decision. This young manager very kindly but firmly stated, "I am happy to discuss the reasons why with you later, but at this moment we need your help without question to get this out the door." I was both impressed by the balanced approach and intrigued by how her leadership style struck the balance between confident, executive and collaborative leader.

I turned to Professional Mentor and Career Acceleration Coach at Illustra Consulting Sarah Hathorn for advice about women who want to lead without losing themselves in the process.

"Women who by lead by mimicking men reveal a lack of professional identity," said Hathorn. "Professional confidence is not gender-based; it's all about authenticity and developing the qualities that resonate with who you are." To find their own authentic style, leaders need realistic assessments -- ones that highlight where they need to develop a more professional presence.

If you're struggling to find your authentic style, follow these three steps:

1. First, look to leaders you admire. Observe their traits, how they interact within a team and work under pressure. It may be worthwhile to pursue a mentorship so you can work together with your leadership development in mind.

2. Second, stop putting yourself first. Leadership is an exercise in service and as John Quincy Adams said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." It's a tricky balance because as a figure of authority, you must often be the deciding voice on things. Instead of focusing on your authority, Hathorn recommends starting from a place of service. For women who "lead as a coach by giving support, training, encouragement, mentorship and resources, employees will become loyal followers whom you can lead to victory." Service involves putting your own advancement and ego aside to focus on the needs of the team and business.

3. Third, find and refine the balance between personal and professional. Hathorn recommends getting to know your team, but setting clear boundaries and expectations. "When you're working, it's important to perform to get results; after work, time is for relaxation and personal relationships." Professional behavior and authenticity have to go hand in hand -- while you may be open about your personal life or struggles with friends, the same sharing can negatively impact your leadership at the office. Oftentimes a casual and collaborative leadership approach, which women gravitate towards, can easily be sabotaged by overly personal behavior or even things like apparel.

Embodying your authentic leadership style is a process, but it sends a powerful statement and commands respect. In the end, it's not about conformity or mimicry, but looking within yourself to find the style that resonates with you -- and wearing it, inside and out, with confidence.

Besides, being labeled as "bitchy" or "bossy" is still better than being "fake."
Kelly Azevedo is the founder of She's Got Systems, a custom coaching program that leads clients to get support, documenting and dominating in their fields. She has worked in startup, successful six-figure and million-dollar online businesses, helping owners create the systems to serve their needs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 Tips For Women To Develop A More Authentic Leadership Style

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As women, we face unique challenges as leaders, whether we work in the corporate world or as a business owner. There seems to be a large chasm between female leaders who too easily sacrifice authority, and iron-fisted women who never budge once their minds are made up.

# data[].attributes.body
I found this really useful for helping me to identify which aspects of personal impact I'm better at, and which I need to improve on

# data[].attributes.body
Habits can be helpful, but they can also hold me back from trying new things I am a little uncomfortable with now, but which might help me make progress.