So yesterday was my birthday, and I LOVE to celebrate my birthday. My favorite way to celebrate is food and - since I grew up in a big family - there's always leftovers. This year I made lasagne!Lasagne may not be known for being the healthiest food. Admittedly, it's probably up there on the not so healthy list. But there are things you can do to help yourself out! For example, I made my own sauce so there wouldn't be as many calories or as much non-food junk in there. Just tomatoes, a little bit of olive oil, and salt and pepper. I also made sure to choose 95% lean ground beef, and part-skim cheese. Finally, I used a small dish and only two layers, to keep the leftovers to a minimum.
All in all, this helps an awesome food become healthy enough for you to feel great about eating. Just remember your portion control!
We also had ice cream cake, and there's not really a way to make that healthier. But this is another area where portion control really helps.
Today I've been all over the place with my husband for our work (and I got a sunburn...ouch!) but I still managed to get some of my leadership habits done! Right now, I'm working on studying John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Today I went through laws 5 and 6.
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Law 5 is the Law of Addition, which says that leaders add value by serving others.
Key questions:
- Are you making things better for the people who follow you?
- Do you have a servant's heart in your leadership?
- What do the people closest to you value? Do you know?
Key concept: Always add value to those around you.
The question I found myself asking while I was studying this was "What can I do?" Adding value is all about giving to other people, and you can't give what you don't have already. Any skills, experience-based wisdom, or opportunities you have can be a way to add value to people. Finding my skills has always been a challenge for me, so I guess that's another thing I'll need to work on this year! I'm excited to discover what I have that I can use to add value to other people!
Great quotes:
"When you try to be top dog, you don't create loyalty." (Jim Sinegal, co-founder of Costco)
"90% of those who add value to others do so intentionally. That's what it takes to be a leader that others want to follow" (John Maxwell)
"Seek always to do some good, somewhere." (Albert Schweitzer, 1952 Nobel Prize winner)
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Law 6 is the Law of Solid Ground, which says that trust is the foundation of leadership.
Key question:
- Do your followers trust you?
Key concept: You won't have followers for very long if they can't trust you.
The big question for me in this chapter is "How do I build trust?" John Maxwell says that everything rises and falls on leadership, and leadership depends on how much your people trust you. John says in this book that the way to build trust is by constantly exemplifying confidence, connection, and character - the most important of which is character. I've got that down- now it's just the confidence and connection parts!
This year I'm also focusing on applying what I learned from the last book I studied: Everyone Communicates, Few Connect. And next on my list are How to Win Friends and Influence People (by Dale Carnegie), and How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People (by Les Giblin). I study these at least once a year and I learn something new every time, so I'm excited! It's looking like I'll have the full trust formula down in no time!
Great quote:
"People will tolerate honest mistakes, but if you violate their trust you will find it very difficult to ever regain their confidence." (Craig Weatherup, retired CEO of Pepsi Bottling Group)
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Now I'm going to take the rest of my night to relax - I'm going to listen to a talk CD by a leader I admire (while I work on my blanket), give my mentor a call, and then go to a movie with my awesome husband. After that it's bedtime for me because tomorrow I'm going to Moses Lake!
