mygapyear

Mission, Vision, and Values - No easy Feat!

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Have you ever felt like you were out of step with the organization that you work for? Has your organization ever spoken to you about their mission, vision and values? Maybe this is where the disconnect lies!

We have been working on revamping our mission, vision and defining our values and it has proven to be very difficult. Getting down to the root of what you stand for can be challenging to articulate in such a short blurb! The benefit though, is that it provides clarity and direction for the entire organization and has proven to be well worth the time and energy spent on it.

We thought we would share what we have come up with. Please feel free to comment and share yours - personal or organizational!

OUR MISSION
We empower young adults find direction at a pivotal time in their life through taking a gap year. We offer alternative learning opportunities that go beyond travel to include a unique blend of coaching, emotional intelligence and leadership development. Our structured plan, support and follow-up throughout the year ensure that our clients reach their goals and have a meaningful experience.

OUR VISION
To be recognized as the leading organization that reshapes society’s perceptions of meaningful ways to educate young adults. To continually innovate new pathways to empower young adults to transform their own lives.

OUR VALUES
Value of Youth
Innovative Change
Love of Learning
Empowerment
Courage
Sharing
Service Excellence

Check us out at www.mygapyear.ca

Gapper Reflection on the Impact of his Volunteering

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Saturday:
I left costa rica at 930am. The bus ride was long and seemed to stretch for hours. It took about 2 hours to reach the border. After an hour to the border of costa rica, and another hour at the border to nicaragua I finally began my travels through nicaragua. It was overwhelming being back. Even after only being here a week, it was enough to make it feel like a second home. I had forgotten how truly beautiful nicaragua was, how welcoming and friendly the people are, and how it truly made me thankful for the opportunity to return so soon.

Upon my arrival we talked for hours about my experience between nicaragua and costa rica. I met her two dogs Quien and Rudo and the turtle who lives in her backyard. Bonnie is a saint, she moved to nicaragua and started bridges to community with a few others. She has never looked back. She's an inspiration to everyone. It felt so good to be back amongst companions who felt as I do towards the people of nicaragua.

Sunday:
This morning I awoke and went to see my sponsor family. They were overjoyed to see me. They said its rare for volunteers to come back and visit so they were truly grateful for both myself and what I'd done and coming back to see the final product. Julio, the father of the house is going to stop by bonnies tomorrow to talk and hang out.
In the afternoon adelia and I went to see the Ipica show. Its a horse parade. They march and dance their horses up the street to music it was really cool.
For dinner we went to grenada and ate at a fusion resturaunt, I'd remembered it from our experience in january. Then the power went out, yet again haha hurricane factor. So we played yahtzee in the dark haha it was lots of fun.

Monday:
Today I got to work on a house, it was the starting with digging and cement foundations only worked about an hour by the time I got there, but it was fun none the less. I really enjoyed it. I got back in time to help mix cement as well as organize the piles of wood.
I missed the crew so it was good to see them all. After I got back I had a few things to take care of and then my sponsor julio came by for a few hours and we exchanged words of home, as best we could. Taught each other different words and talked of the pronounciatin similarities in certain words.
Its my last night here and I'm really going to miss it. Its truly magnificent place. Full of life and hope. I was once again told that I was an angel sent by god, that left me speechless. I am unable to truly grasp
the depth of the emotion they must feel. To me it was fundraising for a family I wanted to help, no major task really, yet for them its life altering.

Nicaragua is never far from my mind. It truly changes the way you view reality and at the same time being here can bring you true happiness. Coming down to build a home and raise money had us regarded as angels, to this day they still prayer for us. Imagine having such a great impact on
the lives of a family that they are speechless in their gratitude and when words come out they make you speechless with pride.

I am going to miss it the second I leave :( I'm not looking forward to leaving.

mygapyear Client and Parent Testimonials

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Interested in what our clients and the parents of our clients are saying about our services? So are we! We thought we would share some of their comments with you.

M.F. (mygapyear alumni)
Since we began I feel a lot more independent and capable of being self-sufficient.   I feel confident in my abilities to handle any new or difficult situations. I also feel a lot more comfortable with myself which I think has affected the way I am treated by the people around me. My parents say they have noticed a change for the better and think that I am becoming more of a responsible adult.
I think that my increase in confidence has made me a happier person in general.   I used to feel a lot more unsure of myself, which I believe prevented me from doing a lot of the things I wanted to do. Now I feel like I am capable of reaching my goals.
I think that setting goals and working towards them was a really good approach to planning my gap year because it helped me get the most out of my year off. It is also insightful to talk about my experience and what I gained from it.
Through our discussions I was able to figure out exactly what I wanted to get out of my year abroad. With their knowledge, previous experience, and connections, My Gap Year helped me get in contact with the best programs and organizations.   They also provided me with different approaches to choosing my career path and what steps I can take as far as school and work experience.

M.P (mygapyear alumni)
Although I love to travel, I had too many personal commitments at home
and was not able to take a trip during my year off. Instead I remained in
Toronto, and surprisingly still had an amazing year. It was precisely the
decision to stay at home that made my year so rewarding: I was able to
balance working part-time, creating a portfolio for university, going out with
friends, and spending time with family. Mygapyear even found me volunteer
opportunities and a very educational online course to take in my spare time.
It was a year full of self-discovery; I learned that when I’m faced with
obstacles (no matter how big or small) I will always power through with
determination. I am more independent, resilient, and confident in my ability
to deal with stress. I no longer dread starting school and I look forward to
new challenges and opportunities. The people at mygapyear were extremely
helpful and encouraging, they kept me motivated and offered advice when
I was under pressure. I recommend mygapyear to anyone who wants to
experience new things and learn about their true personality and goals, but
isn’t sure where to begin. They will be with you every step of the way.

L.A. (mygapyear alumni)
In this time I have overcome my health risks and pains, engaged myself in new activities, expanded my horizons of travel, and overall became the person I always felt I would be while achieving my ultimate wellbeing.

L.B. (mygapyear alumni parent)
Just have a quick look at the internet; there seem to be a million opportunities for young people, but sorting through all the prospects is daunting. Besides the pure volume of information, there is always the concern that what you are looking at may not be quite as it seems. mygapyear acts as a resource to work through all the possibilities much more efficiently. They bring focus and credibility to what is available. In the end, mygapyear helped [my daughter] enact a plan that included local (hobby) classes, volunteer work and the culmination – a job overseas (as a camp counselor).

C.R. (mygapyear alumni parent)
The past year has truly been one of growth and discovery for [my daughter]. Formerly a bit tentative and uncertain about her future, she has matured into a clearly confident and independent young adult. Her time spent studying and travelling in Europe enhanced not only her understanding and appreciation of other cultures and languages, but contributed to her sense of independence and direction in life. She now has set and achievable goals, towards which she has already begun to progress with her language studies abroad.
As parents, we had the opportunity to watch [my daughter] grow over the course of the year, and feel reassured that she is ready to tackle her freshman year at [] University with a new sense of purpose and motivation. We could not be more delighted with the outcome of [our daughter]’s gap year, and the guidance she received from MyGapYear Inc.

Visit us for more information www.mygapyear.ca

Blogging Gapper from South America

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

After our two day stay in La Paz, we set of on our journey to Rurrenabaque and the Amazon Basin. Our flight left La Paz at 7 a.m and landed in Rurrenabaque an hour later. When we landed we were surprised to see that there was no terminal, or building for that matter, rather there was just a landing strip and a few jeeps waiting to take us to our hostal. The rest of the day was spent exploring the town of Rurrenabaque, a small town located in the Amazon River Basin. The town was beautiful and surprisinly had more internet cafe´s then it did restaraunts. After having the balance of the day to walk around and explore the town, it was off to bed to get ready for our adventure.

We left Rurrenabaque early the next morning and drove for 3 hours to the town of Santa
Rosa, where we had lunch. The boat launch was 10 minutes away from the town and that is where we would begin our journey. The boats we travelled in were long, skinny and wooden, with a motor on
the back. They sat eight people in each, with a guide steering each boat. After loading our bags, we started heading down the river and immediately started to see animals such as Alligators, Tropical Birds, Monkeys and Capybarras, which are the largest rodents in the world. We boated for about 2 hours and then stopped and were given a chance to go swimming with the Pink Dolphins. The Pink Dolphins are fresh water river dolphins located in the Amazon River systems in South America. The dolphins were very shy and we really only saw them when the came up for air, but a few times a dolphin popped up 5 meters in front of you. After about a half an hour of swimming, we got back in our boats and headed off to our cabin where we would spend the next two nights. The facility we stayed at was very simple, it had a big cabin with ten beds for the boys, and a cabin of six and two for the girls. There were two bathrooms, a few showers, and a dinning room and kitchen. Each bed had a light blue mosqutio net attached to them, which succesfully kept out the bugs and gave everyone there on little sleeping oasis. Before dinner, we went back in the boats and went about ten minutes down the river to another cabin to watch the sunset. It was amazing to watch the sunset over the entire jungle, truly one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. As soon as the sun went down, we headed back to our homebase and had dinner, and the minute dinner was over, I climbed into my sleeping oasis and was out in a matter of seconds.

The next day, after breakfast, we went to hunt for Anacondas in the Pampas. We walked for two hours through tall grass, swamps, bushes, and hopped through fences before arriving at the area where the Anacondas were. The guides made us spread out in a long line that covered most of the area, and told us to walk slowly ahead and alret them if we saw any movement.We walked for about twenty minutues and were about to head to another area when a few people from another group yelled that they had found one. The entire group ran as fast as we could to see the snake. The Anaconda was 3 meters long and looked quite scared with thirty plus people taking pictures of it. We marvelled at the snake for a while and then started our long two hour trek back to our boats. We went back to our base and had lunch, followed by a three hour siesta. In the afternoon we went back to swim with the dolphins some more. After another half hour of swimming we went back to our cabin, had dinner, and went off to bed.

The next morning, there was an optional trip to go watch the sunrise in which most of the girls went and almost none of the boys went. Next on the agenda, after breakfast, was fishing for pirhana´s. Some of the group were very good at this, catching upwards of 7 fish. Other struggled catching only two (myself, one being about 3 inches long). After our morning fishing we went back to our base, packed up and headed back Rurrenabaque and to get ready for Copacabana and PERU!

Stay classy everyone,

Dalton

Blogging Gapper from India

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Here is a blog from our gapper, Lina, from her trip to India:

Hello to all from India again.

This past week we spent in a small village outside of Jhadol. We arrived there after a bumpy ride
of about two hours from Udaipur on the dusty roads of Rajasthan. We spent the first couple of days
sleeping in the boarding school. Our days consisted of excursions into the city of Jhadol, a visit to a local village to listen to some music and show off our Indian folk dancing, and a hike up a nearby mountain.

The village life moved at a much different pace than in the city and we all had time to settle down and catch our breath. Since the Diwali holiday was a couple of days before, when we arrived in the village it took the girls and the workers a while to trickle back to work. When they decided to return we had a full schedule during the days.

Our village home stay was a 10 minute walk from the school we taught at. The houses were all very close together and we felt very welcome in the homes of the villagers. Our days would begin at sun rise. The families would begin the chores and we would follow them around helping with what we could. After chai, we would head back over to the boarding area to eat meals.

Late mornings consisted of work in the fields and teaching at the girls' school. Teaching was both fun
and challenging. We split into teams of three and worked in different classrooms teaching various levels of English. Head, shoulders, knees, and toes was a huge hit as was the itsy bitsy spider. After about an hour of class, we would go to recess. The girls wore us out with games of tag, red-light green-light, frisbee, and duck duck goose. We would then eat lunch and take a quick breather.

In the afternoons, we spent time on construction at the teacher's school located right next to the girls'
school. We became pros at carrying sand and bricks on our heads as we ascended the stairs. We also
spent time mixing cement and plastering the walls. By the end of the days we were pretty exhausted, but we could usually count on our host families to encourage us into a dance party.

Other than our normal daily schedule we found time to partake in a number of different activities. The student teachers who were staying at the boarding house were always willing to teach us some
new dance moves and were fun to hang out with. We also learned to play kabbadi, an Indian sport which is a combination of red rover and tag. Halloween was not forgotten and the group got in costume and celebrated with candy and ghost stories. All in all it was a busy week full of new experiences and lots of fun volunteering.

We begin a new leg of our trip tonight as we head north to Amritsar.

Thanks for your continued interest in our adventure!
Lizzie and Lina

Allow Canadian students to defer their post-secondary acceptance based on a Gap Year

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

mygapyear is initiating an online petition to present to post-secondary institutions to encourage a shift towards a blanket deferment of acceptances on the basis of a structured gap year. Please read the letter below and sign our petition (found to the right of this blog).

"Dear Minister of Colleges and Universities and Post-Secondary Registrar of Admissions,

On behalf of those who have signed below, we would like to request that you revisit the policies and procedures surrounding the deferment of post-secondary acceptances under the circumstances that the perspective student will be pursuing a structured gap year.

Gap years are a well accepted an supported transition in Europe and Australia, where there is a proven track record . Harvard and Princeton have recognized the value of this transition time and have created programs to embrace gap years. Research shows that gap years allow individuals to grow and develop a sense of responsibility, confidence and independence as well as gain a broader understanding of the world around them. By issuing an offer of acceptance, colleges and universities have recognized the intellectual abilities of the individual, abilities that will grow, rather than diminish over the course of a gap year. Upon returning from a gap year these students will be equally intelligent but will also have a better sense of commitment, of responsibility towards a community and a greater sense of maturity and self-confidence, all traits that will allow them to have a more meaningful educational experience that would benefit any post-secondary institution.

With students entering university/ college at a younger age , taking some time to gain maturity is a winning strategy. With first year drop out rates climbing ( according to Statistics Canada 30% of first year university students drop out and 1 in 7 college students ) taking a gap year can actually make young adults more focussed and ready for the challenges of academic life.

We believe that taking a gap year benefits the individual and will, in turn strengthen the community at your institution. We look to you as leaders and stakeholders in Education to take a bold step and review your policies on deferment for students who want to take a gap year . We encourage you to look at the success that other jurisdictions enjoy because they value this rite of passage and know that it benefits both the student, the institution and future employers.

We request you re-examine the policies surrounding deferment and weigh them against the benefits to higher education as well as the growth of the individuals who need a gap year to develop to their full potential prior to attending post-secondary education."

Six Simple Resilience Practices - Week Six: Commit Explicitly to Your Resilience

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Below you will find Doug Silsbee's 6th and final installment of his resilience practices writings. We hope you have enjoyed learning about resilience from a coaching professional and are able to find ways to apply it to your own life.
_______________________________________________________

Commit Explicitly to Your Resilience

Most of us, at least most of the people that are reading this, are very willing to invest in learning particular competencies and capabilities that allow us to produce what we want in our lives. Too, most of us understand the importance of eating well, exercising, and taking care of ourselves.
However, for many, it is a new and revelatory way of thinking to recognize that resilience itself is a capacity that we can invest in, that we can build. Resilience is essential and pre-requisite for maintaining our focus, energy, and persistence in life. And, at the core, resilience is virtually synonymous with the self-generativity that produces aliveness, fulfillment and joy.
Thus, I differentiate resilience from a mere coping strategy, or a set of tools that allows us to endure more for longer. Rather, a commitment to resilience is in fact the entry point to a life-long pathway towards your own integrated development, including physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual components.
In saying this, I'm not assuming that's what you were looking for when you decided to read this. Many people discover a need for resilience simply through a felt need to better manage what is on their plates. Yet, when we really move into it, and we commit to our resilience as an on-going project, we slowly wake up into all the possibilities that a committed practice of self-cultivation reveals.So, now, you get to choose. Presumably, you've read the first five installments of this series. (If not, subscribe below for access.) Review them again. Remind yourself of which really spoke to you and opened something up. Choose perhaps two of these five strategies to really work with, and that complement each other.Then, create a plan. Be specific and concrete. In your plan, address:
·       What, specifically, will you do on a daily basis to work with that particular tool or practice? Weekly?
·       What structure will you build into your already busy life so that this keeps your attention?
·       For the sake of what are you doing this? How will you remind yourself of this?
·       Who will you make a request of in order to support you and hold you accountable?
·       What additional reading, coaching, or other resources will help you deepen your understanding of this and keep it fresh and evolving?
Notice your commitment. Is it firm and clear? Or, soft and gushy? If the latter, how can you mobilize your energy for this by re-orienting to your purpose for doing it? By being present with the real choice that it represents? By choosing a resilient perspective? By engaging someone else as a partner through making a request? By recognizing that, in a sea of commitments where you sometimes feel out of control, this is a place where you do have control?
Now, make it happen!

Doug Silsbee, PCC
Presence-Based Leadership Development
• Presence-Based Coaching for Leaders
• Training and Mentoring for Coaches
• Author, The Mindful Coach and Presence-Based Coaching

828-254-2021
http://dougsilsbee.com
3717 Bend of Ivy Rd.
Marshall, NC 28753

Six Simple Resilience Practices - Week Five: Choose Your Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Another word from Doug Silsbee:
______________________________________________________
Choose Your Perspective

Our perspectives are notoriously malleable and subjective, and what we consider to be truth is, upon investigation, rather elusive. Consider what a Fox News viewer and an NPR listener might say when asked about how we might best address the Iran issue! Or how you and a loved one can sometimes experience friction, each knowing that your interpretation of a difficult interaction is the inarguable truth!
Consider how your experience of a sculpture changes as you walk around it and view it from different angles. The sculpture itself is just there. Yet, our experience of it is shaped by our perspective. Two kids, each viewing a sign painted green on one side and red on the other, might have real trouble agreeing about what color it is, when both are actually right.
We can expand this notion to address non-physical things. On one given day, we might think "They can't pay me enough to do this job!" The next day, we're on a roll, and we think to ourselves "I can't believe I actually get paid to do this!" Same job. Same us. Different perspective. And, different experience of self within the situation.
Resilient people recognize the power of perspective, and understand that they can actually choose a generative perspective on any situation. Viktor Frankl famously said, after spending years in a Nazi concentration camp, "The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's attitudes." Frankl's resilience, derived from the internal locus of control that this wisdom represents, was instrumental in his inspiring survival of one of the most traumatic experiences that anyone could have.Choose a situation that feels difficult, or energy-sapping. Now, list at least four or five different perspectives on this situation. (e.g., "It's not fair." "This is challenging me so that I have to develop new skills." "It will be over soon." "I have dealt with more difficult situations in the past." "I have other resources that I can access in this...." You get the idea.)
Now, for each perspective, step into it as you would try on a new dress or shirt in the store. Try each perspective on and see what it feels like. Find specific, grounded evidence that this particular perspective is actually true. See that you can, by doing this, make any perspective the Truth about the situation, just as one kid saw red and the other green. See how grounding your perspective in solid evidence changes your experience of yourself in the situation.
Now, choose the most resilient, generative and liberating perspective and reside firmly in it, so that it becomes your felt experience, rather than simply an intellectual construct. Make it yours.

Doug Silsbee, PCC
Presence-Based Leadership Development

828-254-2021
http://dougsilsbee.com
3717 Bend of Ivy Rd.
Marshall, NC 28753

Six Simple Resilience Practices - Week Four: Choose and Act from Purpose

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:46:00 +0000

Doug Silsbee, a coach who focuses on leadership development says:
_______________________________________________________
Choose and Act from Purpose

The essence of resilience is making choices, in the moment, about what we focus our attention on and what we organize ourselves towards. This can, of course, be hugely challenging. At the same time, it is fundamental to building agency in our lives: the capacity for action, no matter the circumstance.
President Obama, in a fascinating 2004 interview, said that he frequently asks, "How does this connect with a larger sense of purpose?" He explained, "The most powerful political moments for me come when I feel like my actions are aligned with a certain truth. I can feel it. When I'm talking to a group and I'm saying something truthful, I can feel a power that comes out of those statements that is different than when I'm just being glib or clever."
We can access a different feeling about a particular activity by connecting it to a larger sense of purpose. We can ask ourselves "For the sake of what am I doing this?"
For example, I generally don't get excited about marketing. The message that you are reading has a marketing intention; hopefully readers like you will become interested in my work and we will develop a deeper relationship. Yet, my motivation and passion gets ignited by writing these little pieces for people that I know and care about, and who I believe will derive something of value that they can use in their lives. The real purpose for this is to support people in waking up, in the fullest sense, in their lives. If it generates business, of course, that's great. However, first and foremost, I orient towards the purpose of accelerating the development of people in my network. Connecting the writing to that purpose is much more energizing for me, and is what allows me to produce this message (and coach leaders and even write whole books!)Ask yourself this: For the sake of what are you doing what you're doing? Find the purpose, deeper and more meaningful than the immediate goal, that a given activity serves. Connect the dots:
·       "I am hiring a professional video producer in order to deliver this message in the most powerful possible way and make a tangible difference for viewers." (That's different from "keep me on track in the project.")
·       "I am exercising for the sake of feeling fully alive, energized and creative for my clients." (Different from "losing weight.")
·       "I am letting my assistant go because she will be more fulfilled in a different job and I need a different level of support in order to do mine." (Different from "she's incompetent.")
Experiment with this. Consider a current task or project with which you are struggling for motivation and focus. Describe, on paper if you wish, why you are doing it. Note the reasons... which reasons feel like "should's?" Which reasons feel mobilizing and inspiring?
Now, organize your attention around the latter. Center yourself in those purposes, connecting, in your awareness, the activity to the purpose it serves. Note how your relationship to the activity changes as you connect it to purpose.

Doug Silsbee, PCC
Presence-Based Leadership Development
828-254-2021
http://dougsilsbee.com
3717 Bend of Ivy Rd.
Marshall, NC 28753

Six Simple Resilience Practices - Week Three: Make Requests

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Doug Silsbee continues to shed light on what resilience really means and how we can achieve it.
______________________________________________________

Make Requests

I have coached many successful entrepreneurs and executives who struggle with their tendency to over-commit. These are people with rewarding jobs who love what they do, but who get exhausted and lose touch with themselves and their non-professional relationships, sometimes at tremendous personal cost.
Often, people like this (and I include myself!) don't see the places where others could help. We have built strong identities as Doers or Problem-solvers that perpetuate our tendency to over-commit.
A key resilience strategy is to be in the business of making requests. I often work in depth with coaching clients around this important competency, which many successful people do poorly!

Requesting includes, but is much larger than, simply delegating tasks to others. When we make a request, it can be a request for a specific action, for a hamburger at a restaurant, for information, for someone else to take on part of what we're doing, or a move into a different kind of relationship. We make the request by identifying what we need and when we need it. Then, we engage in a conversation with someone else about the request, such that this person can understand and deliver what we need.As a resilience strategy, making requests is fundamental.
·       In order to formulate a request we have to look at ourselves in our situation and discern what we need within it. That's a significant move, and untangles us from the sometimes overwhelming nature of complex situations in which we can't find any suitable course of action.
·       Staying in action is central to resilience; making a request is a form of action. Whether or not the other person commits to delivering on our request, the act of requesting engages us with others and mobilizes energy, the antidotes to stuckness and overwhelm.
·       Third, the result of a request, made clearly and fulfilled by the person we asked, is that we now have support, a hamburger, a service, or something else that we have identified as a need.
Work with this for a week. Note, during the course of the day, when you make requests. Bring more intentionality into this process, recognizing that the request itself is a powerful act. Several times a day, take the time to clarify what you need in a situation, and formulate a specific request that you can make of someone, which, if fulfilled, will be helpful to you. Then, make the request and see what happens.

Doug Silsbee, PCC
Presence-Based Leadership Development
828-254-2021
http://dougsilsbee.com
3717 Bend of Ivy Rd.
Marshall, NC 28753

Six Simple Resilience Practices - Week Two: Discern Where You Have Control, and Where You Don't

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Please enjoy the following ideas from Doug Silsbee, a coach focusing on Presence-Based Leadership Development.
_______________________________________________________
Discern Where You Have Control, and Where You Don't

I, like many of you, get paid to solve problems. It is easy for me to move quickly into a complicated situation, and to see all the challenges and constraints that are inherent in the situation.
Here's the problem. When we organize our attention around constraints, constraints are all we will see. We become immobilized when every course of action seems to lead to other problems. And, often, there is much in any given situation over which we don't have control. The sum total of seemingly immutable facts can seem paralyzing.
So, it is critical to learn to differentiate what we have control over and what we don't. In a given situation, it can be very helpful to actually list out, in two columns, what we don't control and what we have some level of influence over. In the first column, we might list the sorry state of the economy, a boss's attitude or behavior, institutional constraints, budget realities. In the latter column, we list things like our own attitude, the priorities that we set for the day, the particulars that we delegate to a team member, or an exploratory conversation with a possible ally.When we discern the difference, we begin to relax around the givens that we have no control over. And, we begin to see that there are real actions that we can take that are, in fact, empowering. They are unlikely to solve the entire problem. Yet, they get us in motion and provide us with a sense of agency. We become more resourceful.
Practice this. Consider some situation that you face that seems intractable. Prepare a piece of paper with two columns titled "Out of My Control" and "Under My Influence." Then, simply list as many factors as you can in both columns. See what possibilities are revealed through this discernment.

Doug Silsbee, PCC
Presence-Based Leadership Development
828-254-2021
http://dougsilsbee.com
3717 Bend of Ivy Rd.
Marshall, NC 28753

Six Simple Resilience Practices - Week One: Become Present

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

One of our strongest values at mygapyear is sharing. We have come across some great authors that have produces some very valuable works that we would like to share with you. For the next 6 weeks we will be sharing the works of Doug Silsbee, a coach from North Carolina who focuses on Presence-Based Leadership Development. Please note that the below text is WRITTEN BY DOUG SILSBEE and simply being shared by mygapyear in the hopes that it will benefit those following our blog. Please check out Doug's website for more information on his practice.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Become Present

This is the foundation of all the rest of the moves. It is simply the recognition of choice.

When I was angry (I had a bit of a temper as a kid!) my mother would tell me to stop and count to ten before doing anything rash. The primary power of this doesn't lie in the counting or even in the period of time that allows us to choose a wiser course of action. The major benefit of this little trick is that, in the very moment of choosing to count to ten, we are exercising choice, rather than acting out of the force of instinctual habit.

Many of us have had such experiences: we have an emotional reaction to a situation, we respond automatically and our response makes the situation worse than it was.

The fundamental principle underpinning all of our work on resilience is that, lacking the inner state of presence, we are much more likely to constrict our field of view and react to events in ineffective and habitual ways. When we are fully present and relaxed, we are able to see and choose a full range of alternatives.

One of the quickest and most reliable means to bring ourselves into the present is to do a quick body check, bringing our attention from the abstract and chaotic world around us into a quiet awareness of our own internal state. Do these steps, one at a time:

· Let go of whatever problem you're wrestling with for a minute.

· Notice how you are sitting, or standing; notice your shape. Straighten your back, letting your shoulders drop, and bringing your gaze up horizontally.

· Breathe, taking a couple of deep breaths and noticing how your chest rises and falls with each breath.

· Sense the pressure on the bottoms of your feet where the floor is pressing up, and, if you're sitting, the pressure on your back and buttocks where the chair is holding you. Take a moment to feel this.

· Notice any places where your body is particularly tense, and simply let those places relax.

So, what happened? How is your inner state different? From this present state, what alternatives are revealed?

With even a little practice, this series of shifts in attention can take almost no time. Like counting to ten when you're angry, it's making the choice that is important. The simple act of choosing, in the middle of the urgency of your day, to stop and become present, is itself an act of resilience. (Another centering practice can be found here.)

While this can be used as a simple stress management technique, I've never been an advocate of increasing our ability to endure fundamentally unhealthy situations. Rather, my claim is that coming into the present is the foundational first step in any process of self-mastery.

Practice this often during the coming week. Repetitions will build, over time, your capacity to manage your inner state and to be at choice in any circumstance.

Doug Silsbee, PCC
Presence-Based Leadership Development
828-254-2021
http://dougsilsbee.com
3717 Bend of Ivy Rd.
Marshall, NC 28753

Turning Your Gap Year Into a “Stand Out” Resume

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

In today’s world landing a job has become more difficult and more competitive than ever. This is especially true for the new graduate. While formal education is still very much the standard requirement for most jobs, chances are it won’t be your university degree that gets you in the door. Even graduating with straight A’s, is just not enough anymore. So how do you land that dream job and set yourself apart from the other candidates? Career transition experts say that skills such as self awareness, emotional intelligence, possessing the right attitude, and often practical experience is what will give a potential candidate the leading edge.

A structured gap year will give you real life experience outside of the classroom that can be leveraged to differentiate you when it comes to a job search, and will help you develop those crucial skills that are needed to create the “wow” factor on your resume. A gap year can help build leadership skills, broaden your perspective of other cultures, views and global awareness, develop organizational, problem solving, and time management skills, as well as increase your motivation and self reliance - all attributes and skills that are among the top listed qualities that employers want.

The trick then becomes conveying and articulating your gap year adventures to match what employers are looking for. Below are a few tips to consider when creating your resume.

Label your gap year under the heading “Other Experience” and remember to include dates. This is more effective than simply “hiding” it under work experience where it may appear a little flaky
Choose to highlight tangible skills that you gained which are transferable and easily translate into diverse jobs
Don’t include everything!! You most likely gained a bunch of new skills during your gap year that you consider important, but remember, a resume is only meant to pique the curiosity of the reader so include only the points that are most relevant to the specific job you are targeting
Make sure you include specific examples to demonstrate the skill you want to highlight. This will go a long way in adding credibility especially if you choose examples that are actionable
Don’t forget about the cover letter. The cover letter is a great place to introduce and highlight how your gap year experience makes you a unique candidate with added value for the organization.

So if a gap year is something you are considering but aren’t sure if it’s right for you ask yourself how it might help set you on the right path for future career success?

We can partner with you through one on one coaching, planned travel and volunteer experience that will ensure your gap year will be successful in helping you clarify your career/ educational goals and interests, discover your passions and interests, and give you the practical experience you need to stand out from the crowd and look attractive to a future employer.

Life Apps - what are they? Why are we running them?

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

mygapyear recently held the first in a series of Life Apps . Sounds cool doesn’t it? It is, - and we're going to do more! This one took the form of a webinar- part seminar part web based demos.

Our goal is to create opportunities for our Gappers to hang out together - to build a community of Gappers and at the same time enhance emotional intelligence skills or share some coaching tools.

We used Skype to connect and chat and used an interactive media to show a short youtube clip and provide a place to interact through text chats. We were able to connect Gappers in Victoria BC, Banff, Alberta , Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario.

Our first topic was goal setting - an important part of a gap year plan and a great life App! Our Gappers were able to share some thoughts about their own goal setting, and we demonstrated some goal setting techniques and tips. Gappers walked away with some tools and resources to use in their gap year planning and in their lives. What do you know about SMART goals? Our Gappers will be able to tell you!

Stay tuned as we present more LifeApps! Future topics include Leadership and Time Management.

Conferences -what do you walk away with? What do you do when you "get back” to keep it alive?

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

I attended the International Coaching Federation (ICF) conference in Las Vegas this week. A first time for me at this conference. The Las Vegas venue made it an easy decision! The theme of "playing to the edge" created the back drop for the conference held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel . Key note speakers Michael Gelb, Sir Ken Robinson, Steve Farber who have played on the edge of their fields of endeavour provided the hook and curiosity for me to sign up. Oh and my husband wanted to come along too!

I walked away with some new ideas, some books to check out, an appreciation of laughter and wit and a sense of gratitude for skillful engaging speakers. I also found my own sense of play –I took some time before the conference started in the spa ( the quick fix treatment of a 25 minute Swedish Massage and a hydro facial did just that) and rebooted my energy.

The conference connected me to the larger community of coaches -over 18,000 credentialed coaches in over 100 countries. The profession is growing and with that growth comes the need for regulation, training standards and brand development, all of which were addressed during the conference.
I'm amazed at the places and specialities where coaching shows up - executive, leadership, conflict management, transition and career, life/personal, teen, youth with ADHD and so on. Coaches are in HR departments, boardrooms, yoga studios, working with small business teams, in public sector organizations and with individual clients.

For me, - taking time to reconnect with the wider coaching community was one of my biggest take a ways. We get so busy with our daily activities, so it’s great to check back in and reconnect with what made me choose this profession. Coaches are an extremely friendly group - you never feel alone - whoever sits beside you will be curious and interested and have something to share -even when I was sitting in Starbucks on a break!

Great tools and coaching demos were provided – I was reminded how important it is to have a coaching presence – how body language influences the coaching conversation. I learned some new tools, including a technique to help clients use a fairy tale format to tell their stories (once upon a time) ,and how to use the power of intuition to tap into what is already working for you.

So I walked away with lots of goodies.

The trick will be to keep that sense of curiosity and motivation alive for when I get back -I want to research some of the new stuff I learned and connect with some of the people I met. I’m writing this on the plane headed home -so I'll let you know how I did on follow up.

A week later, - I have sorted through the bag of info I brought back, have sent follow up emails to the coaches I wanted to connect with , and ordered some of the books I was introduced to, - so I’m getting there! I’m going to try out some of my new found tools as well – so it’s still alive for me and well worth it. What about you? Have you kept your resolutions from the last conference you attended? If not – what’s getting in the way?

From Vision to Reality: Setting goals to create the life you really want

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

“Whatever we focus on becomes our idea of reality” - Anthony Robbins

So why should we set goals? I think the answer to that question is offered in the following quote by Lewis Caroll “If you don’t know where you are going any road will get you there”
In other words, setting goals is critical on a journey to personal success because much like any other journey, if you set out without having a destination in mind it becomes very easy to feel adrift and lost in the world.

Goals provide us with a clear sense of direction, and create both a long term vision, and the short term motivation to get us to where we want to go. By giving us clarity, goals also help us to focus in on what is really important, without getting derailed by fears and/or side tracked by all the distractions we face on a daily basis.

A few things to remember about goals and goal setting….

The first step is to think big…think of goals that will inspire!!! When we visualize our dreams as possible, we create a powerful energy and momentum to get us moving and start to take action.

Achieving a compelling goal is not an easy process. Once we have a list of “wants” for different areas in our life, it is useful to remember the acronym SMART which offers a proven formula for setting the right kind of goals. SMART stands for:
S-specific
M –measurable
A –Attainable
R –realistic
T- time bound

SMART goal setting helps to set targets and breakdown those big picture goals into realistic chunks with a step by step action plan to get there.

It is also important to list the reasons we want to accomplish a goal and put it in writing. The more reasons we have, the more motivated we will be to do something about it. And when we put things in writing we take the first step in turning a simple wish into an attainable goal.
Lastly, when we with surround ourselves with reminders (such as posters, symbols, inspirational statements, etc.,) that represent our actual goal, we are most likely to stick with our goal even when feeling discouraged or distracted because our attention will be pulled back to what matters most.

In the end, when we finally do achieve a goal, it is important that we recognize and reward our accomplishment. Achieving goals can be a huge boost to self confidence. We can take pride in our achievement and recognize the ability and effort it took to get there.

A Gap Year provides the perfect opportunity to begin the process of goal setting for young men and women who may be feeling burnt out, or are unsure of their interests and want some time to explore who they are. Or maybe they want to carve a path that’s different from the traditional model of success. It is a time when they can start asking themselves those critical questions… the questions that will help them make better decisions and more authentic choices throughout their lives. Questions such as … What do I truly want out of life? What do I want to achieve? What do I want to learn? What do I need to be fulfilled? In a sense goals define our “possible selves” and as these young adults begin to discover the answers to these questions, and start to identify and achieve specific goals to help them turn their vision into reality, they will find greater sense of meaning, increased motivation, more confidence and ultimately enjoy greater happiness.

Want to learn more about goal setting or how a gap year can help your son or daughter start to set the compelling goals that will maximize his or her potential? Contact mygapyear at www.mygapyear.ca

So what are your inner gifts?

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Take ten minutes out of your day to think about unique gifts and talents that lie within you.

Jot down what you bring to the table of life. Write as many examples as you can think of. Then. Really think about these wonderful qualities that once developed, will have the ability to move mountains and change your world. Then consider: you spent time identifying all of the positive qualities you possess and probably came up with many, but you have barely scratched the surface of the infinite and dynamic you! Each time you do this exercise you will discover new things that you contribute to this world.

" when you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then , for that is just the place that the tide will turn "
Harriet Beecher Stowe Socializing the Tech-Generation

Making a gap year affordable

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

As with most things, taking a gap year often get put aside due to financial limitations. The cost of traveling, participating in programs and taking courses can add up quickly but your gap year doesn’t necessarily have to cost you more than a brand new car! Here are a few tips to make your gap year a possibility:

Save up! Start saving your money now. You never want to miss out on an opportunity that might change the course of your life because you bought yourself a latte every day for the past 4 years. A little will go a long way - some banks will “round up” each of your purchases and put the extra in a savings account for you, put all of your change into a jar and roll it once every couple of months and put that towards your gap year fund or collect liquor bottles or printer cartridges that you can exchange for cash.
Ask others! Why not forgo the ugly sweater from Aunt Francis and ask for her to add to your gap year fun instead. If all of your relatives combine your birthday and holiday gift money, you could be well on your way to celebrating with a gap year.
Plan to work! Your gap year doesn’t have to be all travel or course work - try to plan in some work terms into your year. You can find jobs that will help you achieve your goals AND bring in some money to fund your other adventures.
Host a fundraiser. There are plenty of fundraising organizations out there that could help you to raise money for your gap year. Why not sell chocolates or wrapping paper? Why not host a barbeque to raise money? Every little bit helps and showing initiative will help you develop your leadership skills, financial skills and show others just how much this gap year means to you.
Look for free or low-cost alternatives. Want to work with dolphins? Going to Cozumel to do so might be out of your price range but maybe the local aquarium would take you on as a volunteer - this would cut down on the cost of airfare and hotels and give you a similar experience. Look for local experiences or experiences that are funded through the government, private organizations or local community groups.

If you want to live like a rock star for a year - win the lottery. If you want to develop your sense of self, become more independent and grow to meet your potential - save up, consider local opportunities, and turn to others for financial support.

Youth Engagement - Not Rocket Science

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

In March of 2009, the Canadian Heritage, Citizen Participation Branch in partnership with the Atlantic Evaluation Group, Inc. published a report entitled “Youth Participation in Arts, Heritage, Culture and Community” that explored the topic of engaging youth in our communities. They talked with community organizations that work with youth as well as to the youth directly for their study.

The findings are not extreme, nor are they surprising but they shine a bright light onto the values of our youth. Here are a few of the ideas that stood out for me while reading the article:

Youth want to have positive relationships with adults, they seek to be treated with respect and to be heard.
They want to be engaged as a whole person - in their feeling of belonging, in acknowledging their contributions and by providing them with opportunities to contribute to society.
Young people feel that they do not know how to become involved in their communities - they need the encouragement of their mentors, teachers, parents or older youth to present them with opportunities to get involved.
Youth want to be involved in all stages of projects - from planning, through implimentation and then be kept in the loop with the after-effects of their contributions. A thank you note or an honorarium are also appreciated!
“FACEBOOK DOES NOT REPLACE FACE-TO-FACE” (Fuller, 2009, pg, 16, emphasis added). Youth still value interacting with each other in person - the internet is for communicating but does not override getting together.

How can you engage the youth in your community? How can you remove barriers to their involvement? How can you help them find their voice and contribute in a meaningful way?

Read the full article here: http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/pc-cp/publctn/2009-01/index-eng.cfm

What If...?

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

When we were children, we daydreamed all the time. The older we got, the less time we had to imagine things other than what we had to deal with in our daily lives.

Today, it's time to let your imagination run wild. Create a list with the top 10 things you want to do , see or experience in your life. Dream big, dream small, it's up to you.

If there were no limitations placed on yourself and your life , what would you do?

Start with 10 and by all means, keep going. This is a good way to begin to develop a clear perception of the potential of the world around you. And, years from now It will be fun to go back and see that you indeed did do many of the things you could only once imagine.

Perhaps one of those dreams was to take a gap year, maybe after high school or university. What would be your top three places to visit or top three cool things to do? What if you had the time to take a gap year? Would you? We can help those dreams come true.

Pigeonholing - A reason for a Gap Year

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Once a jock, always a jock. Once a nerd, always a nerd. Once a shy guy, always a shy guy. Once a ditz, always a ditz. Ever feel like your are stuck in a rut, limited in what you can do, being held there by your peer’s perception of who you are?

We all know that standing up to peer pressure is hard. What is even harder is realizing that you are not really what people perceive you as. As you experience new things, you discover so much more about yourselves and who you truly are at your core. If you discover your core is different from how you are perceived based on your past, how can you become your true self?

Being true to yourself at your core requires a deep understanding of who you are and the confidence to go against the grain and redefine your true self.

A gap year provides a great time to step away from the external pressures placed on you by your peers, your family and your community to be who you always have been and to explore and understand who you have grown to be. Through challenging yourself in new situations, you can present as your authentic self, learn about your true self and gain confidence in who you are.

These experiences can help you to return back to your communities, families and peers with a greater understanding of who you want to be and not what your past has defined you as. This deeper understanding will give you the confidence to break out of that pigeonhole and show the world the true you!

Harnessing the Power of EQ in Youth!

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

There is a good chance that you have come across the term Emotional Intelligence, or EQ as it is often referred to, some point during the past decade. In fact, the last book I was reading on EQ starts off simply stating that “By now, Emotional Intelligence needs little introduction – it’s no secret that it’s critical to your success”. And yes on the one hand I have to agree, ever since Daniel Goleman published his ground breaking book on Emotional Intelligence in 1995, it has certainly become a hot topic in business and academia with countless articles published and books written on the subject.

Yet, as I sit here, I’m left to wonder if people have fully embraced EQ in their everyday lives? Or could we perhaps inject some vibrancy into this field by making it more accessible outside of business circles? I am specifically referring to the “future generation” of young men and women who would clearly benefit from EQ development, but unfortunately, most have not been exposed to it.

When I ask my young clients (mainly highschool and university students) if they have ever heard of EQ, I am surprised at how many have not. And it seems even the ones who have heard of emotionalintelligence are unsure of how to apply to their own lives.Of course, when I ask them if they think they might benefit from being more confident, improving their interpersonal relationships, or being able to better cope with stress and/or change …..The resounding answer is yes!

And research has shown that these are precisely the personal qualities and skills required for a successful transition to university from high school. Research has also shown that many students who don’t possess these skills when entering university or collage have a much higher dropout rate than their peers. So how can we help youth build these skills before embarking on higher education….?

One option to consider is encouraging high school students to take a gap year!At the very heart of a gap year is the idea that young men and women can choose to take some time away from the accepted, and often “expected” path carved out from kindergarten all the way through to university and opt for personal growth outside the classroom. A gap year is a year away from formal education, and a time dedicated to self discovery. It is a time for self reflection where individuals can gain self awareness and insight into what is important to them through travel, volunteering and other life experiences. And it is a time when they can build those fundamental EQ skills that everyone agrees is so critical for success. It has been said that life experience itself is the best classroom when it comes to learning and developing the emotional and social skills associated with emotional intelligence so why not urge students to take a journey of self discovery and build the very skills that will empower them in university and beyond.

Emotional Intelligence can help youth to

Identify strengths and personal goals
Adapt to environmental demands and pressures
Increase and build self confidence
Gain self awareness and insight
Instill leadership qualities
Foster emotional health
Facilitate career development and career planning

It can also affect the ability to:

make friends
get along with a roommate
decide how to spend free time
manage money
work well in groups
deal with feeling down

Learning Languages Opens Doors

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:48:00 +0000

We are very lucky as English-speakers that our native language is widely understood in business and travel. So if you can “get by” with one language why should you learn a second? Check out the following list of why you should learn a second (or third) language.(taken from http://www.vistawide.com/languages/why_languages.htm)

10 Resons to Learn A Second Language

1. To increase global understanding

2. To improve employment potential

3. To increase native language ability

4. To sharpen cognitive and life skills

5. To improve chances of entry into college or graduate school

6. To appreciate international literature, music, and film

7. To make travel more feasible and enjoyable

8. To expand study abroad options

9. To increase understanding of oneself and one's own culture

10. To make lifelong friends

One of the many reasons I love to have French as a second language:

Language is more than words, it is a culture, a relationship and an identity. I had always struggled with the notion of Quebec proposing separation from the rest of Canada – I could not understand why they would make such a radical proposition. In learning French, I was able to begin to understand the Quebecois struggle with maintaining their language and culture and their place in the francophone world community.

DID YOU KNOW?

We call dried grapes raisins. Explorers actually brought grapes from France back to their home countries by boat, but because it took so long to get home, the grapes dried up. When the dried grapes were presented to the home country, they were presented as “raisins,” the French word for grapes. Cool, eh?

Why not study a second language as part of your gap year?

The Millennials - Generation Me, Google Generation, Gen-Y, the Gap Year Generation (?)

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000

We all know the Baby Boomers and Generation X, they have been around for a while and have been studied intensely. Who are the new kids on the block? They are the Millennials - born between 1977 and 1993(varies depending on your source), this is the generation that is making its way through high school, university and into the work force.

This new generation has been given a bad reputation already by those that preceded them. They are perceived as self absorbed, entitled and unfocused (Espinoza et al., 2010). These perceptions are made by people who, as a whole, have a different set of values than the Millennials.

As parents, educators and employers, we need to make ourselves aware of what the trends in values are in order to better support our youth. Espinoza et al, have identified 9 Intrinsic Values of the Millennial Generation but we will focus on 4 and how they relate to taking a gap year.

Work-Life Balance: More than previous generations, Millennials aren’t prepared to sacrifice their personal life for the sake of work. They are prepared to be paid less in order to be able to do the things that they find most satisfying outside of the work place. A gap year is an excellent way for youth to find the things that are most inspiring for them and expose them to a new set of activities that they can engage in to balance their work.

Attention: Millennials can be seen as self-absorbed but it is actually the individual attention that they crave. This generation was raised with a softer touch where most of their needs were preempted or quickly met by their parents and they have come to expect individualized attention. This could be why the higher education system is not as appealing to many of this new generation - learning broad topics in large classrooms does not appeal to this value. A gap year through mygapyear allows for individualized coaching and the creation of a plan that is specific to the goals of that individual. This learning experience will appeal to the value of attention while encouraging learning and development.

Simplicity: Many of the Millennials have learned to be focused on the “small picture” and how they are personally affected. This is a wonderful trait to have because Millennials are acutely aware of their personal state and how they manifest themselves. Where a gap year could benefit this value is in teaching the Millennials how to see the “bigger picture” and help them relate their personal state or actions with the world around them. Traveling can teach youth about stewardship, cooperation, diversity and how they fit into the global perspective. Broadening their understanding of the world will help them integrate into the demanding world of globalization.

Meaning: In general, the Millennials need to feel that they have a purpose, that their contribution is valuable and going to be contributing to something great. Taking a gap year exposes Millennials to a wide variety of experiences. Youth my find new passions, be fulfilled by working towards an existing passion or discover ways of combining their passions with work. There are so many jobs out there that we don’t know exist unless we actively search for them - we are not confined to being a teacher, firefighter or banker anymore (although these are equally valuable jobs!).

Reference:

Espinoza, C, Ukleja, M. & Rusch, C. (2010). Managing the Millennials: Discover the core competencies for managing today's youth. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Leadership: More than a Buzz Word

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:25:00 +0000

If you Google the word “Leadership” you come back with 439 million Hits. WOW!
We hear all about corporate leadership, youth leadership, personal leadership, leadership this, leadership that - What does leadership really mean?

That is a loaded question! Leadership has come to take on so many different meanings over the past decade that its true meaning has been defined, redefined and maybe even diluted. I have studied leadership, taught leadership and engaged in leadership but pinpointing a definition is still very difficult for me. The definition that I have found that works best for me was referenced by Stephen R. Covey in “The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time.”

“Leadership is communicating people’s worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.” (Covey, 2008, p. 41)

Along with the above definition, my view of leadership is grounded in Inspiration, Empowerment, Awareness and Action. Let me explain.

Inspiration: How does a good leader/boss/teacher/parent/friend encourage someone to accomplish a task? How does someone see how they can contribute to the greater good? How does one feel connected with a task or project? Great leaders are able to relate to people and knows how to tap into the passions of individuals to ignite a fire within each individual. What motivates or inspires one does not motivate or inspire everyone, good leaders know how to illustrate meaning in multiple ways.

Empowerment: Leadership should not be something that can be held onto. It should not be synonymous with power or titles. True leadership is something that allows others the opportunity to grow, thrive and achieve with help and support from others. A leader’s job is to give others the tools, skills and processes they need in order to be successful.

Awareness and Action: A true leader is someone who sees an opportunity and steps up to meet a need. Leaders are aware of their surroundings, the physical and the human, and are able to see potential. Leaders will identify the possibility and take steps towards making it a reality by tapping into the talents and skills of those around them.

What does leadership look like to you? What attributes to you value in a leader? What are you doing that makes you a leader? How will you lead yourself?