Inspiration

The Lie of Lonely Leadership

Are you lonely at the top?

Isolation comes when leaders make unpopular choices, enforce difficult executive motions, balance ragged budgets or make risky solo decisions. At these times, leadership can seem like a forlorn and friendless wilderness.

A recent survey cited in The Harvard Business Review states “half of CEOs report experiencing feelings of loneliness in their role, and of this group, 61 percent believe it hinders their performance. First-time CEOs are particularly susceptible to this isolation. Nearly 70 percent of first-time CEOs who experience loneliness report that the feelings negatively affect their performance.”

As leaders, we can guard against any looming temptation to prefer seclusion. We must refuse to believe isolation is an essential ingredient in our leadership role. This is a lie. We walk in truth when we choose to make intentional connections with our team an indispensable and an essential priority. Team relationships are not just good for leaders, these associations are needed for team vitality.

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ICRS interview of Heidi McLaughlin – author of Restless for More

Dear Friends -- It's going to be an AMAZING AUGUST! Each Friday during this month, I will share interviews with those I connected with at ICRS in Cincinnati, Ohio. I am so excited to share this compelling interview with my dear friend, AWSA sister, Heidi McLaughlin. Heidi is currently launching her third book, Restless for More: Fulfillment in Unexpected Places.

Here is how Heidi describes her new book: "We are driven to find life’s greatest meaning and joy. But we have lost our way. The truth is, we’ll never find our deepest fulfillment through more pursuits, accomplishments or doing more. We’ll find it through an intimate, loving relationship with God and through healthy and loving connections with others."

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Finding Rest in God’s Love

One of the best things about the Lead Like Jesus Encounter is the unique experience it brings for growth in leaders. It works because leaders take time out for positive self-care as they uncover brand new ways to further practice God's presence. Through solid Bible teaching, group interaction and vulnerable activities, participants are encouraged to become engaged and to explore fresh ways to grasp a deeper understanding of the passion of God.

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My Boaz Has Come

All of us want a story that begins, “once upon a time” and ends “and they lived happily ever after.” The day the tragic motorcycle accident tore my husband Paul's physical presence from my arms, my world collapsed. My fairytale became a nightmare; my life as I knew it ended. With Paul's “promotion to heaven,” our marriage of twenty-eight years was over. I became a widow.

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Free to Soar

When we fall, we must choose whether or not to say, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help. Did you know there are ways to increase your chances of survival in a fall, even if it is accidental (like from scaffolding around a building project) or recreational (as in the case of an adventurous skydive)? In the same way, you and I can learn to thrive after we slip and fall in the trials and challenges life brings. These lessons, when applied, can prepare us for the times when life knocks us flat on our faces. We know that it’s not a matter of if but when we fall.

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