Monthly Archives: May 2017

Leaders my Leaders, welcome back!

There are five major issues that can hold an individual back personally and professionally. It is essential to determine what type of impairment is compromising the ability to function in a healthy way. Keep in mind that our purpose is not to judge, condemn, or diagnose anyone. Our goal is to figure out what is causing the trouble so we can create an effective strategy for overcoming it. While these following problems will vary by degree and individual, if you have one of these issues it is inevitable that it will bring problems into your life.

1. Addiction. The individual may be addicted to a substance or activity. Or they may be involved in other people’s addictions. Or they may have grown up in a family that had an addict in it. Regardless of what the source of the addiction is (self, others, family of origin), any system with an active addict in it is going to be compromised. Those systems create a highly distorted worldview for everyone in them. Therefore, finding the right support for an addict is important. Rehab centers similar to The Holistic Sanctuary (https://www.theholisticsanctuary.com/) are put in place to take over the support role from the individual or family. With professional help, assigned roles, and rules designed to protect the addict from the natural consequences of their choices, don’t exist, and they can get the help they truly need. They can finally start down the tough road of breaking their addiction. There are many ways that you can break free from your addiction, one of them is to go to an inpatient clinic (like the one found at https://www.honeylake.clinic/), however, this isn’t for everyone, so you have to find the right thing for you.
2. Mental health challenges. It is critically important to distinguish between situational stress that exists due to an external challenge in only one environment, versus problematic behavior that is generated by the individual and is pervasive across environments. We all face situational stress. Health problems, family issues, money troubles, or other type of difficulties can throw anyone temporarily off their game. It’s possible to have more than one life problem at once, and be in a highly stressed state, but again it is temporary. The trouble is coming from the stressors overwhelming the coping skills or other resources the person has to resolve them. The pressure is coming from the outside of the person, and they are doing their best to adapt to it. Mental health issues are internal. The pressure comes from inside the person. They tend to experience the same kinds of problems in all their environments, including work, family, and personal life. This does NOT mean they are bad people. We are simply trying to figure out what is causing the disruption in the work environment. If you are dealing with someone with a true mental illness, it may be that they aren’t able to respond well to attempts to work towards more acceptable behavior. They may be seriously lacking in insight, empathy, or the ability to adjust their behavior. There is a lot of good information online about how specific disorders affect people, if you are interested in learning more about signs and symptoms. These folks typically want to do a good job, but have organic issues that make it really tough for them.
3. Criminal activity. We like to see the best in people, but it’s necessary for us to face the harsh reality that some people make choices in their lives to become involved in illegal activities. Some of these people will engage in illegal behavior while at work. Even if people are involved in criminal activity only outside of work, the effects of that can still greatly impact the environment. These people will have zero interest in changing their behavior because they are profiting from it too much. All the advanced communication skills in the world won’t help when dealing with this kind of issue. These people don’t honor the spirit or mission of the workplace, they corrode it. If they perceive someone as interfering with their activities, they can become dangerous or even turn violent.

Next week we’ll cover the final two issues that can destroy any leadership career, in any organization, at any point in time. Until then, be healthy beloved ones!

Leaders my Leaders, welcome back!

You will never reach your full potential as a leader unless you become an integrated, whole person. You will have the best possible impact, and also have the most inner peace, once you do the work required to fully develop yourself as a person. There are a lot of excellent resources out there about how to accomplish this goal. Regardless of what kind of issue you face, there is hope for you. There are a wealth of options for getting help with specific problems. In this digital age, there is no excuse for not finding free or low-cost resources to make progress on areas that are holding you back. Your local library system can also offer you life-changing CDs, DVDs, and other materials at no cost whatsoever. You don’t have to have a lot of money, or spend endless years in therapy to overcome the trouble in your life. If you can afford therapy and feel it might be useful to you, by all means make use of it. But if you don’t have money to spend to get yourself some help, then make the most of the free resources that are available. This includes 12-Step groups, church, sports, music, the arts, or a lot of other rewarding activities in life. Find something healthy that brings you happiness and peace, that challenges you, and gives you a sense of connection. You’ll grow in these types of environments, and good changes you make in one area will help to improve others.

The bottom line is, we all have issues we are dealing with, and we all have baggage of one kind or another from the past. Maybe you grew up in dire circumstances, or maybe you’ve made such bad mistakes that you feel broken and resigned to a lesser life. Once you’re an adult, it really doesn’t matter whose fault something was, what matters is what you do to move past it. You will miss out on opportunities to have a happy life if you remain fragmented or compartmentalized. Unless you’ve faced your own darkness, you’ll have blind spots that will be readily apparent to others. You’ll have an inner angst that will gnaw at you, and that will show up in a variety of ways in your life. People want to help those who are sincerely doing their own work. They don’t want to help people who refuse to live in reality, or who have a bad attitude. Be fully awake to your own life, in it’s entirety. Face it, fix it, and flourish!

Next week we’ll talk about the 5 primary issues that can hold a leader back. Until then beloved ones, keep reaching for a better you!

Leaders my leaders, welcome back!

Here is the third and final set of traits. How are you doing so far? Have you realized you have a few things to improve? Are you actively working to make progress? Overwhelmed by what you’re discovering about yourself? Pick one place to start and keep working at it. No matter how far you have left to go, any progress you make today gives you more health, healing, and wholeness than you had yesterday. The effort and sacrifice it takes to grow into a genuinely mature person is well worth it!

Until next time my beloved leaders, keep growing and I’ll see you soon!

Leaders my Leaders, welcome back!

Here is this week’s set of traits for you to ponder. Remember, no one is perfect. Progress is the goal.

Until next time my beloved leaders, stay on the grow!