As those who have been reading this blog for a while know, my passion is global business. I love to travel and interact with different people from different places. Everywhere I go (and I have lived, worked or traveled to over 70 countries), I truly enjoy observing distinct cultures and taking away lessons learned from each place and every culture I engage with. In
fact, a good deal of my life’s work is based on this very concept.
This summer, while attending Board Meetings in Vienna, I had the privilege of engaging with several colleagues – global executives and academic experts – to discuss some rather interesting views relating to the differences in business perspectives between Eastern Europe and the rest of the world. It became interesting as the various views on doing business in different regions shifted… but today, Vienna:
Vienna is a beautiful city filled with exquisite buildings, powerful opera halls, sophisticated clothing and incredible art. The Viennese people themselves, without a doubt, embody “Culture” with a Capital C. From high art to street art, from music to theater, dance to interpretive movement, architecture to fashion – it’s all there…and it’s simply a way of life.
Are you one of those 100’s of thousand’s of “leaders” out there who are merely meeting your established goals and collecting a paycheck? Isn’t there more to life? Shouldn’t you be seeking to maximize your own potential, walk in your own greatness, and WIN at the great game of business? It seems to me that there are actually many parities between great leadership and coaching the best professional athletes…
Last week I was at a conference with the key focus of understanding creativity – in its many forms. I really wanted to better understand how I could steer clients toward “creativity” from a business perspective – in such a way that they will become not only the best leaders they can be, but the best individuals they can be overall. There was time built in to ponder our own potential and discover how to continuously re:create ourselves from an artistic perspective, but it was interesting to me – there was no mention of business leaders and how we, too, can leverage creativity in different ways to become exceptional.
The past couple of weeks I have been doing a considerable amount of thinking around the value of networking. Last week I was in meetings with clients and we spoke extensively about the value of networking to the Extreme Leader and how life in the global economy has changed us. This week I am preparing for board meetings in Vienna, and guess what? Still thinking about networking and how it has changed as we now commonly work across boundaries and borders.
In today’s demanding business environment (cost pressures, flatter organizations, more direct reports, “speed to market” as a competitive advantage, etc.) you have limited opportunity to devote time and energy to your own development. Most leaders struggle to meet all of the responsibilities of their positions and are too busy and too stressed to step back and learn from their experiences – or to implement changes that establish best practices. The one thing that is in no one’s best interest is for you, as a leader, to forsake your own learning and development – no matter what level you may be. In the current environment, Executive Coaching is one sure-fire way you can continue to develop your executive-level skills, as well as address your developmental and growth needs (which impacts the entire organization), while continuing to run your organization on a day to day basis. 
