6 Tips from LEAD 2016 That You Can Use Today

I just got back from the LEAD 2016 Conference and Awards in Nashville. Newberry Executive Solutions and Sysco Corporation received two awards for the results at Sysco for the WOW! Women On the Way to Peak Performance Program^SM: Winner’s Circle for the Best Executive Coaching and 3^rd Place for Best Mentoring Program. We were up against some tough competition! Congratulations to my partners at Sysco, Sandra Carson and Raina Avalon, who are two amazing officers, leaders and role models making a difference every day.

I took much more away from this experience than awards and want to share leadership nuggets from some of the inspirational speakers:

1. Coach and author Devin C. Hughes: “Catch people doing awesome things every day. Don’t underestimate the power of positive energy.  It can be as simple as giving someone a ‘high five.’ Who will you ‘high five’ today?”

2. Jim Kouzes, co-author of “The Leadership Challenge“: Each day ask yourself, “How can I lead better tomorrow than I did today?” Simply start strengthening your leadership by challenging yourself to improve a little each day.

3. Stephen M.R. Covey, CEO of Coveylink Worldwide: “Nothing is faster than the speed of trust (in getting results).” What are you doing to build trust each day?

4. Christine Ha, the first blind “MasterChef USA” winner: “Always look for the intersection of passion, talent and opportunity to choose your vocation.” You never know where it will lead you.

5. Bonnie St. John, the first African American Paralympic medalist in ski racing, shared a powerful diversity and inclusion exercise: Write down names of people who have impacted your life with their leadership. Then write down a list of people who would write your name down. Finally, examine the second list to see how diverse it is. How similar or different are they from you?

6. Tacy Byham, CEO of DDI: “Ladies, strike a power pose for two minutes before you have to go on stage to present. You will show up with more confidence.”

I want to challenge you to take just one of these nuggets this week, and apply it to what’s going on around you. You might be surprised at the difference it makes. And remember, small steps can lead to big results.