When I read “Welcome Community Leaders” on the Crystal Grand marquee, I thought, “Am in the right place?“
Yeah, I am.
I recently had the pleasure of driving down to Wisconsin Dells, WI (IYKYK) for a community leadership summit generously sponsored by MBE CPAs and Brand House Marketing.
There’s no secret society that grants you the title of “leader.”
There’s no gold star to grab so you can put a few more letters after your name.
There are no gatekeepers.
Leadership comes from the meeting of the head and the heart and the desire to put yourself out there in service of inspiring and bettering others.
If that’s you, then you’re a leader. Congratulations. Now get in the arena.
Thanks to Alex Dorr for giving a transformative presentation that introduced me to some new concepts and reinforced others I’ve been learning about in Cy Wakeman‘s book Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, & Turn Excuses Into Results.
While I don’t align with everything Cy and Alex teach, there is always something to learn if you’re open to it.
At the end of the talk, Alex invited reflections from the audience about our biggest take home messages.
I raised my hand, thanked him for his time and effort, and told him I think I’m a lot more emotionally expensive than I ever realized.
The notion of “emotional expense” is a core principle in Reality-Based Leadership and a thought technology I now embrace.
As we were filing out, a fellow attendee seated near me thanked me for my vulnerability. She confided that she feels similarly.
We’re all a little more emotionally expensive than we realize in our own unique ways. There’s no shame in that. Simply realize it, learn about it, remain non-judgmental, and identify the areas in your life where your ego is driving.
You and everyone around you will be be better off because of it.
How are you a little more emotionally expensive than you might have otherwise realized? Let us know in the comments.
