Good Morning, Friends!
Excelsior! My introduction to this word occurred in my high school American Literature class. We studied the Transcendental movement of the nineteenth century, and I chose to read the poem, Excelsior, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Excelsior is the Latin phrase for “ever higher” or something similar to “onward and upwards.” This idea of seeking greatness, trying to move higher in the world, and facing challenges and rising above them resonated with me. It drove me to look at my place in the world through new lenses.
A few months later, I joined the Marvel Comics fan club, and I got my welcome letter from Stan Lee. Stan’s salutatory signature was, you guessed it, Excelsior. I have been hooked ever since.
As many of you know, I have struggled with dyslexia for the entirety of my life. It has impacted my ability to read, write, and speak. At a young age, I learned to sight-read and have been able to read around 800 words per minute. I have been able to overcome my speech challenges and become an accomplished public speaker. But writing was another story.
My first realization that I had a problem was being the first kid out of every spelling bee. It was squeaking by on writing projects and eventually being accused of plagiarism when I wrote something halfway decent. As I got older, technology like spell and grammar checking has made a big difference. There was hope!
Thirty years ago, I committed to becoming a better writer with writing aspirations and eventually being published. It has been a long and winding journey, but I signed a publishing deal with Bloomsbury Business last week. And boy, it was one of the biggest challenges of my life.
I am finalizing the manuscript, The Intentional Leader, this month. My publisher is committed to publishing and releasing the book in the US, UK, Canada, AUS, and NZ in mid-2021. I have been so excited for the past week all that I can say is Excelsior!
[VIDEO]: The Power of Human Connection
It goes with saying that 2020 has been the strangest and most challenging year in my lifetime. Our lives experienced disruption like never before, and our world flipped on its axis. As we wobble to the finish line of this year, remember that we survived.
Yes, Intentional Leaders are resilient and have been born with grit, and we expect to weather difficult moments. We persevered and pushed through because of those connections we have fostered. Check out this short video – “The Power of Human Connection.” Enjoy connecting one life at a time!
Connection Is the Linchpin
“If trust is the currency of Intentional Leadership, connection is the linchpin.” – Tim Hebert
That is a quote from my soon to be published book, The Intentional Leader. Understanding the relationship between trust and connection is paramount to becoming an Intentional Leader. Too often, our relationships are purely transactional, but we can create transformational relationships by extending trust and seeking connection. We can develop relationships that transcend our wants and needs of the moment. Seize this moment to catalyze your connections.
Speed of Trust
Late 2006, I read a phenomenal book, Speed of Trust, by Stephen M. R. Covey. It changed how I viewed my leadership role and the importance of organizational trust. Click here to read an excellent article on building trust.
Trust by the Numbers
Is trust tangible? Can we measure the RIO and the impact on workplace culture? It turns out trust creates hard results and we can measure its impact.
When comparing employees in high-trust environments with employees in low-trust workplaces, we find high-trust employees report:
- Being 106% more energetic at work
- Feeling 76% more engaged with their jobs
- Experiencing 74% less stress
- Taking 13% fewer days off for illness
- Reporting 29% more satisfaction with life in general
These are remarkable statistics, and they lend substantial weight to creating high-trust workplaces. For more information, check out this Harvard Business Review article.
Warmest Regards,
