Top Exec Blog (Web Log)

I recently had the opportunity to spend one week at one of the nation’s premier Catholic universities in the heartland of America (“Go Fightin’ Irish!”). As luck would have it, Hurricane Ike followed me from the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico all the way up to Chicago, then across Indiana before passing me by, leaving a lot of rainfall, flooding and wind damage in his path. Once Ike blew by, the weather turned mellow and the campus shone in all its beauty and tradition.

At any rate, the experience was one focused on executive excellence, and how leaders need to be integral (“essential to completeness…lacking nothing essential” per Merriam-Webster) in their approach to work, employees, self-direction and most of all, to leadership. It was an outstanding experience, and reminded me of the importance of knowing yourself, valuing what you bring to the table, and “playing big”. As one of the facilitators said, “Leave nothing in the parking lot,” when you go into the office or workplace.

In many toxic work places, “jerks” and “bullies” like to throw their weight around, or drive the business strategy focused solely on short-term results or worse, playing to Wall Street demands (we know what that’s done in recent years to the U.S. and world economies). In my experience, it takes a great deal of self confidence and a set of strong values to stand up and do the right things. To me, it seems clear that each of us, as leaders, have a lot more influence and suasion in our work environments than we might realize. If you were to see yourself through the eyes of your peers, your subordinates and even your boss(es), how much more awareness would you gain about your role, your influence and your ability to lead? If you were to hold values that resonate within you every day, and guide you like a laser beam while accepting the challenges of “being in the spotlight” of leadership, how much better would your performance be? Think about it.

For more on the particular program that I attended at the University of Notre Dame, please see this link:

http://www.nd.edu/~execprog/exed/

For those traveling on the Career Path Expressway™, this type of “rest stop” can be very rejuvenating and really gear you up for the road ahead. I found it not only gave me new insights, but also allowed me to meet a group of very high-quality professionals from all around the world, each sharing a similar set of questions and determined to find a better way to address his/her business and personal issues. In my opinion, the program itself, the facilitators, the attendees and the overall experience were excellent reminders that the power within each of us is as limitless as the universe that surrounds us. Play big!

Thanks for reading and happy travels, no matter where your career path takes you. And don’t forget to ride-share!

© Daniel A. Cabrera, TopExec.org, All rights reserved, 2008