Why Practice?

“Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”

~ Victor Frankl

The AdultLeader is the self that chooses to be present in the current moment.

Leadership is your AdultLeader choosing to apply your unique strengths, skills, and experiences with self-knowledge, purpose and commitment.  It is authentically and effectively bringing your real self into the world.  Leadership then becomes a new set of priorities and authentic behaviors that will lead you to new levels of presence, capability, fulfillment and results.

You are designed for success.  You have the opportunity to apply leadership in any situation or role you find yourself.

AdultLeader Practices are designed to be tools to help you interrupt your system and it’s reactions so you can choose how you will respond. They are designed to create some space between stimulus and response, so that you can choose to consider who you want to be and how you want to respond as your AdultLeader.  They are designed to help you be present in the moment.  They will connect you to your identity, values and purpose and allow them to guide you as you choose.

Practice is repeating an activity regularly so that we become better at it.  Any of these AdultLeader Practices can become a habit through this repetition.

These practices are provided in the following pages:

  1. Leadership Context
    You can practice interrupting your habits by asking the following questions in order to establish a context for a conversation, meeting, project, presentation, email or any other activity or form of communication.  With a defined context, it will be clear how to proceed as the AdultLeader with purpose and clarity.  This practice can be used effectively for you as an individual and for groups and teams.
  2. Worry to Wonder
    You can practice interrupting your worry by using this model and asking yourself the following questions in order to move from worry to wonder.  When you understand how your mind functions, we can choose to be the AdultLeader with more calm and focus.  We all worry.  We all have access to the wonder of our intuitive, creative minds.
  3. Close the Leadership Gap
    You can practice interrupting your habits by using what emotion you are feeling as a guide to your AdultLeader.

    • It feels good to be the AdultLeader when you choose to respond in a way that supports your identity and values, or that defines who you want to be and what is most important to you.  As a result, you are authentically and effectively bringing your real self into the world, and are most likely getting a result you want.
    • It feels bad when you react in a way that ignores your identity and values.  In this case, your idealized self is making choices for you while you sit uncomfortably in the back seat.  You need to get into the driver’s seat and change direction if you are going to get where you want to go.