14. How has your leadership style changed as you have progressed in life?
I have learned not to micromanage and to depend on the abilities of others. And more than just depend on their abilities, I enjoy them.
15. What is the one mistake you see leaders making more frequently than others?
Based on my own experience, I think that micromanaging out of fear is a problem with some people. They don’t let people thrive and succeed. I think that’s a problem, particularly with emerging leaders. I see great parallels with the developmental stages of nonprofit organizations. Micromanaging people is the same thing, and it’s fear-based. If leaders are lucky, they will come to a point where their own growth prohibits them from micromanaging others. It’s very interesting to learn this along the way.
16. What are you doing to continue growing and developing as a leader?
I’m probably not growing and developing as much as I could be. By being involved in my volunteer work, I try to keep my brain active. But I have no interest in keeping on the cutting edge of emerging leadership practices. The only way I do that is through CNL. I also try to keep myself healthy and my mind youthful and active. That’s really all that I do.
17. The two characteristics most often associated with sage leader wisdom are unusual experience and the exercise of sound judgment. What does having wisdom mean to you?
I think anyone with their eyes and ears open is going to acquire wisdom over time. What wisdom means to me is that people sometimes look to me for advice on issues. The fulfilling thing is that I’ve come far enough in my life to realize I actually have enough experience and value to possess and share wisdom with others. I wasn’t very self-confident as a youngster, so it’s been a rewarding journey to arrive a the point that I can legitimately feel this way without feeling conceited about it. The word that best describes wisdom is “appreciative.” That is, I can realize wisdom by sharing what I have learned with others. The wisdom I have is rooted both in my intuition and in my experience. It takes both to possess wisdom.
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