We are passionate about leadership across rural Australia.  Each year we are lucky to work with inspiring, emerging and established leaders.  Through this work we see and feel how important leadership is to them and to others. And we see leadership campaigns in action. I am lucky to have had and have some amazing role models, mentors, colleagues, trainers, researchers, key figures and some challengers in my life.  Each of them has taught or continues to teach me about the importance of leadership in my personal, family and professional and public lives.  I am extremely grateful for this.  Without these people, I wouldn't have the self belief to achieve.  Each year we find quotes that resonate and stick them up in our office and use them as motivators here and also across our leadership programs, materials and resources.  Each one of them has something important to say.    

Here are our current top leadership quotes.....

When is your "New Year"? 
You need to work out when your "New Year" is.  If you listen / read all the hype around January each year it's definitely January! However, our recent Twitter discussion highlighted, it is not January for all.  It can be seasonal.  In fact you may have a few "New Years" in one calendar year. The best thing is to find your "New Year".  I reckon this might be a pretty challenging concept to fully sink in, but from what our Twitter followers tell us it makes perfect sense for rural Australia and I'm not going to argue with them. 
Key tips for your "New Year".
And the result of our Twitter discussion is a whole list of real life / real time tips from real people!  The beauty here is that these tips work for a new year, a new season, a project, a goal or a change that you want to make.  It's all about consciously setting your plan/s in place.  Hoping these tips might help. And a special thanks for all who shared them, you will see who they are in the article. Lets find out what they are....            

I am a Ken Blanchard fan.  Years ago now, I read his book The One Minute Manager, and since then have given it many times over to staff as a gift and part of their professional development.  We also use the One Minute Manager as a resource in some of our Leadership Coaching programs.  A couple of days ago I read his article Connecting the Dots: Trust, Leadership and Engagement.  From the Foundation of Trust to Leadership as a Driver to Engagement is the Goal; to say it is compelling is an understatement.  And it's all based on people centred leadership.  I share Blanchard's Trust Boosters and Trust Busters here.  Take a look and see if you boost or bust trust in your everyday leadership and conversations.           

Living and leading ABOVE THE LINE is a powerful place to be.  This is the world of our true or 'higher self'. It is where we are able to move into a place of power - good and effective power that is! When we live and lead ABOVE THE LINE, we take charge - we choose our responses (rather than auto react) to people and situations, we take ownership or what is happening and accept what is happening, without feeling sorry for ourselves or feeling like a victim.  A few year ago I completed the challenging program of Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway based on the work and book of Susan Jeffers. This is where I was first introduced to the Above the Line Model.  it was an Ah ha moment for me and it has had a profound impact on me, my life and work.  And as a result on those around me too. Take a look here to see the model .....

One of the Best Books. I vividly recall reading the book, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers.  It was from this book that I claimed the mantra - "No matters what happens, I can handle it!" This mantra and belief have popped up in my life to date many times over and I have also shared it with others.  

Fear is a Part of Life. Once you take on board that Fear is a part of life and you can't make it go away, then really anything is possible. Just got to learn to have it along for the ride. Many people get caught up in fear based self talk and it literally stops them in their tracks.  And sadly they never move out of their comfort zone to try something new.  Pushing through your fear threshold is what life is all about.  Question for you - when was the last time you felt fear and did it anyway?  Be honest. Read on to see the 5 Truths of Fear and see how these work for you.