August 2009

Inspiration

Leadership is focused inspiration put into action. Without action inspiration is a random thought that leaves us quickly. We all have these moments of insight and break through methods for doing things but only when they leave our minds in the form of action does anything inspiring occur. So be inspiring today and just act.

For more information on the Utility Leadership Academy, please contact: Dianne Felty at (651) 289-9600 ext. 131.

Your Life Situation Is Based On Your Actions
Excerpts from Glen Allssop "Rat Race or Not, You Are Your Own Boss", PluginID, <http://www.pluginid.com/you-are-your-own-boss/>, published August 3, 2009 and " Risk Roulette: Knowing When to Place the Bet", <http://www.pluginid.com/risk-roulette> published August 19, 2009 both accessed on August 19, 2009.

Something fairly obvious, but often forgotten, is that your current life situation is based on nothing more than your actions throughout life. Take your current physical fitness, for example. I can’t see you right now, but you might be very healthy and in excellent condition, very unhealthy and could probably shed a few pounds, or probably just somewhere in between. It doesn’t matter.

So, the two key points I don’t want you to forget:

• Your current life situation is based on nothing more than the actions you’ve taken throughout life
• If you take action, life will not hold anything back from you

So when should you take actions which involve risk?

Despite risks not always paying off, they’re often necessary. They enable us to grow and learn from our mistakes. We’re actually lucky that this is the case, seeing as we take quite a few risks throughout our lives.

Every day when we leave the comfort of our homes and venture into the outside world, there will be risks to face.

Risk roulette has nothing to do with these small risks - you know, the ones like eating spaghetti bolognaise with a white shirt on or wearing 6-inch heels to nightclubs that are surrounded by cobbled roads.

Instead, risk roulette is more about the ‘biggies.’ The risks we view as serious, all-encompassing, and life changing. More specifically, risk roulette is all about knowing when to take these risks.

The biggest risks aren’t career changes, buying properties, moving to another country or anything even remotely related. Do you know what the biggest risk you face in life is? The biggest risk of all is failing to go for the things you want in life because you’re afraid of the outcome.

That outcome may be judgments from others, the possibility of failure or the situation you end up in. Whatever it is, we’re usually afraid of it.

Instead of waiting for your life to be perfect or for your friends and family to be convinced about your decisions, follow your own path. And, just like in everyday life, this path will also present risks you must face along the way.

In order to know when to place the bet, you just need to ask yourself a simple question: “Does the opportunity align with my core desires.”

Core desires are not monetary  - which, of course, you’ll know once you have them - they’re more about freedom, expression and doing what feels right at the very depths of your Being.

Risk Over Stability - Take the Chance
Excerpts from Reena Jana "Taking Risks Is More Important than Stability Right Now", BusinessWeek, <http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2009/03/taking_risks_is.html>, published March 19, 2009, accessed on August 19, 2009.

One question we asked is “Which is more important to you today: Taking risks or stability?” Fifty-four percent of the 602 respondents who answered the question said “taking risks” is. The remaining 46% said “stability.”

So, it seems like most of you would like to see your companies get more daring during the recession, possibly by asking more of you to come up with fresh offerings for your customers, rather than going to external experts to help you to do so.

Amateurs wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work. ~ Chuck Close