Leaders Are Always On Stage

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As a leader, you are always on stage. There’s no hiding.

As a leader, all eyes are on you. People are watching you. They’re watching your response and your reaction. They’re watching what you do and listening to what you say.

They’re listening to your language and the words you use. They’re picking up on your non verbals as well; your tone of voice, eye contact and body language. They’re looking for cues about what you believe in, your values and who you are as a leader.

I was reminded of this a few months ago. I was on a plane going to a legal conference. For those of you who know me well, you know I like to talk, so if I’m on a plane and the person sitting next to me is up for a chat, then I’m all in.

On this flight, as soon as I sat down, the guy next to me, started asking me questions; where I was going, what I did for work and we ended up talking for the whole two hour flight. We talked about business, our careers, our beliefs, what we love about our work. It was such a great conversation and time just flew by (pardon the pun).

I arrived at the conference later that afternoon and attended a couple of sessions. That night, there were welcome cocktail drinks. (Always by favourite part of any conference!) One of my colleagues grabbed me and introduced me to the managing partner of a national law firm.

She said to him “You should really meet Midja.” And he replied, “Yes. I feel like I already know Midja.” I asked “Have we met before?” And he said “No but I was sitting in the seat in front of you on the plane this morning. I was going to put my headphones on but when I started to listen to your conversation I was intrigued and just kept listening.”

Oh my goodness. We both started to laugh. Well, his was a laugh, mine was more like a nervous giggle, as I tried to remember everything that could have come out of my mouth during that 2 hour flight! Sometimes I have a lot to say….Hmmm

This was a reminder to me that as a leader, you never know who’s watching and who’s listening. Therefore, at all times, it’s important to choose your words carefully, whilst remaining real and authentic to who you are and your values and beliefs. You need to be clear on your messaging and consider the impact your words and actions have on others. I was always told that when talking about someone else, imagine that the person you’re talking about is standing right there beside you.

When you’re a leader, you are always on stage. There’s no hiding. Every time you talk about yourself, your business, your people or your clients, do so in a way that you would be happy for absolutely anyone to hear.

Midja x

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To Love What You Do

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It took an outfit dilemma and a woman named Cleo to remind me of what passion, presence and playfulness looks like in the workplace.

I wanted to share a feel good story from a few weeks ago, although it feels like months ago. It was when we were still all out and about and doing our thing. Mmmmm…

It was a Friday and I had a big day planned; a couple of business meetings in the morning, on stage at the Queensland Law Society Symposium in the afternoon and then a flight down to Adelaide for another conference.
So I started the day early, did my hair and makeup and put on my black Saba dress; a beautiful number, very fitting to just below the knee.

The business meetings went well. I was sitting down about to eat lunch when I started to question my outfit choice for the day. I just wasn’t feeling the dress. If you’ve seen me present on stage, you know that I like to move; A LOT and the dress I was wearing suddenly felt very restrictive. I needed a new outfit! And fast!

I dashed into David Jones in the city and went up to the Witchery counter. Now, I know the woman behind the counter there. She’s served me a couple of times and I now know her name is Cleo. Well, she saw me coming. Hard to miss me I guess; a woman on a mission!

Cleo comes up to me and asks how she can help. I explain that I need a new outfit for a presentation in an hour. It needs to be black, sexy but still corporate and most importantly I need to be able to move in it. She nods and I can see that glimmer in her eye that she’s just loving this. This is a challenge.

She grabs black leather pants, exactly in my size and then finds a black lace shirt to complete the outfit. Fantastic. I ask her for some other options; what else does she have for me? She looks at me and says “You don’t need any other outfits. This IS the outfit.” I giggle. I love her confidence and enthusiasm. Ok, let’s do this. Off to the change rooms I go.

I put on this outfit and man, she was right. It IS the outfit for me and it fits me perfectly. I feel so good in it. Cleo says “I told you so” with a huge grin on her face.

We make our way back to the counter and she’s greeting other customers. She’s making them smile. She’s talking to the other staff from Country Road and Seed. Wherever she goes, she just makes people smile. She brings joy.

I still remember that day. I remember her. I think about the passion and the love she has for her work. The real presence she has in the workplace, and her sense of playfulness. She makes people’s day.

So as a leader, I have some questions for you my friend:

• Are you passionate about the work that you do?
• Do you love it? Does it turn you on?
• How do you feel on a Monday morning?
• Do you turn up every day with real presence and purpose?
• Are you playful?
• Do you bring joy to the lives of the people who you lead every day and to your clients?
• Do you create memorable delicious moments for those around you?

As I often say, this is not your dress rehearsal, this is your main show. This is it. This is your chance to do work that matters to you and that makes a difference to the lives of others. What is it that you want to do with your time and energy? What do you want to create?

When I think back on that day in David Jones and when I put on that outfit, I can’t help but smile…..…

Thank you Cleo.

 

Midja x

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Simple Yet Sweet

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Your mindset – your choice. You can either choose to feel restricted and confined and feel like you have less. Or you can choose to feel freedom and abundance and feel like you have more.

 

The last few weeks have reminded me of my childhood…..long days that seem to stretch on forever, nowhere to be and time to allow my imagination to run free.

My childhood life centred around my neighbourhood, local school, the friends in my street and my family. Simple yet sweet.

Since that time, it seems as though the world has continually expanded like blowing up a balloon. Our connections, opportunities and choices have just got larger and larger and larger. Until now when the balloon has popped.

Now, our day to day world is small again.

I have beautiful posts and stories of friends meeting neighbours who they’ve never spoken to before, friends walking to their corner shop which they’ve never done before, families pitching a tent in their backyard with their kids for the long weekend and friends working in their gardens and taking photographs of the beautiful flowers blooming. Simple yet sweet.

During this time, you can choose your mindset. You can either choose to feel restricted and confined and feel like you have less. Or you can choose to feel freedom and abundance and feel like you have more.

The interesting thing will be when all of this is over, what will happen? Will we just pick up that balloon and start blowing again; wanting more and more and more. Or will we choose differently and remember simple yet sweet?

Midja x

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Emerging From Your Cocoon

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How are you going to emerge from your cocoon after this time of self isolation?

How are you feeling in your cocoon?

This week, I’ve been imagining all of us nestled into our own little cocoons, surrounded by a protective coating. It’s a place where we all need to be right now to stay safe and well.

Cocoons are magical spaces of transformation and regeneration. This is a time for you to look after yourself and then emerge, feeling strong, confident and ready to do your best work.

So, what do you need to be doing right now in your cocoon in order to be ready?

For me, I’ve come up with my three C’s. The first C is Cut. I’m always complaining that I don’t have enough time to exercise. Well, guess what? Now I do. I want to emerge feeling the strongest I’ve ever felt.

My second C is Content. I want to write and create content every single day. I want enough content for my next 2 books. I want my writing to make a difference in the challenging times ahead.

And my third C is Connection. I want to come out of this time with stronger, deeper relationships with the people in my inner circle.

So, what is it for you? What do you need to focus on?

I’ve seen so many examples of people on my social media feeds, doing what feels right, what brings them joy, what helps them during this unique time.

People are cooking and baking. People are reading books that they’ve never got to read before. People are out in the sunshine gardening. People are helping others in their neighbourhood community. People are playing board games and card games with their kids. People are resting and catching up with sleep.

It doesn’t matter what it is. You know within yourself what you need right now. Go deep and think about what it is you need to do every day to feel connected with your heart, body, mind, and spirit.

Sometime soon, you’ll emerge from your cocoon and you’ll be absolutely ready to take flight!

Midja x

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We Need Your Magic

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In this time of uncertainty and fear, we need your magic as a leader now more than ever before. Be you, be authentic! We all need to play to our strengths to emerge even stronger.

I don’t know about you but this week during this global situation, I’ve been questioning how to “be” in the world. I’ve struggled.

I got some feedback from last week’s vlog where I spoke about leaders flying the plane. People said to me, “Great message, but where was the Midja that we know, where was the energy?”

This feedback got me thinking. I’ve been worried so much about what’s expected of me right now, how I should act, what I should say, that I forgot to just be me. I forgot to be real and authentic and, most importantly, to bring my magic to the world.

I’m an optimist, a motivator, and an energy giver, that’s what I’m here to do.

So, what are you here to do? What is your magic?

As a leader, you might be struggling like me to know exactly what to say and to do right now. You feel the weight of other people’s expectations on you. My advice to you is to quite simply be authentic, be you and use your magic.

Are you a creative leader who can come up with ideas and a vision? We need that!

Are you a leader who is a strategist and can weigh up the pros and cons of a proposal? We need that!

Are you a leader who has deep empathy and understanding, and high level listening skills? We need that!

Whatever your magic is, we need it. In fact, I think you should go ahead and sprinkle some extra fairy dust and really bring that magic of yours to life right now.

I’m loving some of the comedians on my Instagram feed at the moment. Ellen is cracking me up with her phone calls to celebrities. She’s making us laugh because that’s her magic and her gift to the world. We need this more than ever before.

If we all stay true to ourselves and use our magic, our unique strengths and abilities, then collectively we’re going to be able to lead, motivate and influence others. We’re going to be able to make a real difference and come through this time with greater awareness and understanding.

“It is important to remember that we all have magic inside of us.” (JK Rowling)

Midja x

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Leadership during Crisis

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How do you lead during a crisis? You need to keep flying the plane!

What a week it has been. There are feelings of uneasiness, uncertainty and fear around what’s to come.

As a leader, everyone is looking to you and how you are responding. Remember you set the unwritten ground rules in your team. It’s a time for you to step up and to show your true character.

I want to share with you some advice and a story that I was told very early in my leadership career. It’s not my story. It’s a story of one of a legal partner, Steve who I used to work with; a great leader and mentor in my life.

Steve had a fear of flying. He decided the best way to get over this fear was to take lessons and learn to fly. (as you do!)

During one of the lessons, he was mid-flight when the instructor turned off the engine. Imagine, thousands of feet in the air and no engine – crisis point. He wanted to teach Steve what to do in a crisis. And as a pilot, do you know what you need to do? You need to keep flying the plane; keep the nose up and keep the wings level.

You don’t panic, lurch or take your hands off the controls. You keep your eyes forward, you keep things level and you stay steady.

In your teams right now, people are anxious, stressed and probably finding it hard to focus. Completely understandable. They don’t know what is going to happen in the next few weeks. Remember they’re looking to you for reassurance, comfort and direction.

Firstly, you need to stay centred and settled within yourself. Do whatever you need to do to for you – talk to friends, acknowledge your feelings, eat well, keep up the exercise and your sleep pattern, get out one of your favourite books and read, help others …… And then focus on your team members and keep up your daily and weekly rituals in the office that matter.

Keep the wings steady, keep the nose up, and lead.
This is an opportunity, for you to show confidence and courage and to do work that matters. Your leadership approach is going to make a huge impact on your clients and on the people who you lead.

It’s time for you to fly the plane!

Midja x

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