Developing Your Leadership SkillsWritten by Cecile Peterkin
Leadership = Influence. It is art or process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically. As human beings we all influence someone: parent to child, teacher to student, friend to friend, employer to employee, and coach to athlete. If you stop to think about it, list is endless. Since we are all capable of influencing others, we all have potential to be leaders. A leader is not necessarily person at head of table or one with title. The next time you are in a meeting or a social function, see how quickly you can tell who real leader is: it is
| | Improving Your Self EsteemWritten by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Often in our society, we are bombarded with lives of celebrities. We can end up feeling that if we are not part of rich and famous, our lives are insignificant. Our society also sends a message of competition and achievement. We watch sports, we always hear about profit and bottom line being dollar, we see large companies competing and constantly buying each other out. The result often is that we are taught to see how well we are doing, in terms of how pretty we are, how bright we are, what kind of house we have, how well we do in sports, what rewards we receive. However, in reality, these are external measures. Each of us needs to develop a sense of self-worth, a capacity for positive self-regard that comes from within. Here is an example: Sara was divorced and felt in many ways that she had shortchanged her two daughters, in sense that they lived on very little money. She could shower few luxuries on them. At times, in her therapy, she talked to me about feeling that she was not much good at anything. Her husband had been abusive both physically and mentally, and had put her down almost constantly. Although she no longer lived with him, inside of herself she still carried feelings of worthlessness. One day I asked her to review some of best moments in her childhood. She said, “I always loved when Uncle Sam used to come over, and we all sang songs.” I asked her if she did anything like that now, with her girls. She said that they often sang together in car. In fact, she had taught them many of songs that Uncle Sam had taught her. I asked her if she realized that she was offering her girls some of wonderful family memories that were unique to her as a child. She said she hadn't thought about it, but it was certainly true. During months of therapy, we worked again and again in recognizing many valuable aspects of herself. Needless to say, her self-esteem began to improve. Sara is an example for all of us, in sense that each person has to document his or her own positive talents and strengths.
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