Show Up, Stand Out, Save the World, Repeat.
Posted on October 06, 2019 by Gina DeRosa, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Professional Coach Gina DeRosa shows how our leadership development starts when we're young and then evolves into a lifelong journey.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
- John Quincy Adams
This is Part Four of “Show Up, Stand Out, Save the World, Repeat,” a four-part series on leadership.
I remember a moment from my childhood when I was watching a football game on television with my Dad, who is a former college football player and a diehard New England Patriots’ fan (despite his upstate New York roots). Sitting there munching on Bugles, I asked him, “Daddy, which team is winning, the blue team or the white team?” He replied, “Our team, the ones in blue.” Without hesitation, I informed him that I was going to start rooting for the white team. He guffawed (or maybe choked on a Bugle) and asked me why, and I said, “Because the white team is losing.” Dad grew quiet, likely contemplating whether the head injuries from his playing days were inadvertently passed on to me, or if I really did look more like the mailman…
By now, I hope you’ve had a chance to check out Parts One through Three and start using at least a couple of the quick and easy tools that I outlined. I’ve used these tools for years along my own personal and professional development journey as well as in my coaching, and they’ve been highly valuable for everyone thus I wanted to share them with you to spread the wealth. (Of course, having a coach to join you along the way will really kick things into high gear!)
Here’s a supersonic summary of Parts One through Three:
- In Part I, you started conducting some “mesearch” to understand what makes you tick to the extent that you can understand how what you believe and think contributes to your perceptions and, subsequently, how you show up at work and beyond.
- In Part II, you leveraged your self-perception to broaden your understanding of how you stand out and show your value as a leader, and you learned more about how others perceive your leadership.
- In Part III, you realized the power you have to save the world when you lead by positive example.
What have you discovered about yourself in the context of leadership? In my own personal reflections since that football game, I saw that the common thread among all of my pursuits has been leadership through which I can give a voice to those who need a champion for their cause. The exercises/tools that I shared in Parts One through Three have helped me better understand my values that drive choices intertwined with my passions and purpose.
That childhood memory is the first of many that exemplify the type of leader that I was destined to become. I will never claim to be an expert on leadership; rather; I’m a humble life-long student with a steadfast commitment to helping others by ensuring that they recognize their strengths and share their gifts with the world.
I’m a rule-follower overall but I have a tendency to challenge the status quo, especially when it marginalizes ‘underdogs,’ people who are down on their luck but clearly have potential to “win,” or people who are treated negatively because of their circumstances but deserve respect and equality, or people who are viewed by society as damaged in some way but clearly have strengths and abilities to function – if not thrive – in the world. Knowing this about myself has allowed me to help others become leaders in their own ways and to keep paying it forward.
So, what type of leader were YOU destined to become? I’m curious to find out! Please leave a comment on my website/social media or contact me directly.
You made it through Part Four of Four – WOOHOO!
This four-part blog series was adapted from a mini workshop that I created and presented at the Southern New Hampshire University LEADS Conference in March 2019. I decided to dust it off and leverage it here because it conveys a message that will change your life when you start to believe it: “You are a leader, no matter where you are or what people call you when you’re there.” Thus, "in each moment, you have a responsibility to Show Up, Stand Out, and Save the World.”
