I had the joy of talking to my good friend, Taj Suleyman, this weekend. He is a diversity and inclusion expert working in Dubuque, Iowa. It is always refreshing to hear such wisdom come from a young man who has patiently learned that exclusion, racism and bigotry affords us opportunities to learn and to change. It teaches us patience and the ability to love and listening gives us greater power than speaking.
My discussion with Taj stimulated the thoughts that are written here.
- Leaders do not have to change the environment, only themselves
- Leaders need to listen more, listen for longer and listen to learn
- Learning is about hearing the perspectives others have
- Learning other perspectives puts our own stance back into perspective
- Learning a broader perspective makes us see the possibilities around us
- Seeing opportunities and possibilities gives us hope
- Hope is what lets us dream
- Dreaming to do good in the world is what leaders do
- When you listen you learn about leading
Listen, learn, dream, bring hope and really lead this week.
If you need some help because there are too many distractions to listen, give me a shout.