It is in giving, that we receive...

Travelling around the blogosphere, I have the opportunity to meet some pretty cool people. One such person is Michelle Kunz. She has been a reader of this blog and connected with me on Facebook. You just never know where you will meet the coolest folks! So we love linked and she is an awesome leadership coach herself, with some pretty powerful posts. I invite you to drop by Michelle's Power Energy Leadership Blog and plan on spending some time there.

Saint Francis of Assisi was credited with living and giving the Peace Prayer. My favorite line of that prayer is, "It is in giving, that we receive...." This has certainly been true in my life. I look for ways to give, then I am gifted with so much more. I give abundantly of my time, which I believe is our greatest and most precious commodity. From that giving, I am spiritually, emotionally, and physically fed in so many ways. What a blessing!

Michelle's latest post is also speaking of giving as a way to excellence. She begins with a couple of powerful quotes, including:

"I have come to believe that giving and receiving are really the same. Giving and receiving - not giving and taking." -- Joyce Grenfell

Then her post finishes with:

When we begin to give freely and actively seek the advantage for the other person, a marvelous thing happens. Powerful leadership begins to take root.... Some of what might come back includes:

Trust -- people trust those who have their interests truly at the center of all they do
Admiration -- people admire those who commit their energies to advancing the common good
Respect -- people respect those who dedicate their time to helping others win
Wisdom -- when we listen deeply to what others need we learn more about ourselves and the world around us
Humility -- giving to others shines a mirror back on all that we have and helps us feel grateful
Authenticity -- giving deeply of ourselves removes the filters we keep in place when we withhold, requiring our true selves to come into focus
Integrity -- aligning our values with principles which do not change greatly simplifies the challenge of walking our talk

These are some of the qualities of a powerful leader.... Great leaders know how to let go and allow their best selves to brilliantly shine.

These are also the qualities of a servant leader. It is in giving that we truly receive. I have received a great gift... connecting with Michelle and her wisdom. She is also an opera singer. Way cool!

Drop by and give a shout out to Michelle. Tell her an old friend sent you!

To lead is to serve,

Coach Carolyn