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sol·i·tude
/ˈsäləˌto͞od/
noun
the state or situation of being alone.
Solitude means being alone.
Leadership, by its very definition, means there are “others” in the picture.
Here is my take on why the two are inextricably linked:
- We as leaders know how to keep the routine.
- We know how to answer questions
- We know how to hit goals
- We know how to get things done
What we don’t have is
- Time to think outside the routine
- How to ask better questions
- How to make new and different goals
- How do get things done differently
We don’t have time to introspect.
Talk to yourself.
One of the the best ways to “talk to yourself” is by having an able sounding board.
- Someone you can trust.
- Someone you feel safe enough with to allow you to acknowledge things that you otherwise can’t.
- Doubts you aren’t supposed to have, questions you aren’t supposed to ask.
- Feelings or opinions that would get you laughed at.
I become that sounding board during a “Strategic Solitude” retreat, formerly known as VIP Day.
It gets lonelier and lonelier as you get to the top. However many people you may consult, you are the one who has to make the hard decisions.
All you really have –is yourself.
So let’s create the solitude. We will be “thinking out loud,” together discovering what you believe in the course of articulating it in
- Paris
- Lisbon
- Nice
- Barcelona this year
This is more than an invitation to travel; it’s an invitation to discover, to grow, and to transform.
I look forward to crafting these moments with you, to exploring the depths of solitude and leadership, and to witnessing the transformation that awaits.
Join me in embracing the rare gift of Strategic Solitude, and let’s make your next journey one that echoes through the stories you’ll tell for years to come.
Am I worried AI will replace me as coach? No.
My high level clients who are giving branded talks get tripped up on this point:
Organizing their material for impact.
Imagine going to see a comedian, and there was no lead up to the punchline. IN fact, all the lines were out of order. The whole experience would suck, because a joke is not as funny, when the parts are told out of order. There needs to be a ‘tee-up’ and then the final line has to ‘land.’
That level of organization still needs a human.
For now.
