Announcing the 2013 Take The Lead Award

We wanted you to be among the first to hear our good news!   For years, Vantage International has been committed to developing powerful, effective ‘everyday leaders’ at all levels within organizations.  We’ve coached, taught, facilitated, spoken and written about the game changing dynamic of ‘leading from every seat.’ These experiences have fanned the flame of our passion for the message and created sparks of possibility in more and more workplace cultures. Now, we want to do even more to create a movement that changes the way we think of leadership for good! It is with pride and excitement that we announce the 2013 Take The Lead Award!

This award is intended to recognize and honor one ‘everyday leader’ who best demonstrates unwavering dedication to leading from her/his seat every day at work. We invite you to spread the word about this opportunity across your own organization; share the message with colleagues in other organizations; nominate a worthy individual; and encourage others to do so as well.  Help us to create a buzz! To get things rolling, we’ve included a flyer that you can print and display on your organization’s community boards or post on your intranet.

The Take The Lead (TTL) nomination process is easy and straightforward.  Here’s how it works in just a few simple steps:

• Visit http://www.vantage-inter.com/2013-ttl-award and carefully read all of the specific details on the Award
• Click on the link to the Nomination Form and complete all of the fields. Of particular importance is the narrative that creatively and thoroughly outlines why the nominee should be selected as this year’s recipient. Tell us a compelling story!
• Then, simply submit the online form. Nominators will receive an email confirmation that his/her submission has been received

Nominations will be accepted from September 15, 2013 through December 15, 2013. 

We believe that even the simple acts of talking about this award within your organization, publicizing it, thinking about who to nominate and then crafting a narrative that shares the story of an everyday leader will accrue benefit to you and your team by:

•  Actively thinking about and scouting for  leaders in every seat
•   Raising awareness of each person’s own leadership talents and those of others
•  Recognizing and appreciating one another as everyday leaders
•  Promoting new levels of accountability, engagement and community

If you have any questions about the 2013 TTL Award, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@vantage-inter.com. The Vantage International Team is looking forward to reading your “Everyday Leadership” stories!

Let’s create a movement together!

Warmly and Appreciatively,

Leta Beam

President

Vantage International

www.vantage-inter.com

Micro-Affirmations at work

Some of the most important actions that we take at work help others around us to lead from their seats – to show up as the best versions of themselves each day and fulfill their individual responsibilities within the organization with grit, gusto and creativity.

One way that we do that is to act as role models – You first! – You lead from your seat and you show up as the best version of YOU! Another meaningful way to grow leaders around us is to recognize and acknowledge others’ greatness. First, we’ve got to be looking for those ‘coaching’ moments and then we have to let people know that we notice that they are choosing to be both better and different; that they’re leading, making strong decisions, acting as adults. Second, we want to emphatically let our colleagues know that they are valued; that what they do is making a difference and moving us in the right direction. We want to authentically tell them that we are proud of them and in so doing, challenge them to continue to lead.

The best, most sustainable way to appreciate and recognize others is to intentionally look for everyday (yes, every day!) opportunities to offer a sincere, specific message that fuels the leadership spark in them. These small verbal, non-verbal or written messages (or cues) are called micro-affirmations. Sending these regularly helps to build and grow others quicker than anything else! Make it a part of your leadership practice to feed others a steady diet of micro-affirmations throughout the day. Catch people leading from their seats. Appreciate what they are doing ‘right!” and dare them to do even more of it.

Focusing your attention on what other people are doing well will serve to remind you of just how great things are most days – there’s a heck of a lot more going right in your organization than going wrong. And by recognizing the greatness in others, you simply cannot help but recognize it in yourself. That’s the crazy wisdom of it all!!

Let your own light shine by affirming others. After all you are a VIL – a very important leader! (BTW, that’s a micro-affirmation)

Big doors swing on small hinges. The seemingly small choices that you make throughout your day pay HUGE dividends. Take the Lead!

P.S. Here’s another exciting way to appreciate, recognize and affirm your colleagues --- Nominate someone for the Take The Lead Award!!! This is the first year that Vantage International is sponsoring this opportunity and we would love for each of you to participate. The simple realization that you thought highly enough of someone to nominate her/him will thrill that person and encourage them to even higher levels of ownership, commitment and performance. So, take those extra few minutes to check out the details today by following the link:

http://www.vantage-inter.com/2013-ttl-award/