So, when you look at it like this, boundaries are essential to you as a leader. And here’s a gem to think about – it’s just as important to communicate your boundaries with others as it is to set them.

“You have to be able to set boundaries, otherwise the rest of the world is telling you who you are and what you should be doing.” – Oprah

I wonder if you have areas of your life / work and relationships where you might need to set boundaries. If you do then read on as today I want to introduce you to LIMITS. It’s an acronym I learned from Dr Rebecca Ray and it’ll help you set and maintain healthy boundaries.

1. L = Leader – Set boundaries with others when you are thinking at your clearest. Be a leader. Set boundaries in alignment with your values.

2. I = Identify the boundary – Decide if the boundary is for you or if it’s to let others know what your limits are. Is it physical/emotional? Get clear about your boundary as this will make it easier to share it with others.

3. M = Make the boundary known – If the boundary is for you then write it down and or share it with a confidante, especially if accountability is important to you. If the boundary is for someone else then share it with them – share it verbally as well as in writing and be firm when you do.

4. I = Introduce consequences – Think through the consequences – get clear about what they are as this will then help you to not go there! Decide if communicating these will be beneficial for others.

5. T = Take a stand – This is when it hits home. If the boundary is crossed then you need to reset the boundary and implement the consequences. There must be consequences, otherwise, there’s no point in having boundaries in the first place.

6. S = Status check – Monitor your boundaries. Ask yourself these questions often, Has the boundary strengthened? Has a boundary been crossed by yourself or someone else? Do you need to adjust your boundary and communicate the change?

Over to You

Now, it’s your turn, take a minute to think of your current boundaries you have as a leader – what’s OK and what’s not OK for you. Now, find some time and work out if these are working for you and what new boundaries you might need to support you in your role as a well-respected leader. I invite you to use the LIMITS acronym to help you.

We have a free downloadable Values resource here for you. It will take you through a supportive process to uncover your values and your top two values that drive your decisions or behaviours. If you haven’t done values work before, I really encourage you to download this resource and give it a go. Please reach out and make contact here if you have any questions at all. I hope to hear from you soon.

The post Set Your Boundaries and Stick to Them appeared first on Ruralscope.

So in today’s newsy I want to share some reminders to inspire you to find your voice and speak up and speak out. Please let me know how you go.

“If you can speak, you can influence. If you can influence, you can change people’s lives.”- Rob Brown

I’ve chosen 5 ways that will make a difference and I really think these will make a difference to your leadership too. I’m not coming from a place of perfection by any means. My knees knock as much as yours probably do, but I do know that the world deserves to hear our voices so it’s important to find some ways to reduce anxiety, dispel myths and improve your communication / performance.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

1. Know your audience – Your presentation is about them not you! The more you know about your audience the easier it will be to develop your presentation and ensure it’s of value to them. Prepare and then test your ideas. This will give you confidence.

2. Organise your thoughts – Spend time brainstorming and organising your thoughts. No one can just speak perfectly without organising your thoughts, words and material. Always focus on your purpose when speaking and stay on point.

3. Let your personality come through – Allow yourself to show up when you speak. Allow your friendly personality to shine through. This way you can speak from the heart and speak in a way that connects easily with your audience. If you try to be someone that you’re not you won’t show up authentically. Be yourself.

4. Tell stories – People connect with examples, data and can see themselves in stories. Work these out to add value to your presentation and take time to test them before your speech. A story could be as simple as two sentences or it could be 2 mins long. Stories are easy for people to listen to and connect with and can be truly heartfelt with an emotional connection that will be remembered long after your finish speaking.

5. Ask for engagement – I’ve left the best til last! This is my favourite. Think of something you can ask your audience to do. Maybe it’s to raise their hand in answer to a question you ask OR to close their eyes and think of the last time they XXX. These need to be relevant to the topic you’re talking about. I like these as they require your audience to connect, listen and share in your speaking. It gives the feeling we are all in this together and importantly it also helps your audience to stop and reflect. This is the beginning of the change process.

Over to You

Do any of these resonate for you? Could any be helpful to support you the next time you’re asked to speak or your have a topic that you want to speak about?

The post Speak UP and Speak OUT with Confidence appeared first on Ruralscope.

I know what you’re thinking right now! I don’t have time. What’s Winter got to do with Leadership? I reckon there’s a link between leadership and the seasons for sure. If nothing else a season gives us a focus for leadership and I support Winter as the season for Rest, Reflect, Review and Reset. Many see Summer and the new year as the time for this. I’ll argue it’s better in Winter and leave your Summer months for holidays, family and fun!

“The Winter months are about resting and not pushing through. They are about recognising that you might be running close to empty or experiencing overwhelm. They are about resting and resetting your day, your health and your energy. Winter is about returning to and making more time for the things that warm and nurture you.” 
Jo Eady

Today, I want to share some practical ways to support your leadership wellbeing through Winter. These are practical things for you to lean in to for the cooler and slower months. Feeling warm from the inside out is the goal. I often say leadership starts from the inside out so this is even more reason to put in place some Winter wellbeing rituals.

1. Rug up and take a walk – Take a walk. Sitting inside working all day with the heater going and a lack of fresh air doesn’t create a healthy environment. Take time to get outside. Even on the coldest of days, a walk will warm you.

2. Read a book – Grab one of the books you’ve been meaning to read all year and actually open the pages. Curl up on a chair near the window and rest and read at the same time.

3. Go to bed when you’re tired – Bank up some sleep and energy. Listen to your body and head off to bed when you feel tired, even if it is at 8 pm!

4. Eat a warm breakfast – Have a slow morning and make a warm breakfast.  Try rolled oats, a poached egg on toast or smashed avo!

5. Make three nights a week home nights – Block out three nights per week where you stay home guilt free.

Over to You

Do any of these resonate for you? Could any be helpful as you head into Winter days, weeks and months?

The post Wrap Up for Winter Wellbeing appeared first on Ruralscope.

Setting and exercising boundaries is critical for maintaining healthy relationships, protecting your mental wellbeing, and creating a balanced life. To be honest, given the mental loads people carry these days, I wonder what or how effective the boundaries are that people set. So what exactly is a boundary?

“Boundaries are the limits you set to define what you are comfortable with and how you expect others to treat you.”

Without clear boundaries, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, taken advantage of (which I know leads to resentment or as we call it in our family the Capital R), or emotionally drained. Learning to establish and maintain boundaries is a powerful form of self-respect. This extends from respect for yourself to your work / job, business, family, community etc. Yep, it’s boundaries all round.

One of the key reasons boundaries matter is that they help preserve your energy. When you constantly say “yes” to others without considering your own needs, it can lead to the Capital R as well as burnout.

“Boundaries allow you to prioritise what truly matters. This ensures your time and energy are spent in ways that align with your values.”

Boundaries improve relationships because when you clearly communicate what’s OK and what’s not OK to others it fosters trust and respect. People know where they stand. If you don’t set and exercise your boundaries – physical, emotional, mental and material it’s highly likely frustrations and misunderstandings will build up. This can then lead to tension, conflict and even a breakdown of the relationship. Boundaries help to maintain self respect.

Here are some practical tips for setting effective boundaries…….

1. Know what’s OK and what’s not OK for you. Set your limits. This extends from what time you start / finish work, to how long phone calls are or even if you take a call, how many times a day you check your emails or social media or when / if you lend family / friends money. Some people refer to them as your “rules”.

2. Availability to others. Have you noticed how easy it is for people to ask you for or to do something and how difficult it can be to say “NO”? Have some one-liners up your sleeve to help like “I can’t be in Queensland on that date” “I’m not available for that right now” “I’m leaving at 10 am”. Value your own wellbeing by saying NO.

3. Emotional availability to others. Support others without taking on their emotional load. I find this important when coaching and facilitating. Knowing I’m not responsible for other people’s happiness has been a game changer for me.

4. Be consistent. You will know when your boundaries are being tested. Be consistent. Consistency reinforces what’s OK and what’s not OK for you and shows that you are serious about them. People will get the message if you maintain consistency and you will maintain your boundary = happiness.

5. Habits and rituals. I use habits and rituals to maintain boundaries, and especially so when travelling. This includes a stash of my own herbal tea bags, taking my morning greens, heading to bed around 10 pm, setting agendas for the following day the night before, completing a mental SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) scan after each meeting / facilitation and reading a couple of chapters of a good book before lights out.

Over to You

Do any of these resonate for you? Could any be helpful in your work / relationships today?

The post Boundaries are a No Brainer! appeared first on Ruralscope.

The New Year has started different. I’m finding usual activities like resetting for the year ahead and setting intentions and goals is hitting me different. The energy around the new year is different too. How are you going? Have you hit a pause on New Year activities or are you full steam ahead? No rights or wrongs here. But, if you’re feeling different feels to what you’ve felt before, please know you aren’t alone.

I’ve been finding my own ways to work through the events and happenings. We will all have different ways of sitting / moving in and around it. Today I want to share the concept of Chosen versus Unchosen Change as understanding the difference between them helps us to respond more effectively to life’s challenges.

Chosen change is usually planned and intentional. Think changing jobs, buying a new home, moving to the country or deciding to exercise more. The change can still be difficult, but because we choose it, we feel more motivate and in control of the change we’re going for.

Unchosen change happens outside our control. It can be unexpected and emotionally challenging. In fact, it can really stop us in our tracks as it disrupts our day to day life and creates uncertainty around us. Think the death of a loved one, floods, fires, a bad season or money woes. There’s complexity around unchosen change that can hang around and really hit deep. 

Here are a few ways to work through unchosen change that I hope will help …

1. Acknowledge your feelings.  Try to name them eg anger, fear, sadness, disappointment. Don’t ignore them. Allow yourself time to process them knowing the way you will process them is different to the next person.

2. Focus on what you can control. In amongst all the uncertainty, take time to work out how to respond to the change. The goal here is to regain a sense of stability by working out that you can’t stop the change but you can choose your response to it.

3. Ask for help. Reduce your stress by talking to others. Share what’s happening / happened with family, friends and or those you trust. This can reduce your stress and make you feel less isolated.

4. Establish and maintain routines. Return to the basics here of eating, sleeping well, going for a walk and activating routines that give you structure during uncertain times.

5. Practise self care and give yourself time. Look for way to relax and reduce stress. Choose things that nurture and sustain you and do these. Take your eye off the clock and the need to “move on”. Instead, be patient with yourself and take time to recognise the unchosen change and that healing takes time.

Over to You

Take some time to reflect on these. Are any helpful to you right now?  

The post Can I Choose Change? appeared first on Ruralscope.

During the dinner, the leaders of the business spoke. They shared the key events and what they had been through and done to now have a successful business. It was hard to find a dry eye in the house as stories were shared, people were thanked and those that offered key support were recognised for their contribution. I found it really refreshing that both physical and emotional support were shouted out.

Imagine how we could each enhance the wellbeing of ourselves, those around us and our team or business etc if we celebrated achievements loud and proud. The end of the year is a great time to do this.

Here’s a few suggestions about how you could celebrate this year’s achievements loudly and proudly.

1. Start with recognising your achievements. You can only celebrate them if you take the time to recognise them in the first place.  This starts by turning on your identifying achievements mindset.

2. Keep an Achievements Record. This could be a list in your diary (as simple as a date entry dot point or two), a list you develop at a team meeting or a jar on the Smoko table where people write achievements and place them into the jar to be read out and celebrated later. There’s a real skill in being able to identify your own and others achievements. The more you practise it the more natural it becomes. Before long you’ll be seeing achievements everywhere.

3. Recognising your own and others achievements increases positive wellbeing. This is worth going for. A simple sentence like “Your contribution to x was amazing”, “I loved the way the team responded to your requests about x and y”, “Your actions reduced our weekly incidents total” etc bring the achievement into focus and offer hear and now recognition. People always feel good as a result.

4. Reflect on the achievements of the Month / Year / Season. I promote this with the leaders and businesses we work with. And it’s always a win. Snippets often end up on the whiteboard, in a newsletter or Xmas message to staff etc. It’s not what gets said but how people feel that gets remembered. And this is always a feel good activity.

5. Give a gift. Tap into what the receiver likes. From my experience the best gifts are a gesture of care. A small bunch of flowers, a mug and tea bag, an inspirational poster for the wall, a drink bottle, home made cookies, a hamper of goodies to eat etc.

Over to You

Take some time to think about how you will recognise your own achievements for the year and that of those around you too – one achievement at a time. Make them loud and proud!

The post Celebrate Loud and Proud appeared first on Ruralscope.

I’m a huge fan of the value of gratitude. This includes being kind to myself as well as offering gratitude to others. But, let’s be honest, it can be seen as an added extra and something to do when there’s time or by offering up some kind words as we have our end of year get togethers to signal the close of the year.

Imagine how we could enhance the wellbeing of ourselves and those around us if we included gratitude as an everyday leadership tool. It’s like a magic pill. It can foster positive emotions, reduce stress, improve relationships, promote resilience and give an increased sense of achievement and fulfilment.

I’m going to share a few observations about gratitude with you here now.

1. Enhance your emotional intelligence. Name and get to know gratitude. Include it as a daily practise for you and for those around you. Offer yourself and at least one other person in your network gratitude everyday.

2. Gratitude for good. Gratitude is a feel good thing. In a world where there can be a focus on what’s wrong and the negativity around this, offering gratitude will help you and those around you find the positive, improve relationships and increase resilience. Gratitude is an action.

3. Gratitude and reducing stress are linked. Speaking kindly to yourself and really recognising the value of your thoughts and actions will help you to reduce stress. Without this, we can become pretty full of negativity and this in turn brings on stress.

4. Offering gratitude comes in all shapes and sizes. Let’s keep it simple. A sentence in an email “I’m grateful for your efforts today”, a sticky note that says “love your work” left on a team member’s lunch box, a shout out at a team meeting like “thanks Jim for all your work on the new quality system this week” or a sentence for each team member in a routine email will cause people to stop and feel the gratitude you are offering.

5. Gratitude starts in your mind and takes little time. I know from experience that I have to have in my mind that I want to offer gratitude and then I’ll find the time and the reason to. Yes it’s a tool (like part of a checklist) or your leadership tool kit that you use regularly. It doesn’t take much time, it does need focus and it really can change the world.

Over to You

Take some time to think about adding gratitude to your string of leadership capabilities – one sentence at a time.

The post Add Gratitude for Everyones Benefit appeared first on Ruralscope.

I love the work of social science researcher Dr Brene Brown and especially this quote of hers; “When you are in uncertainty, don’t tap out. Stay brave.” Well, I’m happy to share that with some major milestones and projects to be completed by mid December, I’m feeling uncertain and I really do want to just tap out for a while!!! So, here I am sharing some ways of staying brave in the face of fast paced uncertainty (ie crazyness) in the hope they might help you too.

1. Recognise when your pace changes and things get busy. Things might even feel a bit crazy. This is not the time to start something new. This is the time to focus on what needs to be done and to do it.

2. Routines are good for us. These bring a sense of direction and achievement. Routines can change when you’re busy – acknowledge this! This change in routine is not forever. It has an end point.

3. Check in with your self talk. And especially so when things don’t go to plan or mess up. Speak more kindly to yourself during these times than you ordinarily would. I’ve read many times that we are much harder on ourselves than anyone else would ever be. So lighten up – the person who is hardest on ourselves.

4. Speak up for what you need. No one is a mind reader, so when things are busy and it can all feel like things are out of control, take time to work out what you need. And then rally to make this happen.

5. Check in / de-brief. This could be with a family member, a trusted friend, a colleague or you can pay for this support. Paid support is extremely valuable when you looking for objective input / support without having to maintain a personal relationship in the mix.

Over to You

Take some time to think about how things are travelling for you right now. And if you’re in that busy / crazy time where you’re just not sure how you’re going to manage everything, then have a go at any of these 5 things. I’d love to hear how it goes and also if you have a suggestion or something that works for you.

The post Don’t Tap Out appeared first on Ruralscope.

I love this Leadership for Advocacy topic, and it appears many of you and others do too. I have received a lot of feedback about how practical the session was and this got me to thinking, that it’s time to strip back the academics of advocacy and allow it to show up in our everyday conversations. Real people, sharing real thoughts, stories and most importantly experience led opinions. It’s time to keep it simple and take the opportunity to be proactive and share our thoughts and ideas when, where and with who we can (and always with purpose).

There’s a ping on my phone – I’ve just received a message from a webinar attendee who used a tool I shared and said “WOW it really works, I feel great and I’m going to use this again and again now”. I’m going to share a few observations about Leadership for Advocacy with you here now.

1. Having a tool to form and share your opinion is critical. Very few of us are short of words, it’s how we use them that matters. We need to share our point and offer up some data / story to go with it. One without the other is likely to leave people confused and the impact of your conversation / meeting / presentation lost.

2. Clarity is good for us. It brings purpose to what we are doing, who we engage with and what we say. As a believer that advocacy is for everyone and occurs one conversation at a time, being clear about what you stand for, what you have an opinion about why you want to share this is super important. Stay too general and it will all become a little mellow and impact will be limited.

3. Mindset is key. We did a quick exercise on the Webinar that gave people the opportunity to assess their advocacy mindset. People marked themselves on a continuum between two capabilities like Reactive ……………. Proactive etc. It took no time at all for people to get a measure on what capabilities to put focus on to build their advocacy mindset further. Ahh the joy of slowing down and taking time to be honest with ourselves. This is where all good growth and change start.

4. Offering opinions with emotion can provide a positive charge. So can tone of voice and the speed you speak at. Did you know that if you are face to face, body language accounts for about 48% of your overall communication, 38% for vocal tone and only 7% for the words you choose. And repeating words or sentences to make a point or even saying one word louder than the others can create a ‘hearing it in bold’ type experience for the listener. Mmmm that’s food for thought right there.

5. I know from experience that the clearer my purpose and the more planned I am, the clearer the messages I share are. And I also know that having a tool to align or hang my opinions / words on really matters. Being able to speak under water is no strength if you can’t make the words count! Hence, my top hints for today are to speak for impact when it matters and develop a few tools to help out along the way.

Over to You

Take some time to think about adding advocacy to your string of leadership capabilities – one conversation at a time.

Until next time!

The post Advocacy is Everyone’s Business appeared first on Ruralscope.

1. Prepare to Share

As you soon as you register to attend the conference, take time to learn about who is going and who you would like to meet, catch up with etc. Make a mental note about topics that interest you in the agenda and head to those sessions. Instead of taking notes like you would in a meeting, switch it up and make a list of actions, write down the social media handles of speakers or a list of key learnings. And take some photos of these sessions or when you catch up and meet the speaker afterwards. YES, you should do this! This means you have all the information you need to share the outcomes of the conference session with others. You can share a short email update back at work with colleagues, write a short article for your work newsletter and post on your social media accounts as well.

2. Follow Speakers on Socials

Find speakers you really enjoyed online. Click follow them so you can stay connected after the conference. Share their profiles with others you think might be interested in them and their work.

3. Write a Thank YOU

Send an email to the conference organisers and thank them for their work. They are usually volunteers so the thank you goes a long way. Let them know your highlights and how you have already benefited from the speakers and conference activities.

4. Action Your Action List

It’s likely you have come back with a list of actions you want to take. These will have been motivated by conference speakers or sessions. It’s time to action the list. Use it as a checklist and start ticking off the actions. Don’t overthink this. If you wrote the action at the conference, then it’s worth putting into action now. First week after conference is perfect timing for this.

5. Check out Websites

I know we are all very quick to jump on socials on our phones either during or after the conference, but take some time to get to know the people and topics you resonated with further by taking a look around their websites. You’ll usually find blog posts or research outcomes etc there and you can then use these as you share information with others. The key here is to be of service and share things that others will find useful. Especially those who couldn’t go to the conference like you did.

6. Build and Maintain Your Networks

You will meet lots of people at the conference. Make a note and follow up with those that you promised you would. Opportunities can come from knowing others and importantly from them knowing you. So this is the time to be assertive and follow up with them, ask them for a coffee or a face to face or ZOOM catch up. No need to have anything to sell here, just a catch up.

Someone once told me that it doesn’t matter how many people you know that’s important, it’s how many people that know you!

Over to You

Which of these tips resonate the most for you? What are you going to do about them? Remember to give and gain the most you can from the conference you attended. We love it when people reach out after an event and say hello. It all goes towards building positive networks. His doesn’t happen unless you make the first move. Please take one or two or maybe even three things from this article and put them in place today. Good luck. And please feel free to reach out to me here if you think I can help in any way.

Until next time!

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