Today, I present you the key leadership lessons from Cynthia Wilbanks, Vice President for Government Relations at University of Michigan and the new Chairman of the Board at Spark. Cynthia presented these lessons last month at my Leaders Connect Breakfast event.
- Building bridges is an important a feature of finding success. Once you’ve you gone to the trouble of building bridges, don’t burn them down.
- Remember that ‘the only people who like or enjoy change are babies with wet diapers” (Cynthia learned this adage from an old friend).
- You can learn from first sitting on one side of the desk, and then the other. Always take time to see the problem from the other person’s point of view. Always show respect to the other person.
- One of the best skills you can possess is the ability to pivot.
- Even in the midst of change, momentum needs to be maintained, work needs to be completed and future goals still need to be identified.
- “Prioritize the sword you want to fall on and the hill you want to take.” That’s [Cynthia’s] way of evaluating the level of anxiety, hysteria, and energy that should and can be spent on confronting vexing issues and achieving goals and success.
- “Even when success isn’t within reach, dwelling on failure is never been [Cynthia’s] idea of inspiring a new start. Acknowledge disappointment but after a short time, “park it.”
- Practice listening. That means listening up and listening down.
- Offering encouragement to a colleague or an employee might be all that’s needed to get a good result.
- Stay connected – and not just through the wonders of technology. Find ways to to stay connected, if only with a small group of trusted friends and confidants.
- Don’t just give in the office, but get connected and provide leadership in your community.
- Don’t take yourself too seriously. When it comes down to it, we are all small cogs in a very big wheel.
- Say “thank you.” None of us can usually get the job done on our own. Empowering others, inspiring confidence, and even acknowledging that most mistakes are usually not fatal, and it can go a long way to achieving results. Saying “thank you” costs absolutely nothing-and there is a powerful message in those two words they can’t be measured.
Well said, Cynthia. Knowing where these principles have taken you, we are all inspired to adopt them.