The Association Blog

How do you show up in every moment to make a difference? Not just for yourself, but those you work with? Simon T. Bailey shares 4 tips for doing just that

Attendees at last November’s Annual Conference were wowed by Simon T. Bailey’s keynote session. The award-winning speaker and expert on hope-powered leadership shared tips for unlocking what he calls personal and professional “brilliance.” We’re excited to share some of his top tips here.

Understand the responsibility of being a leader
Bailey is clear as a bell on what a leader does: “The responsibility of a leader is not to make people work harder,” he says. “It’s to fuel an environment where compassionate care flows.” And it flows in the other direction too: “If the leader is burnt out, the organization is burnt out, because it starts at the top.”

In a nutshell: “Leadership is caught and leadership is taught,” says Bailey. So leaders, take a moment to ask yourself—what are people catching from you? Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “How am I showing up?”

Make like Wendy Williams and ask…
Dr. Maria Muzik, a clinical psychiatrist at the University of Michigan, finds that human beings need three things right now: to be seen, to be valued, and to be understood. And one simple question, finds Bailey, can help open the door to those three things: “Slow down the speed of the moment, look someone in the eyes and ask, ‘How are you doing?’” Wendy Williams had it right all along.

“The idea is not to fix anything,” adds Bailey, “but to invite someone in to a safe place where they can begin to say, ‘Here’s what’s really going on…’”

Everybody Needs Somebody (all the time)
You can’t go it alone. “The number one epidemic on the planet right now,” says Bailey, “is loneliness. So people marry their work and they marry their job ,because they don’t have a support system to go home to or to call and just debrief and let it go.”

Take a moment to reflect: Who’s your support?

Get Your 15 Every Morning (and/or Evening)
What would it be like to prioritize the first 15 minutes of the day? “This is your time,” Bailey says. “And perhaps even consider taking that 15 minutes, and chunking it down to five-minute segments.” That might look like being still, relaxing and breathing for the first five minutes; for the second five minutes, read or listen to something that inspires you. For the final five minutes, suggests Bailey, “just stretch and get aligned, and set an intention for the day.”

Special bonus for night owls: ”Fifteen minutes before your head hits the pillow at night, take five minutes to reflect about the day, and consider what went well,” says Bailey.

Which of these tips resonates with you most? What have you tried, and how’s it working? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.