I truly beg us all to leadership love, support and be kind to one another and have the courage as one nation to overcome this. I have had emails from remarkable leaders from the other side of Australia checking in on me in view of the difficult times we are all navigating: it was very heartfelt receiving these messages and calls! My thought was, at this time, we can’t just step back and think she’ll be right mate.
We are a country built from diversity, mate-person-ship, perseverance, humility, kindness and courage. Remember the bush fires? I want each and every one of you today to reach out to someone to check in, show them you care and help – and be kind. I don’t want anyone to feel alone navigating in this sea of confusion! We are all one country, one community and one family. We are here to lift each other, be more and learn more. I know we will come out of this stronger, braver and kinder – let’s start now and lead with courage, empathy and kindness! Let’s lead as one and let’s lead with care and love as it is the only way we will get through this.
Let’s be the leaders we want to see…
It takes courage to embrace challenge.
Convert potential leadership love to reality by bringing it to the forefront
‘Impact’ and ‘purpose’ define a high-achieving leadership style.
True leadership love is more than just having followers.
Leadership love is in all of us.Extract from First Comes Courage by Sonia McDonald
ARE YOU OKAY MATE?
Anzac Day ignited the Anzac spirit, a legacy of mateship into the Australian DNA. Mateship, an egalitarian concept, is characterized by ingenuity, honesty, humour, courage and compassion. It calls on communities to come together during hardship, adapt to challenging circumstances and provide a fair go for all. From those in uniform to ordinary Aussies, mateship is “understanding that even the smallest acts of kindness can make a huge difference,” according to Erin Boutros, the co-founder of volunteer group Empty Esky. “Mateship has saved businesses from bankruptcy.”
The two consecutive crises in Australia has placed pressure on mental health. “It is okay if you are not feeling or doing well. It is normal to be upset by situations right now,” said Professor Nicholas Procter, chair of Mental Health at the University of South Australia. “While we try to work things out by ourselves and may think we are getting the help that we need — sometimes we don’t have all the bandwidth.
A sense of community is a vital way of getting help, reassurance and connection. It means we are not on our own.” Amid the coronavirus and in the wake of the bushfires, Procter and his team partnered with the mental health charity R U OK?, to revamp its mateship manual, a practical guide to supporting people who are doing it tough. The number one rule of mateship is to be a great listener — giving the person space and time to feel safe and talk about what’s troubling them,” Procter said. “Mateship is not just for today. If we keep supporting and being positive over the longer term, we can figure this out together.”
How is 2020 shaping your future?
Nina Nguyen outlines in an article published through Inside Small Business, how the New Year holds endless possibilities and opportunities for every single Australian and for our economy. It will be a pivotal time for business owners to come together in support and solidarity. We all have a role to play in how Australia will grow and develop throughout 2021, every single one of us can play a part in elevating our economy, our reputation and our ability to compete globally. We have an opportunity to support Australia in 2021. Let’s choose to support each other, let’s choose mateship and remember, that 2020 taught us that together and united we are stronger, and we can be unstoppable!
4 Ideas to Thrive In 2021
Seth Cohen a Forbes contributor reviews how you can thrive in 2021. 2020 was ugly, and you wouldn’t want to do it all over again. Which also means we need to sharpen our tools for thriving in the year ahead. Yeah, 2020 was a tough one. But we survived. We endured the challenges, and some of us even discovered newfound strength.
We may not be our old selves, and we may be missing some of our friends and loved ones, but we are here. And that gives us reason enough to say “thank you” and “amen.”So with that in mind, perhaps it is wise to plan a few strategies to help us thrive in 2021. Yes, it probably is still wise to have a back-up supply of toilet paper and an active subscription to Netflix. But these ideas will help make sure that no matter what 2021 throws at you, you will be prepared:
- Write a Personal Vision Statement
- Find an Accountability Partner
- Commit to a Community
- Plan Some Fun
Despite our greatest hopes for an easy year, 2021 will chart its own course, and there is no doubt that it will bring twists and turns as well as hardships and heroics. But by applying optimism and effort, as well these four strategies, each of us can alter the way we personally and professionally navigate the year ahead. Because while it is a good thing to survive a year, it is an even better thing to thrive in it.
Be responsible for your own happiness
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Viktor Frankl, Auschwitz prison camp survivor, psychiatrist and author (1905-1997)
The above quote is compelling on its own but takes on a much deeper level of meaning when we know the story behind it. As an inmate at Auschwitz during the Holocaust, Viktor Frankl was subjected to horrors most of us can’t even imagine. Yet as he reflected on that experience, Frankl found hope and valuable insight into the human condition:“The experiences of camp life show that humanity does have a choice of action.
There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which proved that apathy could be overcome, irritability suppressed. Humanity can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of psychic and physical stress. We who lived in concentration camps can remember the people who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. . . .”
“Lead from the Heart: Great leaders may be found at the top of a mountain looking back upon their challenges, but the greatest leaders are often found at the foot of the mountain still helping others reach that summit.”
—Robert Clancy
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Stay Kind. Stay Courageous.
Love to you all…
Sonia x