Vanessas approach to leadership through her five steps is immensely relevant and meaningful for leaders in our current business environment. Do Less, BE More is a valuable toolkit for us all to reflect upon and focus on what really matters, our people. We need to empower ourselves so our teams think more, not just do. Vanessas insights support a framework of purpose for all stakeholders to be highly successful.
Brett Houldin, Chief Executive Officer, Craveable Brands
For my mum Antoinette, who was
resilient, determined and strong,
coupled with huge stores of warmth
and grace. This one is for you.
My dad Walter Broadbent was wise, a patient teacher and my first mentor. In his career, he was a true leader in the retail industry across three continents, and later, a psychotherapist/hypnotherapist with his own practice in the famous Harley Street, London. He showed me, at an early age, the power of tapping into your subconscious to achieve extraordinary results. I thank him for being my amazing example.
Special mention to Frank McManus who has been my client, my leader and a dear friend. You are relentless at seeing what is possible. You approach each day with inspirational zest and passion. You provide me with countless opportunities and consistently back me.
Denis Bourke for being my mentor throughout my career in Australia. I am lucky to have learnt from the master by seeing you in action. You take complex theory and distil it into easy-to-digest bite-sized pieces. You give it a practical context, always relating it back to solving business challenges. You have a heck of a lot of fun at the same time.
Adeline Lane who is like a sister to me. Your command of the English language is like no other. Your vocabulary is beyond extensive. You have helped me to use writing as an expression in the toughest of times. Most notably in my parents eulogies and the last two hundred and fifty-four words of this book.
Ian Flemington who was a colleague, is a client and a best friend. We have partnered in our professional and personal lives and conquered many obstacles to achieve great success. Thank you for your consistent support and bringing the Fleia factor that only you can.
A big thank you to Kemi Nekvapil for your coaching and guidance to make this book a reality.
Kath Walters for saying keep writing in the cracks. You are right; this really works. It boosted my writing momentum.
To the visionaries who share my belief in the future of Leadership, I thank you. Your courage to step boldly into the unknown and trust me to challenge you is truly appreciated.
From the seasoned professionals to the newbies, without your willingness to try something new, a book like this just wouldnt be possible.
Deep gratitude.
First published in 2018 by Vanessa Porter
www.allofyou.co
Vanessa Porter 2018
ISBN: 978-1-9256487-3-7
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission.
All inquiries should be made to the author.
A catalogue entry for this book is available from the National Library of Australia.
Project management and text design by Michael Hanrahan Publishing
Cover design by Peter Reardon
Disclaimer
The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for any particular circumstances and it should not be relied upon for any decision to take action or not to take action on any matter, which it covers. Reader should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this book.
here comes a time when we need to step up and hold ourselves accountable for creating a thriving environment for ourselves, our people and for our organisations.
Leaders tell me they feel constantly overwhelmed, out of control and disconnected from their people and their own lives. Their days are sabotaged by urgent emails from daybreak, their structured plans derailed by operational demands and the frequent escalation of internal issues in the ever-increasing reach and speed of the glare of public and media scrutiny. At the business days end, a glass of wine and mind-numbing television wins out over creative contemplation time.
I am all too familiar with days as a leader under constant bombardment, reacting to the latest crisis. Within a short time, this became a growing frustration for me about being deprived of the chance to implement my carefully conceived strategic plans. My sense of personal achievement and happiness suffered, and my inner critic took hold of my self-confidence. None of this helped my workplaces productivity or success.
The option of escape seemed limited to checking out or walking out. I took the second road. But the reality is that option is not available to everyone. And you and your organisation may suffer with either choice.
Is there another way to tackle the leadership merry-go-round? My research identified the common woes leaders suffer as: working in the business rather than on it, not being as genuinely connected to people as needed to inspire discretionary effort and lacking a clear sense of what matters most.
Leaders of Substance are those who manage the demands of their role differently. They focus less on doing and more on being, with transformational results.
The aim of this book is to make Leaders of Substance of those who are currently lost in the operational grind of the business, who feel the lack of robust relationships and who are ambushed by relentless disruptions. If that is you, take heart. This book is for you.
Thoughts and feelings are temporary; they come and go. However, sometimes they stick around for much longer than is helpful. Becoming aware of our thoughts and emotions, noticing them, recognising them and being mindful of them means we can make choices about them. By being an observer of our thoughts and emotions, we immediately create distance from them and gain perspective: Oh look, I can feel myself getting tense and feeling irritated because she is using my special cup again.
This skill of noticing requires you to be present, engaged and focused on what is going on right now, rather than being distracted about things that are going to happen later. In many cases, people are busy making mental lists of everything to be done later today or reviewing what happened in the past.
