Author Your Life Story (ep. 142)

We live, play and work at an ever-increasing pace, amidst a lot of noise – yelling, fear, anxiety, texting, streaming, email. In this environment, we long for hope and humanity, but often give more reactive responses than ever. 

Today, we identify how we can influence our daily moments to make them more inspired. Rand Stagen, Managing Director of Stagen Leadership Academy, joins us to share how to create a little space between key stimuli – think of your triggers: a colleague’s sarcasm, your spouse leaving dishes in the sink, morning traffic – and our responses to them.

Whether you're leading a large corporation, stuck in carpool traffic, or both: Today's conversation will give you tips and motivation to live a more inspired life – one intentional interaction at a time.

 SHOW NOTES:

• Stagen Leadership Academy strives to link the soft side of leadership with the pragmatic side. 
• Leaders get the organizations and the families they deserve: Leadership is oriented around a sense of identity + taking responsibility.
• Power of transformation: organizations don't change, people do. If you want to transform a business, work on the leaders transforming themselves.
• How to start taking responsibility:
  1. Be grateful for the people in our lives who allow us to reflect on the gaps or holes in yourself, instead of being annoyed.
  2. Notice when you're triggered, or emotionally grabbed, and take unconditional responsibility.
  3. Recognize the gifts around us as opposed to pointing fingers.
• Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. 
• Be the author of your own life story.
• Most effective leaders have strong emotional awareness, both intrapersonal (self-awareness + self-management) and interpersonal (social awareness)
• Read Daniel Goleman's Harvard Business Review article What Makes a Leader here.
• Moods are contagious: The way you walk into a room will influence the room.
• Take note of the feedback loop of the experiences in your life.
• With awareness there is choice. Without awareness, there are only habits.

If you liked learning about how your mood can influence others, you'll love Live Inspired Podcast guest Jon Gordon, author of The Energy Bus, from ep. 13. Listen to Live Inspired Podcast ep. 49 with Dina Dwyer-Owens, co-chairwoman of The Dwyer Group, on someone who is leaning into conscious leadership.

RAND STAGEN'S LIVE INSPIRED 7

1. What is the best book you’ve ever read? Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled.

2. What is a characteristic or trait that you possessed as a child that you wish you still exhibited today? Curiosity.

3. Your house is on fire, all living things and people are out. You have the opportunity to run in and grab one item. What would it be? A photo album that has family photos that don't exist digitally.

4. You are sitting on a bench overlooking a gorgeous beach. You have the opportunity to have a long conversation with anyone living or dead. Who would it be? Pope Francis to try to understand how he is managing such a complex + important time in his institution. I think his answer would be a combination of intellect and spirituality because he's operating in the context of a multigenerational time horizon. I'm in awe of how he's showing up and the courage he's exhibiting.

5. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Scott Peck said life is difficult and it's a journey. The journey is about engaging with life + learning to relate to life. Life is a dance between being shaped and shaping life.

6. What advice would you give your 20-year-old self? All we have is right here, right now. Learn to be present, not worry about the future, and not be critical of the past.

7. It’s been said that all great people can have their lives summed up in one sentence. How do you want yours to read? He cared.

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