Being in Prague and unable to get home for four days provided me with two wonderful opportunities:

1. a chance to visit the city and take an unexpected mini vacation
2. time to reflect on life, business, priorities and blessings

I plan to write about some of my observations over the next couple of weeks. Some of the topics will be:

• rethinking teams
• rethinking engagement
• rethinking collaboration
• rethinking leadership

Today, I want to share with you what I discovered about what is important in my life and how this relates to leadership.  We espouse our values in empty words quite often but it takes an unexpected event like the volcano eruption and subsequent cancellation of all air traffic in Europe to help us verify those words with our hearts.

In 2005, I left my old world behind to move to Europe and become part of a new family with two step sons. I knew exactly what I was taking on and how difficult is would be.  Since then I like to tell three “stories”.  They are personal and in many ways leadership stories as well.  Stories help shape our reality for good and for bad.  Mine are all true, and I think they serve me well.

The first is that after 50 years of being number one in my life (despite two other serious relationships), I instantly became number 4 and that I didn’t like it. I liked being number 1. Who wouldn’t? This story usually gets a laugh and while I say it with a tone of “annoyance”, I also realize the gravity of what that really means.  We do what must be done even if it might not be how we anticipated things to play out in our lives. This is not a compromise. It is love.

This is usually followed up by my second story . . . I finally had a purpose in life that was far greater than me.  It is both a responsibility and a privilege to raise two boys who are the future.  This is not a choice. It is love.

My third story is, that while I am completely and totally spoiled, my new role is the hardest and most challenging thing I have ever done.  It is the most important and I often feel quite incompetent.  I have also never been as happy.  How do I know this to be true?  Since July of last year, I complete a log almost every day so I can track it.  Hormones aside, the graph below may not look like I am that positive but it needs a little explaining.

The serious drop in the middle of the graph represents the passing of my mother and another drop recently when it marked the six month point of her death.  The high points all represent time spend with my family on holidays or coming home to them from my travels.  I complain a lot about running a household and not being appreciated. (Yes, I know how childish that sounds.)  Consistent with the research, it is my relationships with my partner and family that make me the happiest. This is not about life being easy but it is simple. It is love.

Related to my stories here are my leadership questions for you:

1. What stories do you tell yourself and do they serve you?
2. Is your purpose big enough to make it really worthwhile for you and those that follow you?
3. Who is it all about – you or those around you?
4. What is it in leadership that makes you the happiest?
5. Do you lead because you want to or because it is the right thing to do?

I would love to hear one of your stories.

Popularity: 14% [?]