Our responsibility as privileged human beings is to pay back for the opportunities we’ve received.

Kathryn Anastos

I originally was going to title this post “What My Cat Taught Me about Leadership”.  Why?  There have been two major influences in my life that formed my beliefs and notions on what true leadership is.  One was a book I read for one of my MBA classes called “Framebreak – The Radical Redesign of American Business” by Mitroff et al (read more about the book in my recent HuffPost article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marion-chamberlain/women-leaders_b_2039550.html).  The second one was the gift of a beautiful cat 16 years ago.  As I write this post, I’m struggling to come to grips with his departure from this planet this past week.  Rusty shaped me as a human being and helped guide me to want to become a better person.  He also influenced my leadership style.  Through the love I received from him, I became a better manager and leader.   He helped me understand that compassion and social responsibility are two basic requirements for exceptional leadership.  Without these learning lessons, I would have just been another cog in the corporate wheel and wouldn’t have understood how to realize true success.

In Rusty’s honor, I’d like to share with you some valuable learning lessons:

• Don’t kick them to the curb so quickly.  Rusty was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease 3 years ago.  The vet tech at the animal hospital suggested that I consider putting him asleep.  I was devastated, but a compassionate holistic vet at the animal hospital was able to help find another solution for managing Rusty’s condition.  How often do we find ourselves in the corporate world with an employee who we want to rid ourselves of instead of first looking to see if that employee needs a different leadership approach or serious help?  Before you terminate the employee (which could possibly be the best solution in the end), see first what it is you can offer to support him in his own journey.
• Not everyone has to fit into the standard corporate mold.  Rusty was far from that nice little snuggly kitty everyone wants.  My husband’s friend called him vicious attack cat (even though he was never attacked).  He could be feisty and marched to his own beat.  Do you at times try to change your team members and make certain personality improvement recommendations?  How about instead you focus on the strengths that a specific contributor brings to the table and allow her to be an authentic individual?  Craft her role on your team based upon the good that she brings and see her flourish as a result.
• Understand that as a leader you’ve been gifted to serve.  Rusty’s presence in my life brought me to wanting to have a societal impact and appreciating the influences of the sustainability movement.  The unconditional love that you receive from another creature is something that you can use to propel you so you can do good.  If you want to be a leader, first figure out how you can give back to your team and your community.  By in serving them, they’ll honor you with their loyalty.  I was told that I spoiled Rusty terribly.  But you know what?  His devotion and loyalty were beyond any words.  This is the same feeling that you’ll gain when you understand that your team is a gift to you.
• Find meaning in something outside of yourself.  I felt very fortunate to be able to be there for Rusty during his transition.  As he took his last few breaths, I was incredibly humbled to be present for him and to understand what a blessing he was.  His transition fully required me to draw upon my spiritual strengths.  You’ll find that the same is required of you on those days when your leadership skills are challenged.  What will give you that fortitude to continue to move forward?  Make sure that you don’t just have your own brainpower to draw on, but have something that gives you a deep purpose and energizes you.

I would love to hear from you about your own experiences in life that have made you a better leader.  What learning lessons did you receive?  Please share your valuable insights below.

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