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Last week my husband, Mark was reading my blogs on Pivot Leader and asked, why I didn’t write about the needs of men in leadership since I write specifically about the needs of women in leadership.
Here is the dialogue that followed:
Me: Hmmm, let me think…could it be that I am not a man in leadership.
Mark: Silence.
Me: I have a great idea! Why don’t you write a blog for men in leadership?
Mark: Silence.
Me: Okay. How about you choose a subject, I ask you questions about the subject, you provide the answers and I will be your ghost writer (or in this case, your wife writer).
Mark: Still silent but with a glimmer of hope, the look on his face expressed his consideration of this idea.
After several days and some prodding, the statement Mark decided to write about is:
How to Be a Corporate Hero
First, a definition from my husband. A true corporate hero is a man who not only excels in the workplace but also on the home front and in his personal endeavors.
To elaborate, Mark believes that corporate heroes are men that know it is possible to have it all.
I believe, corporate heroes are men that know they can have it all but don’t do it all.
Mark said we are saying the same thing. (I don’t know about you, but these two sentences did not sound like the same definition. Do you have the same type of conversations in your marriage?) Read on and find out how you can have it all.
7 steps to becoming a corporate hero and having it all:
1) Have a “can do” attitude. Your thinking is power. Your mind holds the biggest limitations or the biggest possibilities. Believe that you can do more.
2) Know your strengths. Delegate the rest.
3 Plug into humans = unplug technology. People are your biggest assets and deserve your principal investment. Be 100% present to the person you are with, task at hand or place you are in. Multitasking is unproductive.
4) Don’t translate the idea of heroism into perfectionism. True heroes know that success only come after failures.
5) Check your motivation before committing to something new. Does it match your values, mission, or future goals?
6) Take time for yourself. Do something that is so fun it is effortless. This is different for every person. Do something you love (If you love your job, that doesn’t count). This could be anything from mountain biking to cooking to coaching little league.
7) Lead by example. Corporate heroes are men that do what they say. If you are a person of faith, take action on what you believe.
Thank you to my husband, today’s blog contributor, Mark Craig. You are my true corporate hero!
As President of Henbart, Mark Craig is responsible for building and managing a portfolio of real estate investments through acquisitions, financing, maintenance, leasing, capital improvement, and disposition practices. Mark has undergraduate degrees in Accounting and Finance and an MBA from Seattle University. Prior to Henbart Mark was the Chief Operating Officer for Hunters Capital, prior to that, he served as the Director of Finance for Lighthouse Properties.
What do you think?