Two Important Ways to Work from the Core
In my book, Nucleus: Power Women Lead from the Core, I offer a strategic tool to strengthen women mentally and emotionally, not from the gender perspective but from the socio-human perspective. The goal is for a leader to understand how to move from or ordinary to effective and effective to excellent through an experiential methodology to leadership. The only way to achieve this excellent leadership is to work from the core. Here are the two most important components to discovering your core and working from it.
Get to the Core
The strength of your leadership, the strength of your business and the goals and dreams you have, come from the core of who you are. If you are pursuing a business that you care very little about, you will not be able to bring the maximum strength to that endeavor. You will be able to achieve some success, just through ordinary smart business practices. But to soar into excellence the only way to do that is to work from your core.
In Yoga, and in all forms of exercise, the instructor will tell you to use your core – the muscles of your stomach, as the foundation for working all your other muscles. If you have been sedentary, it may take you some time to feel this core. But once you do feel the intense power of your core muscles working to life your legs, strengthen your back and extend your arms into a new position – well, you never forget it. You are able to go back to that core and find your strength even you when you are not in an exercise class.
You may be struggling with what your core is, but in essence you just need to do as you do in yoga – feel it.
Use Your Core Strength
Get quiet, away from the business, the goals and your to-do list. Ask yourself a simple question – what motivates me? When I look at a blank page what do I wish was my very first task on my to-do list? What activities energize me and give me strength, rather than drain me? Now combine these activities, your passion preferences, with your core personality traits. Your core personality traits are those that come naturally to you – are you the go-to manager or do people come to you because you are the best listener? Look at your core interests and your core traits and begin to strengthen those.
Think of the spine of your business as your goals, your business plans. Now envision that the steps to your excellence in business are the discs of that spine, the steps that you must take to get to from the core of who you are the superior mind of your dream. Start from those core traits and interests and build your steps from there. When you work from the core you strengthen ever part of your leadership, ensuring your success.
