Sue was not feeling GUTSY; she was still in pain as she talked about an ugly spill that ended with a badly injured ankle. Several doctors told her she would have to be CAREFUL, very, very careful for, well…forever.
Diana, sitting across the circle from Sue is a nurse. How could it be that she had the same ankle injury with that big, long medical name, a year ago? And she was also given the same “careful forever” diagnosis.
And then the room began to light up.
Diana told how she let her GUTSY side take over as she searched for alternative ways to get that busted ankle better. She gave Sue the name of a physical therapist, someone willing to take calculated risks, putting her in a spinning class that helped this never to be better ankle become better than ever.
Then Vera talked about her dream, a long term dream to make a garden grow. Well, not just a garden; a blighted district filled with vacant lots that she passed every day going to her “day job”. She spoke with strength and conviction and someone sitting near her knew farmers not far from that very area, organic farmers to top it off, who could be contacted to give their time and advice.
A big dream, a picture painted that again made the room light up as these two connected.
Then there was the engineer, a woman so used to being the only one on her work team with men that she stayed quiet at the beginning of the GUTSY WOMEN WEEK END out of pure conditioning. That was until an educator with brilliant ideas for making children more delighted with real learning rather than studying for test scores spoke up. They could collaborate; both with visions of how to do it differently.
The electrical engineer and the educator also shot the room full of light.
Women are natural connectors, natural networkers, natural gatherers.
Here is the recipe: create a circle of conscious females who know this is their time to make a difference, give them the safe space to dig deeply into their hopes and dreams and then they all become electricians making things fit together without competing or judging.
By Sunday morning the links and connections were all over the room making the world brighter because of the possibilities.
Sylvia Lafair
Sylvia Lafair, PhD, is President of CEO – Creative Energy Options, Inc., a global consulting company focused on optimizing workplace relationships through her exclusive PatternAware™ Leadership Model. Dr. Lafair is the author of Don’t Bring It to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns That Limit Success published by Jossey-Bass. As an executive coach and leadership educator, she has more than 30 years of experience with all levels of management from leading corporate officers of global companies to executives of non-profits and owners of leading family-owned businesses. She is now offering GUTSY Women Weekends, giving women the opportunity to dialogue and clarify next steps.
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