What We Are Thankful for at Leadership Vision in 2016
What we are thankful for at Leadership Vision
There is something special about this time of year. Getting together with family, eating amazing food, and sharing the ways our lives have changed over the previous 365 days. Reflection is a powerful process that can remind you of the good things, and teach you something about the bad.
At Leadership Vision, each team member spent time thinking about what they are thankful for this year. We paused to reflect on our hectic and hurried lives, and thought about what we are most thankful for in life.
Below is just a glimpse into the life of our team.
Nathan
My StrengthsFinder theme of Adaptability has been pushed to its limits in 2016 when our twin daughters were born in June. I am incredibly grateful for how easy it has been (relatively speaking), and how well our older son has adapted to the change. Leaving the hospital we were reminded multiple times how lucky we were that both girls got to go home at the same time. They are healthy, happy little girls and I couldn’t be more excited! I am also thankful that the Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series! Every summer, my grandparents would take me to games, and it became a huge part of our relationship. In a weird way, it feels like all of that emotional investment has finally paid off. Following this team in particular, is a shining example of what a group of individuals can do who are truly committed to each other, and the cause.
Aleasha
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in. ~ Leonard Cohen
There is so much truth to discover in these words. Optimism. Hope. Loss. Change. We are all flawed; gouged and dented by design. But it is these flaws that make us permeable. It is these flaws that make us human. I am both grateful to be the light for others, and to bask humbly in their brilliance. Together, we will be stronger.
Bethany
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. My Achiever gets excited about meal planning and longer than normal grocery lists. My Woo and Communication Strengths are energized by the time to interact with family and the intentionality of our tradition to use our out loud voices to share what we are thankful for. My Activator gets excited to “make the day happen“…and then immediately activate Christmas.
Thanksgiving took on a new significance last year. 2015 was a year of loss, full of challenges and heartbreak. Thanksgiving 2015 marked a turning point in our family. We miraculously moved into a farmhouse on 16 acres in Zumbrota, MN, and our story began to be rewritten. So, this Thanksgiving, we are celebrating our year of “firsts” in this new place. These include our first snowman, our first chickens, our first bonfire, our first farm puppy, our first “artwork” on freshly painted walls, and many others. My Responsibility Strength feels most alive as we enter Thanksgiving 2016. I feel a deep responsibility to celebrate each new thing because each “first” has been the redemption of something lost or a gift given and that is beautiful.
Carrie
I feel unable to narrow down my list of things to be thankful for. But as I reflect on 2016, I find a theme running throughout my year, which is freedom. I am thankful for the freedom to be myself at Leadership Vision with colleagues that challenge me to be a better version of myself and also forgive the inadequacies of my person. I am thankful for the freedom I find with my husband and two girls to be silly, try new things, make mistakes, and then start fresh the next day. I am thankful for the freedom to check things off my bucket list, no matter how long they have existed on that list. But mostly, I am thankful for the freedom I have found by fully embracing my person and owning that space.
Jeff
“It’s All About Relationships.” That was the title of my LinkedIn post in August which attracted more views and “likes” than I anticipated. My gratitude every day is for relationships which ground me, encourage me, and take me places I’ve never been. I’m so thankful for people willing to make introductions so we can exchange stories and begin to build what are hopefully long-term relationships.
As that August post declared, I left a good job with nothing lined up, which generated a range of reactions among peers, friends and family. I heard others’ encouragement and fear, applause and skepticism. Early in the journey, I landed on the phrase “intentional relationship building” for my new venture. Then I met with my long-time friends from Leadership Vision, who spoke of a relational and intentional approach to speaking life into leaders, teams and cultures. My Strength of Belief was rewarded with a match seemingly made in heaven. I’m incredibly grateful to join this team.
Joseph
I am grateful for many things in my life. Not the least of which is the ability to work with such a talented group of people at Leadership Vision. Brian has assembled an amazing group it is a privilege to come to work each day. With the Strength of Significance at the center of my thinking, I want to make a significant impact and work with people who also want to have a huge impact: The team at Leadership Vision is all about this and I can’t wait to see more of what we accomplish together as a group. Thankful of this opportunity!
Linda
Gratitude fills my life. I have learned to live with much and with nothing. I feel loss. I feel abundance and I remain thankful. For me, 2016 is marked by many endings and several new beginnings. If I’m honest, in 2016, my Strength of Empathy has emerged in a new way that is sharp, soft, and scruffy at the same time. I’ve noticed my Empathy has been sharp, almost impatient with a compulsion to move on things for the sake of the emotional tenure of a situation or long-term solution that needs action today. My soft Empathy reemerged after hibernating for 6 years. The news of the passing away of a dear friend and the ripples of that event unlocked tears that flowed for weeks. The scruffy side of my Empathy keeps me grounded to our humanity. It is not immature Empathy, nor is it tidy, but it is playful and fun bringing light and making the right things lighter. For feelings and the gift of tears, I am thankful.
Sara
Over the course of the last year, I have witnessed as the number of people from across the world taking the StrengthsFinder assessment has increased exponentially. I confidently congratulate the teams I’m working with on joining the Strengths movement. I am grateful to these 15 million+ courageous individuals for committing to better understanding themselves and for making space for the compassion of others. Without this courage, our work would not be possible.
I’m immensely grateful to be part of an organization that prides itself in a relational and intentional approach and a values system that reflects my soul. I am grateful for the opportunity to do work that brings out the very best in each of my Strengths and allows me to invite others to do the same.
Steph
I am overwhelmed with gratitude and thanks for the people I work with on a daily basis at Leadership Vision. In 2016 I discovered that I have limits. It was an odd realization for an Achiever. Not only did my coworkers help me navigate this season with grace, but they pushed me and challenged me to be the most generative version of myself.
I’m the only Millennial at Leadership Vision and I have the Strength of Competition. I often compare my experience and knowledge to those around me and I often feel less qualified than my coworkers, if for no other reason than my life experience. However, this doesn’t cause my coworkers to look down on me, instead they see my potential. They see what I’m capable of and have a genuine desire to partner with me to succeed. I am blown away by the Phantom Developer that I have personally experienced from my coworkers and I am so thankful for it.
What are you Thankful For?
As you reflect on this past year, what are the things in your life that you need to express appreciation for?
