Responsible Leadership Interview

Michelle Ward, the When-I-Grow-Up-Coach, wrote these interview questions just for me. It’s part of a Twitter & Blog game. If you want to play, please read the interview rules at the end of this post. I’m especially interested in interviewing leaders with a Responsibility Practice.

And now, for Michelle’s questions:

What’s your definition of “responsibility”?

First, thanks for asking such a relevant question! You are my newest friend forever Michelle.

Owning your power and ability to create, choose and attract. Period.

Most people expect something more at the end of this definition, as in “create, choose and attract what?” The answer would be “your entire reality.”

The operative word is “Owning.” I take for granted that we are each completely creating, choosing, and attracting our reality. Mastering responsibility is the process of owning that more and more.

What’s your favorite aspect of being on Twitter?

I’m still pretty new on Twitter, but as a social media marketing experiment, I like how it connects me to all sorts of networks. The first hundred or so people I followed are in direct marketing, but now I’m discovering networks for leadership, teamwork, politics, relationships and more.

Today I heard from a friend I haven’t seen in 8 or 10 years. I tweeted about interviewing Dr. Harvey Barnett and after the interview Dolly Garlo emailed me about what an inspiring interview it was. We were following each other on Twitter and I had not realized who she was. And now she is helping me research a business question that’s been nagging me for a few weeks. Dolly has better skills than me to look into it and doing so will benefit her.

It’s a win/win/win.

What would happen during your Perfect Day, where you can do what you want, when you want, how you want? Describe it from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed.

Okay. First, let’s change that from the hypothetical “would” to “does” or “will.”

I wake up for the sunrise in a seaside resort on the outer banks of South Carolina — or the coast of France or Italy or Greece, or maybe the Baha. I meet my leadership mentoring clients for breakfast followed by 2 hours of Application Mastery Group. That’s where we help each other with my proprietary process, the Perfect Problem Breakthrough™, to become powerful leaders .

Then we mount our road bikes and cover 40-60 miles of coastline, catching lunch en route. Or maybe we hop aboard our flotilla of 12 to 15 meter sailboats and play cat & mouse to the next island.

After a refreshing swim we spend another 2 hours in Application Mastery Groups developing more leadership power and freedom, and expanding choices. Then comes cocktails, dinner, and early to my room for a call home before bed.

No wait a minute. Maybe the perfect day will begin waking up with my wife in our hill-top home in Comfort…

It’s one of those — if I have to choose.

What’s your favorite movie of all time and why?

Whichever one I’m watching with my wife Amy. I’m not a big movie guy.

Why is Comfort, Texas named Comfort? Feel free to answer figuratively or literally.

Great question. I tell audiences I live in Comfort and keep my famiy in Comfort. The cool metaphor-for-life aspect of this is that Comfort (TX) is only 9 miles from Welfare (TX). But it is 70 miles from Utopia (TX).

Comfort is an unincoporated town of mabe 2000 people (and 20,000 cows) in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin and northwest of San Atonio. It’s on Interstate 10 about 45 minutes from the San Antonio airport. We moved here as a lifestyle decision in 2001 after 20 years in Austin.

It was named by German settlers, as were all the surrounding towns — Frederiscksburg, Boerne, Kerrville — and since it was a rest stop along the trail, it was aptly named.

The Interview rules

  • leave me a comment saying: “interview me”
  • all comments will be published, as long as your name isn’t Mr Cameltoe (obviously, Mr Cameltoe, who commented this week, is a robot spammer)
  • I will submit to you five questions of my choice
  • you can then answer the questions on your blog {with a link back to my blog}
  • you should also post these rules, along with an offer to interview anyone else who e-mails you wanting to be interviewed
  • anyone who asks to be interviewed should be sent 5 questions to answer on their blog
  • it would be nice if the questions were individualized for each blogger
Posted in Leadership, Responsibility on 02/07/2009 11:03 am
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