When I was a little girl one of my favorite activities in the summer was making ice cream at my great grandparent’s house. The days were hot and we would run through the sprinklers giggling and laughing to cool off. When my great grandparents would announce we were going to make ice cream, we would scream and cheer!
So what does ice cream have to do with having an intentional conversation? Well, let me tell you what happened next…
We would sit on the porch and take turns watching the cream and sugar churn into the best-tasting peach ice cream. I would sit and listen to my elder’s talk and share their hopes and dreams. My great-grandparents would ask probing questions and guide the conversation. I would sit quietly soaking up their words of wisdom.
Effective leaders understand “relationships are the glue that holds team members together” (Maxwell). My great-grandparents were masters at connecting with others. They would intently listen as my aunts and uncles would respond to their questions. I remember my Great Grandmother would treat everyone as if they were the most important person in the world.
Connecting with like-minded people will strengthen our leadership and help us achieve our dreams. Everything we do depends on teamwork, therefore intentional conversations are critical to connecting and building a relationship with like-minded people. Leaders make a difference. So how do we attract like-minded people?
The following nine factors from Dr. John C. Maxwell’s book; Intentional Living: Choosing a Life That Matters, will help us in identifying and connecting with like-minded people to make a difference:
- Opportunity – Seek out opportunities to make a difference
- Belief – Be open and receptive to others, who are seeking you to help make a difference
- Possibility – Be willing to make sacrifices and trade-offs to make a difference
- Faith – Strengthen your faith to overcome fear and achieve
- Challenge – Move beyond your comfort zone to achieve big audacious goals
- Attitude – Maintain a positive attitude in spite of the situation
- Winning – Dream dreams bigger than yourself
- Promise – Commit to a path with great promise
- Invitation – Invite and welcome others to help
Take time to sit down and listen to others. Intentional conversations will create opportunities to connect with like-minded people. Questions are key to unlocking and opening the door to intentional conversations.
“When you’re intentional, you can add value to everything you do and to every person you meet.”
– John Maxwell
To connect with like-minded people and make a difference, we must be intentional in our conversations.
Share this post on social media, have an intentional conversation, and make a difference this week…
Happy Thanksgiving!
#YourLeadershipGuide
Kim
Click HERE to listen to The MOORE Leadership Moment podcast and grow your leadership with experientially learned and researched-based leadership principles and best practices.!
Lead Confidently
Expand Influence
Achieve Significance
Creating memories with our friends and family helps us live a life of significance..
Kim
I could visualize you children and great grand parents, Mrs F and Pops. Brought back memories.
Keep inspiring .
FB
Thank you Kim
It is a great story!
Teamwork aways makes a difference to accomplish goals.
We need to make sure our kids don’t become individualist and watch after each other. So at home with my girls we try to work as a team, cooking meal together, wash the car together instead runing to the car wash, built our Christmas tree or doing the chores! Don’t give me wrong it is challenging sometimes as a human being we are individualist and we want to do our own thing witch today for kids is being on their electronic. But as parents we need to stand up and do the right thing so our kids get ready for the real working world!
Thank you for the great post and your inspiration.
Happy Thanksgiving
Kim,
You and James have made a positive difference in our life’s.
Happy thanksgiving.
Jim&linda