Gracious and powerful in the same sentence sound like opposites.

 

When I ask people to define graciousness they say it is a feminine trait, it is southern hospitality, pearls, being nice and sometimes wealthy surroundings. When asked to define powerful, the adjectives are strength, effectiveness, assertiveness, leading others and creating change.

 

In fact, they are two sides of the same coin. Graciousness is beyond sweet tea, pearls and gender. Powerful is more than being assertive and telling others what to do, 

which is why I coined the phrase Gracious Powerful Leadership®️.

 

Gracious Powerful Leadership is a result of choosing to consider relationships as the baseline or default to drive your life, your work, how you raise your children and walk in this society with other people. Being gracious and powerful is the foundation of our interactions with others. 

 

It places the needs of others on the same level as our own and in some cases, above our own. It recognizes that everything we do matters.

 

We are all leaders in some way, in the workplace, with our families, in organizations and over ourselves.

 

Gracious and power are about the process rather than the outcome alone. Gracious  Power changes the energy in the relationships and the reactions of others in a positive direction by our intention and our small consistent actions.

 

How can we be more gracious today? What small action can I take?

*Recognize the power of small consistent action to create big change.

*Conflict is part of life. Start by learning the art of resolving conflict.  

*Google the top 10 words that fuel conflict.

*Make it a daily practice to remove/replace these words in your conversations 

*Recognize that being gracious is not about perfection but about practice 

 

How will you be more gracious today?