If you had asked me 2 years ago, would I be where I am today in my life, I would have said “are you kidding me, no way”. You see all my adult life I was always going from job to job and unfulfilled in my career. My first marriage failed and along with that I felt like I had failed. One of the most wonderful things to come out of it was my now 24 year old daughter. Fast forward a few years later, a new husband and now 3 more children, I solely focused on my kids and left my career behind. For 13 years I was a stay home mum. All I did was just that. I was the one who looked after the kids and the house, enrolled my kids into schools did the playdates, parent teacher meetings, played referee between the two older ones, was the Uber driver and watched so many dance lessons that I can’t remember! Don’t get me wrong, I loved every second of it. However, 2 years ago I got to a stage where I knew that there was something better for me, something I was born to do. I just didn’t know what it was.
I discovered this one night listening to a webinar by a woman called Jeanine Sciacca. Jeanine had worked with my husband in corporate and is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Trainer and Coach. Who’s that I hear you say? He is the world’s No.1 leadership expert, author, speaker and trainer. Jeanine also happens to be the only Silva Method trainer in Australia. The Silva Method is the longest running Personal Development program in the world.
How did listening to the webinar that night impact my life? How did this spark a fire inside of me?
I was always into Personal Development, I loved many of the great teachers such as Dr. Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Toll, M Scott Peck, Gary Zukav, Dr. Wayne Dyer… did I mention him before? That night in July as I listen to Jeanine talk about “The 4 Key Skills To Take Charge Of Your Life” something stirred inside of me. I loved it so much I wanted to know more! So I stayed on to the end of the webinar to talk to Jeanine. That was the beginning of my journey to find my why, which leads me to where I am right at this very moment!
Jeanine and I now work together; it’s because of her ability to see my potential when I never saw it in myself that allows me to now do what I love to do. It was early 2018 when Jeanine asked me to join the John Maxwell Team. I was completely taken back to say the least. ME!! I said no way… I am just a housewife and mother! (I said that in my head.) Jeanine was patient, she just let me feel my way and on the 5th of December 2018 she invested in me and sponsored me to join the John Maxwell Team. This was the best investment that someone had ever made in me.
Why am I telling you this?
When I reflect on my career to date, I believe I evolved because of motherhood. I had become an efficiency machine. I got up early every day to make breakfast for my tribe. Lunches and dinners were an assembly line and I got everyone involved, so I delegated work. I knew how to tackle tough situations where emotions were high. I learned to become composed under stress. I had developed coaching skills. I suddenly became creative in problem solving. The list goes on.
Motherhood taught me things about Leadership that only being a mum could. Some examples are:
The Law of Influence
In my chaotic household, as in most, we have a lot going on whether its school or personal. I am influencing four young potential leaders all the time. The best skills I can teach them come from modeling; this is how I see it every single day.
John Maxwell says. “Leadership is Influence, nothing more, nothing less” and everyday whoever we are or whoever we come into contact with, we INFLUENCE whether it is good or bad.
The Law of Respect
Just because I am their mother does not necessarily mean my kids will automatically show me respect. Now some of you might think I am wrong, and I am fine with that, however just like in the workplace you can either gain respect or lose it. Being a mother taught me that my kids respect the person I am because they admire me and they love me. However they respect me as a leader because they follow my instructions and respect my decision even when they can’t see the long term vision. They see that I have the courage to admit when I am wrong and they can see that I not only add value to them and their father, I strive to add value to others.
The Law of Intuition
This one is massive. I have always been intuitive. This has helped me greatly in being a mum; in fact I think it’s a necessity. Developing your intuition is a must and when you are a mum your intuition ‘dial’ is on maximum. Being intuitive has helped me address many situations especially when my teenagers don’t want to talk about what’s bothering them or when I know they are up to something! I deliberately tune in and pick up on all sorts of cues and details that others don’t. This is because I am being intentional. Now in my career I get hunches and clues many times before others speak. It has been extremely helpful in many situations especially in problem solving.
Law of Solid Ground
When it comes to trust, John Maxwell says that trust is the foundation of leadership. How do you build trust? It’s by consistently modeling character, (values) connection and competence. In the book, Developing the Leader Within You 2.0, John Maxwell says you must first identify your values and then decide what boundaries you won’t cross. Throughout my time as a stay home mum, I built trust with my kids. I wanted them to know that they could come to me for anything and I would always love them unconditionally. They needed to see that I was trustworthy and therefore I earned their respect. I take these values into my job every day. It is my values that made me a perfect fit in the company I work for.
Every day I am thankful that being a mum has shaped me into being a better leader. Leadership is an ongoing process, and there is no destination. It is a life-long journey.
The best thing about having a teachable spirit is that I continue to learn every day. I get fulfillment out of pouring into others and seeing them in turn do the same. This ripple effect is what drives me to be a better leader and do what I do each and every day.
These laws are from John Maxwell’s bestselling book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”
If you would like a free 90 minute Coaching Intake Session, I would love for you to experience the power of coaching. Take this opportunity and contact me today to decide if I am the right fit for you!
You can find me at nancy@jeaninesciaccainternational.com
