Sharon Eden – Inner Leadership

Last night I caught Shirley Bassey, a veteran UK superstar and cabaret artist, in a TV tribute show. There she was, still strong voiced, thrilling her fans, bumping and grinding in sequinned splendour.

I was impressed by her being true to her brand after all these years. And, at the same time, I felt poignancy that nothing about her ‘performance’ appeared different to how she was decades ago.

Not her problem! The perception was of course all mine.

Particularly as personal and professional evolution are two of my important values. Being an evolving ’self” which gets richer over time and, in consequence, enriches your role… rather than you just ‘performing’.

An evolving self which not only engages with others but enables them to engage with you too. A relationhip of presence and respect which encourages and applauds the best from others; which serves them and, by so doing, enriches you too.

Dame Shirley gave me a great gift. In those moments I got the full impact of a conscious realisation. The kind which hits you like a sledge hammer when the slow burn of creeping awareness hasn’t worked.

I’m leaving behind my own version of ‘bump and grind’. An ‘in-yer-face’ personality ‘performance’ behind which I could hide my evolving self. A defence fueled by an historic fear of paradoxically being ‘too much’.

No more! As Karan Salmansohn said, “You’re nobody ’til somebody hates you”! Or as Seth Godin puts it, when you’re being your ‘remarkable’ self you’ll always have criticisers. And what I know is the more you embody your evolving self, the more ably you’ll deal with those underminers.

So… what’s it to be? ‘Bump and grind’ or evolving self, ‘bump and grind’ or evolving self, ‘ bump and grind’ or …… ?