Joelle K. Jay

The Inner Edge Community

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What’s the Edge?

There’s a little confusion about this simple word, the “edge.” When I say getting an edge, I don’t mean elbowing out the crowd or being edgy or going over the edge. I mean, as I say in The Inner Edge, being your best. Not the best – your best.

You don’t get to be an exceptional leader by trying to be like someone else. I don’t want you to become a great leader by changing who you are. I want you to become a great leader by becoming more of who you are.

So remember, you’re looking for your edge. As my mentor Dr. Heidi McKenna used to call it, your “growing edge “- the place where you have the opportunity to be malleable, to be changed, and to grow.

Getting an edge means understanding what will give you the edge at this time. It might mean sharpening your vision. It might mean shoring up your weaknesses. It could mean developing your strengths. It could mean getting a promotion. It might mean starting a business or gaining more market share with the one you have.

If this helps you achieve what you want to achieve better and faster, and in a way that’s more natural and enjoyable for you, then you’re getting the edge.

And if you’d like to learn more about how to get an edge and be your best, join us for the Inner Edge Book Club. Just go to www.TheInnerEdge.com and click on Community, or just click here. We’d love to have you.

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Make it Happen – Let it Happen: Experience the Possibilities

The 9th Practice of Personal Leadership, which we’ve been discussing this month in The Inner Edge Book Club, takes us on a path where our action-oriented business ideals almost seem to clash with a spirit of possibility.

But the ability to see possibility is how we often find the greatest opportunities in life.

When we’re going down the road to success in our culture, we often adopt the mindset of “Make it Happen.”  Our thinking in this mode (the “active” mode) is rational, strategic, goal-driven, and with it, we push forward at all times, relentlessly pursuing our goals. We’re focused and logical.

There’s another option – the mindset of “Let it Happen.” Our thinking in this mode (the “receptive” mode) is open to possibilities at all times. We’re not giving up our place at the front of the pack, but we’re allowing space there for possibilities to emerge. In this state, we’re accessing our intuitive natures — our optimism and insight.

Where these two modes converge is where the magic happens. It’s where new possibilities emerge. These may be business opportunities you’ve never considered or noticed. They may be solutions to problems you’ve been working through. They may be terrific insights.

We’re exploring the convergence of Making it Happen and Letting it Happen this month in The Inner Edge book club. And we’re learning strategies (“invitations” as I like to call them) to “let it happen” more easily and with better results. If you’d like to join us, please email me.

You can also learn more about how the book club works by clicking here for a description of The Inner Edge Community.

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Your Leadership Shapes Your Life

In The Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership, I talk about something that I passionately believe: The way you lead shapes your life. By this I mean much more than simply creating life-to-work balance. I’m talking about leading from the inside out.

I explain this concept in The Inner Edge. We work together on it in our Inner Edge Community, and I’ll be blogging about it over the coming months right here, with you as my partner. I invite you to submit your thoughts, discoveries, experiences, successes and challenges as you familiarize yourself with the practices in The Inner Edge.  I encourage you to experiment with the practices described in the book, the workbook and other materials, and I hope you’ll share your ups and downs with us here on The Inner Edge blog.

Join us on our Facebook page, too, as we do our utmost to connect Inner Edge readers and participants. Also, I invite you to sign up for the free Inner Edge Newsletter. I want to make sure you have all the tools you need to help you find your Inner Edge.

Your leadership is a gift. Your world – whether it’s your personal sphere of influence, your business organization, or the world at large – will be bettered by you being your best. I’m here to support you in that effort. So, please join me, and we’ll work together for your greatest success.