LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM TAYLOR SWIFT
Yes, you read that title right. It says what you think it says.
Not only did Taylor Swift just come out with a song that makes us all want to bust out dance moves that we haven't tried since 8th grade, but she boldly tackles one of the biggest issues that holds us back from our leadership and from showing up fully in our lives.
The topic?
JUDGMENT.
With an approach that's both fierce and fun, Taylor Swift has a thing or two to teach us when it comes to the J-word.
Talking about her motivation for the song, she says, "I've learned a pretty tough lesson that people can say whatever they want about us at any time, and we cannot control that. The only thing we can control is our reaction to that."
And she's right.
When we start to focus on how we show up and what we are creating in each moment rather than what we think others might be thinking or saying, we begin to discover our potential as leaders - and the potential for what we create in our worlds.
Don Miguel Ruiz takes a different, yet equally powerful, approach to the topic. In The Four Agreements, he says, "Personal importance, or taking things personally, is the maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about me." He goes on to say "nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves."
What I love about Taylor Swift's approach to this topic is that she not only recognizes that what other people say isn't about her, but she uses it as an opportunity to step more fully into herself and create something awesome.
By writing Shake It Off, Taylor Swift made a decision not to take things personally. She made a decision not to let judgment work against her, but instead to make it work for her. And, she used it as an opportunity to claim her leadership and be at choice with her world.
Now, I don't know about you, but I kind of feel like dancing.
TAYLOR'S NEW RELEASE 1989 IS AVAILABLE NOW FEATURING THE HIT SINGLE "SHAKE IT OFF" AND HER LATEST SINGLE "BLANK SPACE". HTTP://WWW.SMARTURL.IT/TS1989 MUSIC VIDEO BY TAYLOR SWIFT PERFORMING SHAKE IT OFF. (C) 2014 BIG MACHINE RECORDS, LLC.
