Shaping Our Leadership

What are your personal and professional stories that shape the leader you are today?

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to facilitate a session at the Guyana Development leadership team off-site. It was a great surprise to experience the discussions, team building game, individual leadership stories, and the openness to reflect and learn about the team’s strengths and opportunities. All these to continue building the work culture that enables the desired business results. It was a time efficient, relaxed day that quickly helped the leadership team learn about each other to build trust and stronger connections.

David Scott set the tone by sharing personal and professional stories of the people and events that help shape his leadership. He remarkably demonstrated the power that self-reflection has to teach and shape us.

As every person shared his/her stories, similar themes and motivations emerged. It is with these similarities that we better understand why we do what we do, bring us together and build trust.

That was followed by a water balloon slingshot activity that brought the team to work together in a fun way. The objective was to aim the balloons to get Drew Bishop wet at the end of the run way. I can report that… I achieved the mission!

That brings me to share Drew’s innovative leadership style to bring the best out of his team. Through a memorable shared experience, a theme of chickens (a story for another day), and reflecting on the team's strengths and motivations, Drew set the vision and conveyed the power of achieving more together through collaboration, authenticity and creating stronger connections.

These are the occasions that make me proud to be in ExxonMobil… and what I most love… Its people!

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