Welcome to IGW Insights Issue 2!
We are halfway through Q1. We hope this message will represent a pause in the action for you, to reflect, rest your mind a bit, and imagine.
Our motto at IGW is, “We build leaders who build leaders.” Leadership is that unique human energy that unlocks contribution, investment, and sacrifice.
Our goal with this newsletter is to inspire you to elevate the way you lead by challenging you to think differently about the practice of leadership.
Issue 2 includes:
- A brief note from me, your faithful Founder and CEO, on the topic of gratitude
- Some recommended reading and listening, and
- A journaling exercise on gratitude
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DW Leadership Note
Gratitude is a mission-critical setting for the emotional ‘radar’.
The English word gratitude comes from the Latin word for ‘pleasing,’ i.e., how something impacted you positively. By training ourselves to recognize all the positive outcomes we experience day to day, month to month, year to year, we balance out our instinct for thinking only of the negative, only what risks we must mitigate.
Recommended Reading and Listening
This review of the memoir This Shall Not Be In Vain is a beautiful encapsulation of Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn’s memoir as a Jewish Navy chaplain during World War II. I remember learning about how extreme use cases inform product development–how, for example, satellite phone designers might send prototypes to people in Antarctica to see how materials react under the strain of incredibly cold temperatures. Gittelsohn’s memoir is an example of how leaders in extreme-pressure environments build culture, maintain morale, and care for the lives of those around them. Full disclosure, I have not yet read the book, but this review moved me.
I know I discourage too much consumption of podcasts, but sometimes even I can’t help myself, especially when it comes to The Freakonomics Podcast which is so well crafted and so often compelling. This episode about roundabouts (yep, those traffic circle thingies) is worth a listen. It’s about thinking unconventionally about seemingly conventional things in our lives.
Journaling Exercise
In our inaugural issue of IGW insights, we encouraged you to look back on 2023 and appreciate what you achieved. It’s critical to train ourselves to look for wins, not only because it makes us feel good but also because it is an important barometer of progress.
Gratitude is an equally important setting for the emotional ‘radar’. There is no end to coaches and experts telling us to connect with gratitude.
They are 100% correct.
Whether you make this a daily practice or only get through this once, it will have an impact. Do the following, today, at the end of the day before you hit the pillow:
Write down three things you are grateful for today
Think of one person in your life, maybe someone you work with, maybe a family member or friend. Think of a recent example of how they contributed, how they created some kind of value, for you, for your company, it can be anything. Describe the situation and describe how they created value. How they made a difference. Commit to call or email this person tomorrow, as soon after you wake up as you can, and let them know how important they are.
If you’re feelin’ adventurous, email me and let me know how that call went, and I’ll let you know how mine went. That’s right folks, I smoke my own dope.
Onward and upward,
Dan Weiss, CEO
