Here is a nice reminder not to let others define you… http://acculturated.com/daily-scene/10-painful-rejection-letters-to-famous-people-proving-you-should-never-give-up-your-dreams-distractify/

Kouzes and Posner write about about it in The Leadership Challenge. Warren Bennis writes about it in On Becoming a Leader… the reality that effective leaders are learners. I find myself though, not only in need of learning, but also relearning. I am frequently reminded of the lessons I’ve learned and forgotten. Little things like always check my junk mail file because invariably, something important is in there, or something more impactful, like keeping  tabs on how tired or stressed I am so I don’t over-react to people. Today my relearning involved being mindful of what I am communicating. Not so much the words, but how and what I am emphasizing. As a leader what I emphasize becomes what the organization emphasizes. I’m praying I’ll be a leader whose communication emphasizes the importance of our  organization staying  focused on the energizing and creative ways it  can accomplish its mission.