Trade Up! 5 Skills for Redesigning Your Leadership & Life from the Inside Out

photo credit: craig neal

photo credit: craig neal


What is the compelling future that is worthy of my life? What is the compelling future that leads me to want to 'Trade Up'"? These are just two questions that pioneer and author Rayona Sharpnack left us with at the end of a most engaging conversation.

Listen here: http://www.hipcast.com/playweb?audioid=P52018f800871402b01c09c8e3cdcac9aYFh9R1REYGB9&buffer=5&shape=6&fc=FFFFFF&pc=666666&kc=009900&bc=CCCCCC&brand=1&player=ap26

Speaking to her new book, Trade Up! 5 Skills for Redesigning Your Leadership & Life from the Inside Out, Rayona began with another profound question: "For the sake of what?" For Rayona, it is for the sake of leaving the world a better place than she found it.

It's for living into a life filled with grace and ease and flow, as a path for herself, and a model for others.

The question for each of us is: for the sake of what do I want to enter the inquiry that begins the journey of trading up? If you consider that life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of what you do with it, then the context begins to focus on what you do with it.

Rayona invited us to move forward, toward manifesting our visions and being a catalyst for others, but with the following context of leadership: that the only time leadership is relevant is when it's time to change the status quo. And that change happens best in community: that a leader has listened, and then speaks and evokes action around a compelling future. Not THE compelling future, but a future that has been co-created, which creates engagement, empowerment, fulfillment for those participating.

For some of us on the call tonight, we began "trading up" as we listened to Rayona's words and intention. Many thanks to Rayona for her generosity of spirit and courage to bring forth her book, and continue to be in the world as a pioneer for transformation.