Preparing for Leadership. Preparing Adventure
My next adventure takes me to Palermo, the capital of Sicily. My friend sits on the board of the Chamber orchestra of New York. The conductor is of Sicilian origin and is opening a piece at the Palermo Opera House. She knows I’m always up for an adventure and generously invited me to join her.
The opera house makes a cameo appearance in the hit HBO Show “White Lotus,” also set in Sicily this season. In Episode 4, Tom Hollander’s character (Quentin) takes Jennifer Coolidge (Tanya) to a performance of “Madame Butterfly.” We see her walk into the Teatro Massimo in her Alberta Ferretti hooded gown.
I’m planning to see at 3 sites featured in the series. I alsosay planning for an adventure is not dissimilar to how I plan for leadership. The four parallels as I’m packing for Sicily:
Think about the outcome:
My Samita Lab Mastermind kicks off Jan 21st. Its, by far, the largest group I’ve led and facilitated. It’s also a huge responsibility.
I’m protecting my headspace as I enter 2023. How can I come to each 2-hour intensive with complete presence of mind and creative ideas? I arrive a few days earlier than my friend and plan to be alone with my thoughts. Journal and walk.
Assess my fears:
I’m not 20 anymore. I’m 50. I’m more tired. Rather than use up energy trying to find places I’ve hired help to bring me to the 3 places I wish to see. (The winery, the Greek Theater and the town of Taormina). I’ve joined a “We are Palermo” Facebook group to ask questions ahead of time.
Survey the landscape.
Temperatures will be a high of 59 degrees during the day. 44 at night. This impacts which coat I bring.
Major activities will include site seeing, dinners and the opera. This impacts the clothes I pack.
Italians take pride in their dress style. This means “just jeans” won’t suffice.
I also suffer from MAJOR street style FOMO. I would arrive at a destination and stare longingly at a woman wearing a fabulous bag. That women wearing a fantastic cape. That woman wearing fashionable boots. The collateral damage? I wasn’t being present. I travelled thousands of miles, only to think about mycloset in New York, wishing I had brought this or that. To avoid this, I now prepare weeks in advance. Once my plane tickets are booked, I review Youtube channels with cameras trained on the streets of major cities. The end user can see first hand what the “Street style is in_________” (insert city). No more guesswork on the culture and the “uniforms” in Rome, Paris, Milan — -and Sicily.
Take stock of my values. I explain why this is important in this video AND then explain how I am packing for Sicily.
I made this video to explain how I am packing.
I have a Mastermind that is 12 months and is for women leaders looking to build a personal brand in 2023. Take this 4 minute quiz and let me know www.howinfluentialami.com
