Here we are at the end of the tenth month of the year; a year that many of us would like to be over now!

October has seen a lot of action around elections with many candidates in both the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland sprucing up for re-election. A fortnight ago the ACT community returned Andrew Barr to lead a Labor/Greens government for the next four years.  This weekend we will see who will be successful in the QLD polls. 

However, with social media and thanks to many being homebound, we are probably seeing much more about the US elections than many of us have ever seen before.  Having spent time in the US during the previous Obama campaign and the last Trump campaign, I have to say election fever is real.  What we see is nothing compared to being in the midst of it all! 

With two candidates, Trump and Biden, vying for US Presidency it has me thinking about what kind of leaders should we follow?  What type of leader do I want to be? And what type of leaders do I want to stand beside?  These are questions that I am sure we ask ourselves often and each time we may come up with different answers. 

When we speak, many people listen; some people might agree with us and other people might mock us.  But each of us will have a different message to deliver. We will have different causes to support, but most of all we will all believe that we are doing and saying what is right for us. 

However, we should also think about our words carefully because those words will come back to us in many forms.  Whether they are used against us or used to celebrate us.

I’m sure there are many statements that have been said about both Trump and Biden that we will remember in the years to come.  So remember, words are powerful and once said they are out there and cannot be taken back.

As leading motivational speaker and author, Brian Tracy, says  

“The true test of leadership is how well you function in a crisis."

So if you ever find yourself in a crisis, put your leadership skills to the test and turn the crisis into an opportunity for success.  Lead from the front, bring others along with you and let's all nurture success in all that we do.

Robyn Forester

IMAGE: Rohan Thompson, Canberra Times