I work directly with the homeless. One of the common trends I see in this special population is that most have lost hope on being successful so I'm constantly spending more time trying to motivate them to create a better career path for them selves. Most come to see me with the "I just need a job any job" attitude and no desire to set more goals for themselves. 

 I once faced a communication challenge when one of my staff at a previous job was constantly calling off and coming in late. She had texted me on a Saturday calling off for her shift once again. I was unsure how to handle the situation professionally. So I reached out to my boss and asked her for advise as she had great communication skills and really knew how to address issues like the one I faced. She gave me thorough instructions on what to tell the girl and I followed her instructions. I feel like I could handle the situation better independently now due to have gained more experiences with difficult conversations. My advise to a peer in the same situation is never be shy to ask for help from a superior if needed.  

I would assure the agenda was sent out ahead of time with a message stating to respond with any questions ahead of time so they could be discussed in the meeting. Then I would use their questions to draw a conclusion on where I felt there opinions on the topic stood like what are their questions focused on what topic does this person have their attention on the most? I would then address the meeting keeping notes of who says what in response to specific topics addressed. I would also take the time to send out emails assuring that each person involved had all questions and concerns addressed and if not schedule a phone conversation or follow up meeting for one on one time to have a full understanding of the persons opinion and be sure to pay attention to what they say and try and have empathy to their opinion on the matter. 

I have experienced many great leaders with wonderful abilities to inspire and motivate myself, a team, and steak holders. I have always worked for non profit agencies I have watched my leaders push for more funding for the focused plan our team had a whole to better the lives of people in our community. They did this by analyzing data, demonstrating out comes with the data provided and  sharing all valid information with other stakeholders who had the same end goal as we did. 

My personal tip for improving my leadership skills is always asking others for their perspective on my abilities. I will frequently reach out to my boss and colleagues and ask for feed back. I am never shy to hear from others where I might need improvement. I also take all feed back professionally. I absorb what they tell me and try and put action into it immediately.