Eileen McDargh is a leadership expert, professional keynote and workshop speaker, author and consultant. Since founding McDargh Communications in 1980, Eileen has helped organizations and individuals transform the life of their business and the business of their life, through conversations that matter and connections that count.
A Key Talent | I have had my consulting practice for 35 years. As with any entrepreneurial venture, it has incredible highs and lows. I believe there are a couple of strengths, and not just one, that has kept me in this arena:
- Develop strong interpersonal skills and empathetic listening. The more I can live in the world of the people I hope to serve, the better outcomes I can create. Think of yourself as a journalist. Asking questions and then carefully listening for responses to the five questions of who, what, when, where and why? Ask people to tell you a story and feed their story back to them. The greatest loss in today’s digital age is that people do not really feel listened to.
- See yourself as a life-long learner. This means become curious about what is new, different, or unique. It means stepping back, admitting you do not know and then asking for help. The older I get, the more I know I don’t know.
- Cultivate a sense of humor. There is so much to laugh about when it comes to our selves or situations. Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. Look for “the funny”, whether in signs, in sayings, or in children. Surely God has a sense if humor when it came to creating the platypus!
My Definition Of Success | My definition is twofold: to make a positive difference in the lives of those I touch and to see life as a joyful journey. What has not so much changed as it has become deeper is the realization that everyone has a legacy—a 7-generation legacy. I might not see results now, but with the right intention, there is a ripple effect.
Principles I Live By | I value honesty, integrity, and contribution. I also would like to think that I make a conscious effort, in every day, to say thank you or make a comment about something I notice in another person. It can be as simple as tell the grocery clerk she has beautiful eyes or thanking the repairman at my gym how much I appreciate equipment that works.
The Best Advice I’ve Received | At the end of life, you will not be asked “why were you not Mother Teresa?” You will be asked, “have you been the best YOU?”
Dealing With Doubt | My newest book, Your Resiliency GPS: A Guide to Growing Through Life & Work details much of that. In a short version, know that lost is a place. We will cry, despair, beat ourselves up but then—at some time, your choice is to stay lost or to move on. Reframing is a powerful tool. Listen to the words you use. From the lost place, I reframed it as “the fertile void”. Words create our reality. Watch them
Performing At My Peak | Exercise and diet plus meditation are the keys to keeping my body and mind strong. Will I “always” perform at my peak? No, We all have off days. But I will have more of them if I didn’t consistently work out, eat health, and meditate.
Advice On Building Wealth | Do great work and serve. Money is merely the applause for doing that work. If you seek money first, I believe you will not be as “wealthy” as you could be. Live below your means. See money as “affluence” which means to flow. Don’t grasp it but give it away.
The Meaning Of Life | It is said that life is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God.
My Future Dreams And Ambitions | I would like to have more adventures—study Spanish in San Miguel de Allende, go to The Galapagos with a naturalist; hike to the “other Machu Picchu” and have my books fly off the shelf and in the hands of millions!
The Legacy I Would Like To Leave | That I left the world a little happier, brighter, and more compassionate… and that I am also remembered as being a source of comic relief.
