Leadership
The tutor went to the sage and said, €I have to deal with a man who has a strange and depraved disposition. How is one to deal with such a man? Indeed, Master, what should I do?€ The sage responded, €The first thing you must do is not try to improve him. Instead, it is best to first improve yourself.€ ~ Ancient Chinese Proverb
Whether in ancient China or today's fast-paced business world, this kernel of wisdom holds true. In order to become leaders who can develop and improve what is outside of us, we must first develop and improve what is inside.
On Leadership is an inside-out game. A good leader is one who has learned to manage his thoughts, words and actions in ways that create productive and mutually fulfilling work relationships. Good leaders teach, not by words alone, but by precept and example.
It is the practice of precept and example that exemplifies the mission for the team. It makes the mission visible and, therefore, achievable.
Lee Iacocca once said that he spends a few hours every Sunday evening planning for the coming week so that Monday morning he can €hit the ground running€. He went on to say, €I've always found that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team€. Iacocca knew that his behavior set the precedent for everyone else in the company.
My Life is My Message
Self-discipline is the basis for self-management/ self development. However, if that were all there was to it, it would be a highly visible, yet dreary and rigid matter. Fortunately, it is not.
The discipline we're referring to becomes an invisible part of a multi-colored fabric, which reveals itself over time as a subtle yet powerful continuity of design. If one were to step back and view the pattern as a whole, one would see the leader's vision in action.
At the heart of self-management is the realization that €my life represents my great and only real work of art€. This awareness that €my life is, in fact, my message€ leads to a conscious commitment to excellence and integrity, honesty and dignity as a way of life.
This audacious leap in thinking and commitment, transforms our mundane daily activities into a message of meaning. When we realize that our daily actions reveal a living example of our vision it transforms our life. Each day becomes lit with purpose.
At this point, self-management dissolves into the background and the quality of our words and deeds shines forth. If life were like a bolt of fabric, the total effect of the whole would be greater than the sum of the individual threads. A life lived consciously as its own message is a life worth living.
This personal leadership formula is pivotal for success because if our life is our message, it must be congruent with our mission. Indeed, we must manage ourselves well before we can hope to manage others well, for €as within, so without!€
The tutor went to the sage and said, €I have to deal with a man who has a strange and depraved disposition. How is one to deal with such a man? Indeed, Master, what should I do?€ The sage responded, €The first thing you must do is not try to improve him. Instead, it is best to first improve yourself.€ ~ Ancient Chinese Proverb
Whether in ancient China or today's fast-paced business world, this kernel of wisdom holds true. In order to become leaders who can develop and improve what is outside of us, we must first develop and improve what is inside.
On Leadership is an inside-out game. A good leader is one who has learned to manage his thoughts, words and actions in ways that create productive and mutually fulfilling work relationships. Good leaders teach, not by words alone, but by precept and example.
It is the practice of precept and example that exemplifies the mission for the team. It makes the mission visible and, therefore, achievable.
Lee Iacocca once said that he spends a few hours every Sunday evening planning for the coming week so that Monday morning he can €hit the ground running€. He went on to say, €I've always found that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team€. Iacocca knew that his behavior set the precedent for everyone else in the company.
My Life is My Message
Self-discipline is the basis for self-management/ self development. However, if that were all there was to it, it would be a highly visible, yet dreary and rigid matter. Fortunately, it is not.
The discipline we're referring to becomes an invisible part of a multi-colored fabric, which reveals itself over time as a subtle yet powerful continuity of design. If one were to step back and view the pattern as a whole, one would see the leader's vision in action.
At the heart of self-management is the realization that €my life represents my great and only real work of art€. This awareness that €my life is, in fact, my message€ leads to a conscious commitment to excellence and integrity, honesty and dignity as a way of life.
This audacious leap in thinking and commitment, transforms our mundane daily activities into a message of meaning. When we realize that our daily actions reveal a living example of our vision it transforms our life. Each day becomes lit with purpose.
At this point, self-management dissolves into the background and the quality of our words and deeds shines forth. If life were like a bolt of fabric, the total effect of the whole would be greater than the sum of the individual threads. A life lived consciously as its own message is a life worth living.
This personal leadership formula is pivotal for success because if our life is our message, it must be congruent with our mission. Indeed, we must manage ourselves well before we can hope to manage others well, for €as within, so without!€
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