Leadership

This post from John Maxwell is a great reminder that nothing great was ever accomplished until someone (or something) started.  Enjoy! ******************* Do you want to be a success? As you know, many obstacles can keep even a highly-motivated person from succeeding. But today I want to talk about the ONLY obstacle that will ALWAYS keep us from success: Not starting. Starting is the Great Separator. It separates… The doers from the do-nots, The haves from the have-nots, The winners from the whiners, and The successful from the unsuccessful. If a desire were enough, then everyone would be a success. But success is like a book, and starting and finishing are the front and back covers. Until you open that front cover, you can’t experience anything from the pages within. So how do you get started? 1.   Start with Yourself. If you’ve ever flown on an airplane, you’ve heard the…

I came across this quote from Michelangelo, the great Italian artist, about how he approached his art:  “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” All great musicians hear the music before they write the music. All great film makers can see the movie before they start shooting. All great leaders see the potential within those they lead. Jesus looked at Simon -- the impetuous one who walked on water only to sink in doubt -- and changes his name to "the Rock", also known as Peter. You might be surrounded by angels and not know it if you can't see it first.

How do you motivate people?  If you are a parent, how do you inspire your child to tackle greater challenges?  If you are a boss, how do you get employees to produce consistent results? While there are many answers to the question of motivation, I'd like to focus on just one: belief.  Not belief in terms of a "set of beliefs" or dogmas or even convictions. But belief in this sense: people want someone to believe in and they want someone to believe in them. Children desperately need someone to believe in. They need someone to look up to.  They need someone who will model for them the right values.  They crave consistency. As they grow up in a world that is constantly changing they also need a steady presence that will reassure them, console them, even confront them when necessary.  In short, when they go through a season of…

Here are tips on improving your attention span from a recent Harvard Business Review article.  If you've already stopped reading, then this is especially for you. 1.Do the most important thing first every morning, without interruptions, for at least 60 to 90 minutes. It's the ideal way to take charge of your agenda, and get the most challenging work done, with the highest efficiency. 2.Chunk your email, meaning answer it in batches, rather than continuously through the day. Set aside at least some periods where you turn it off altogether. 3.Take short breaks through the day — 2 to 3 minutes at first — to close your eyes and practice quieting your mind. Breathe in through your nose to a count of three and out through your mouth to a count of six. The more relaxed you become, the easier it is to focus and the stronger your attentional control…

Here's an interesting article about introverted leadership over at the Wharton blog.