Leadership Is Responsibility

 

All the effective leaders I have encountered – both those I worked with and those I merely watched – knew four simple things: a leader is someone who has followers; popularity is not leadership, results are; leaders are highly visible, they set examples; leadership is not rank, privilege, titles, or money, it is responsibility. Effective leaders delegate, but they do not delegate the one thing that will set the standards. They do it.

 

Point: Don’t expect to retain the respect of your employees if you completely delegate the central function of your enterprise, whether it is healing patients or selling bonds.

 

Today’s MMM was taken entirely from the thoughts of Peter Drucker in the book, “The Leader of the Future”.

Action!

Action is the difference between an idea and results.  No idea, thought, concept or plan goes anywhere without action.  Lots of people have great ideas; few people take the required action steps to turn ideas into results.  You know how the director of a film or TV show calls out “Action” as the filming begins?  That is the step that takes a script from something on paper to a finished product, a result that we can see.  Good ideas constantly cross our minds and enter our thoughts.  We think of ways to improve things at work, how to change things with our kids, how we might make a difference in the lives of people around us.  As ideas alone they accomplish nothing.  As ideas combined with action, they create results.  The greatest of ideas goes nowhere until an action step is taken.  Make an idea turn into results.  Take action today!

Goals

Set clear goals and standards for each person.

What gets measured gets done.

--Brian Tracy

Great leadership tip!  The establishment of clear goals is so important.  They should be specific, time bound and measurable.  However, the real key is actually doing the follow up and measuring the results.  Human nature is an interesting thing.  People behave differently when they know that their actions will be monitored and measured.  For some it is a motivator, for others maybe just an obligation.  Whatever the case, what gets measured gets done.  It is just a matter of human nature.  Goals must be set, clearly communicated and then measured.

Patience

Patience is a lost art.  Unfortunately I know, I have none.  We want to be satisfied immediately.  Results and successes have to be now.  Service must be on demand.  Next day free shipping is expected.  Test scores need to be online immediately.  Order on demand has to be available.  We have no patience as a society any more.  Maybe some of us do as individuals.  We should all try to be more patience.  Here are some reminders of the fact that great things take time!

• It took 26 months to build the Eiffel Tower.
• It took Da Vinci 4 years to paint the Mona Lisa.
• It took Michelangelo 4 years to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
• It took Leo Tolstoy over 6 years to write War and Peace.
• It took around 30 years to build the Great Pyramid.
• It took over 40 years before Beethoven’s Fur Elise was performed.
• It took Noah 100 years to build the ark.

This is a tough time of year on your patience.  Try to exercise more when looking for a parking spot or waiting in a checkout line.  Be patient my friends.

Insanity

Sometimes we think that change will drive us crazy.  Actually, we often think the pain to change is greater than the pain to stay the same, but we need change to keep us from going insane.  Without change it is far too easy to fall into a rut and continuously repeat our mistakes.  Enjoy the following definitions and embrace the change to stay sane!

Webster’s Definition:

Insanity; noun

• the condition of being insane; a derangement of the mind.
• a foolish or senseless action, policy, statement,etc.

Einstein’s Definition:

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result.”

Are you always right?

Is your way the only “right way”?  Do you often think that you know the best, if not the only, way to do something?  Sometimes our egos allow us to think that we are always right.  Maybe it is when we are young, fresh with a degree in hand, and we just know that we can conquer the world.  Maybe it is when we are older and have years of experience and just know that we have already conquered the world.  Well maybe we are just wrong! 

If you believe you always know the right answer or have the right solution you are wrong.  There are a lot of ways to solve problems, create answers, produce results and settle arguments.  There is not just one way, and one person does not always know the right way.  If you tend to think you are always right or find yourself intolerant of others ideas and perspectives, you may need to step back and reconsider.  You may need to consider other viewpoints.  You should listen more open mindedly.  You should actually seek counsel instead of dictate solutions.  You should think about the meaning of the old adage…“There is more than one way to skin a cat.” 

Seldom is there just one right way to do anything.  Even when there is, one person never always knows that answer.  Your way is not the only right way.