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Practical Strategies to Help You Become a More Effective Leader
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Who hasn’t grabbed a napkin to jot down a note when nothing else was available?
But did you capture memorable lines like these?
It’s exciting, isn’t it, when we stumble across crumpled notes that have been lodged in our wallet for years … to discover timeless gems that we may have forgotten?
John Wooden, the famed UCLA basketball coach, always carried a crumpled note which bore the words written by his father on Wooden’s high school graduation:
“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day. Pray for guidance, count and give thanks for your blessings every day.”
Simple. Clear. Unequivocal.
Have a seat and start sipping on that delicious mug of amnesia.
You can down more than one of these if you need it.
We just concluded a three-day Labor Day weekend and just maybe we had a few too many burgers, dogs and mugs of adult beverages over the holiday?
After all that practice with adult beverages, maybe it’s time to sober up with an even more powerful adult beverage.
How About a Mug of Amnesia?
No calories. Low carbs. Non fat … AND loaded with the protein you need to turbocharge your organization.
Among many things, the Special Forces are famous for this credo: Leave No One Behind.
How does that apply to your leadership?
The Navy SEALS are famous for many things, but one of their credos we often hear about is Leave No Man Behind. (We’ll give them a pass on the single sex reference since women were not allowed in military combat roles until January, 2016.)
This concept is often attributed to the elite U.S. Army Rangers, who have this language as part of their creed:
“I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy.”
Similar language can be found in the Soldier’s Creed – “I will never leave a fallen comrade” – as well as the Airman’s Creed – “I will never leave an Airman behind.”
The Latin version, nemo resideo, is even the motto of the Marine Corps’ Personnel Retrieval and Processing Company, the team charged with retrieving the remains of fallen service members from the battlefield.
For them that means, at all costs, do not leave a fallen comrade on the field. Bring him or her home even at great risk to yourself.
Footnote: After 18 months, the first woman enlisted to become a Navy SEAL this past summer. So, it’s time to change the mantra to “Leave No Man or Woman Behind.” I would love to tell her story, but her identity and training progress are, so far, confidential to protect the candidate’s personal security and “career viability as a future special operator”.
Are You Hoarding or Sharing Information?
More importantly, what does your team think you’re doing?
When I began my business career in the 1970s, the word “transparency” was not in the business lexicon.
You knew what you were told … and you were told what someone thought you needed to know … but it was unlikely that you’d hear much about where the company was going or your role in it.
Prior to starting my own company in the early 1980’s, I can’t recall a single company-wide meeting at any of the companies where I worked … or any general discussion of the company’s performance or strategy.
What Would We Get If We Asked Everyone Who Writes About Leadership To Offer Up A Definition?
Probably need a new wing in the library of congress, don’t you think?
For some, it’s everything and anything that has to do with influencing others.
It’s communication.
It’s achieving accountability.
For others, it’s a body of work built around values and character and timeless qualities of integrity, passion, respect, et. al.
Do you have a definition that works for you?
I am a leadership coach and a professional author and speaker, facilitating leadership groups among CEOs and senior business leaders in the SF Bay area.
I am the author or more than 125+ newspaper columns published by the SF Bay affiliate of the NY Times among the 500+ articles here. I have also written 3 ebooks about Leadership & Business Finance.
I have been married forever to a beautiful woman and have one spectacular daughter who has dedicated her life to helping children with life-threatening illnesses. Read more ….
If you're a fan of the Mystery-Thriller-Suspense genre, you can enjoy a little diversion and dive into some of the great reads you'll find here. I intend to stimulate your discovery of the good, the bad and the only genre where a ranch breakfast is a steel metal jacket dipped in cordite. Have fun!
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