What do people look for in a leader? I believe that there are four key strengths that leaders must develop: clarity, courage, creativity, and compassion. As leaders we should develop these in connection with each other. I was thinking about this as I was leading a workshop on controlling chaos yesterday. When we are leading our way (and others' way) through difficult situations it is no time to be shy. It's not the time to sit back and wait for something to happen. It's not the time to get passive. High performance leaders make their expectations clear. They raise the bar. They look for people to give their best, speak up, and be assertive. It's easy to go over the edge, though. It's easy to fall into an extreme. Leaders do it frequently and are often portrayed in the media as strong and confident even though that occurs at the expense of other people's self-esteem and well being. Centered, high performance leaders do not lead and achieve at the expense ...
by doug smith
Over the last few weeks, a number of "things" have come up in my life that one could call challenges.
ReplyDeleteI suppose if I was the world's greatest optimist,I could look at them as opportunities.
Trust me,I would really have to have an unrealistic view of life to consider these as anything close to an opportunity.
As days mount and become weeks, the stress level I am experiencing grows as well.
As I go through my day, I am preoccupied with the impact that this stuff is having and will have on my life moving forward.
Of course, without exploring exactly what all of these things mean to me, I am creating scenarios and outcomes based on fear,False Expectations Appearing Real.
In the last few days, I have taken the bold step of not being afraid of speaking to people about these issues I am experiencing.
I am not looking for sympathy or advice.
It just seems to help to bring it out in the open.
Sunlight is a marvelous thing.
Coming out of my self imposed darkness has a calming effect.
Things always appear worse in the dark.
Not that they are not real.
They just are what they are.
Talking about them helps.
We all know that talk is cheap.
Talk without an action plan is nothing more than expelling hot air.
Still, silence is dreadfully stressful.
Things are what they are.
Deal with them.
Then,move on!
Just that easy.
Thanks for listening!