“You could foster happiness and add to our joy – or sow hurt and discord. It’s a choice that you make each day, each hour, and with each thought” (Cathy Marie Hake) When employees feel that they can contribute meaningfully, when they feel valued and thus feel good about themselves, they work at their best….
In previous and perhaps more stable eras, transformation in business was not that important, or seemingly so. The name of the game was securing a strong market position and retaining it. As John P Kotter notes in “The Heart of Change”, this philosophy underpinning business security was “build a big moat around a castle, keep…
Some teams feel uncomfortable making important decisions. The team members rely on the wisdom of the manager to direct them, their goals, and their targets. They wait to be told what to do and don’t plan their approach to tasks that need to be accomplished. The resultant dysfunctionality leads to necessary micro-management from the leader…
“If you are a good leader, people will respect and admire you. If you are a great leader, people will respect and admire themselves” (Unknown) Leaders that resonate with their subordinates with respect to the very essence of being human matters more than anything else along the journey into the future. The old model of…
“Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. Their goals differed, but they all had this in common: that the step was first, the road new, the vision unborrowed, and the response they received — hatred. The great creators — the thinkers, the…
“Never does the human soul appear so strong and noble as when it forgoes revenge and dares to forgive an injury” (E H Chapin) Magnanimity is not a commonly understood concept. Although many people don’t recognise the word, most grasp the meaning when it is explained and recognise it personally as an area of needed…
“A mentally strong person knows how to control their thoughts. Instead of letting them run wild, they observe their thoughts and watch them pass. They understand that their thoughts are not who they are. Instead, it’s the actions they take that form who they are. Mentally strong people will call out their thoughts on certain…
“Confidence develops when you have a deep sense that you can handle the emotional outcome of whatever you face or pursue. Another way to put it is that confidence is the felt sense of a “can-do” attitude” (Joan Rosenberg) Despite many articles from a variety of authors that suggest that growing self-confidence is as easy…
“Truly great men and women are never terrifying. Their humility puts you at ease” (Elizabeth Goudge) Comedian Groucho Marx reported one day that he had a nurse who was so arrogant about her beauty that, when she took a man’s pulse, she always subtracted ten points to compensate for what her looks did to his…
Organisational culture is self-reinforcing – it maintains itself by rewarding behaviour which is deemed to be appropriate and censures behaviour which rattles the status quo. In fact, as mentioned by Daniel Goleman in his book, “Primal Leadership”: “Leaders who wish to install widespread change need to first recognise that they’re working against a paradox –…
Being in a leadership position is not for the faint-hearted – effective leadership requires a high level of emotional intelligence and a comprehensive understanding of one’s personal value and contribution ability. Typically, leaders get to occupy their respective management positions due to one or more of the following reasons: Subject matter experts – they know…
Citizens in so many countries are frustrated and even angry. Sometimes, and in reasonably good faith, these people have gone to election polls to vote on progressive policy which hopefully address issues of inequality and greed in the past. They put their faith in the said good intentions of party leaders, only to be disillusioned…
