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The Tao of Leadership
There can be no doubt that the ancient author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao-Tzu, was a man of unique wisdom whose writings continue to influence people of different backgrounds and faiths. Many leaders then and now get wrapped up in selfish ambition. They would do well to listen to what Lao-Tzu had to say on the subject of leadership. There are several English translations of the Tao Te Ching available on-line. The following selections are from a translation by C. Ganson. Leaders Work Humbly Leaders should not seek power or status; people will not then crave power or status. If scarce goods are not valued highly, people will have no need to steal them. If there is nothing available to arouse passion, people will remain content and satisfied. The truly wise do lead by instilling humility and open-mindedness, by providing for fair livelihoods, by discouraging personal ambition, by strengthening the bone-structure of the people. The wise avoid evil and radical reform; thus the foolish do not obstruct them. They work serenely, with inner quiet. In my involvement in scouting, I have certainly observed humble leadership. Although some of us enjoy getting up in front of people and receiving occasional recognition for our efforts, there are many more people who prefer simply to stay in the background. Without such people, most scout units would not survive. Unfortunately, humbleness is perhaps a little less common in the business world. Corporate managers should definitely take notice. Also, I think it is good advice for leaders to avoid radical reform. This is especially true in an organization where the leadership tends to change fairly quickly. This is certainly true in Cub Scouts where the leadership tends to change whenever a new set of boys graduate into Boy Scouts and their parents move on too. When new leaders take over, it is tempting to want to make radical changes to try to rectify past problems. However, this may create unexpected tension with other leaders who may not share the vision of the new people. I have seen this situation in scouting and in my corporate experience as well. A new manager who immediately begins making changes before having established a raport with his/her employees will not garner a lot of respect. The Best Leader The best leaders, the people do not notice. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate. If you have no faith, people will have no faith in you, and you must resort to oaths. When the best leader's work is done the people say: "We did it ourselves!" Good leaders don't try to do it all themselves. They delegate. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to get enough people who are willing to take on responsibilities of a leadership position, especially in volunteer organizations. However, it is much easier to get people to agree to help with small things. There are many people who are willing to help, but just don't want a long term committment. Official leaders should not overlook the contribution that such people can make. Furthermore, good leaders don't try to take all the credit. Imagine if a scout leader took all the credit for everything their boy scouts or girl scouts did. It would be unthinkable! Although we may guide and assist them along in their activities and achievements, we want them to always proudly proclaim "We did it ourselves!" So, why do some managers seem to want to take all the credit in the business world? Employees who have a strong sense of accomplishment will certainly be happier and more productive. As a result, the organization will thrive and so will the manager. The author, Greg Bonney, is the owner of Bonney Information and E-Commerce and founder of Scoutcamping.com (http://www.scoutcamping.com). Copyright © 2005 Bonney Information and E-Commerce.
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Coaching Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain! As the 'Great And Powerful Oz' once said to Dorothy, "Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain!" and as you know, appearances can be deceiving they are also one of the first things people judge others by. For instance, you recall the old saying 'Never Judge A Book By Its Cover?' well guess what we still do! People or Objects? - - You Decide "How you think determines how you act. How you act, in turn, determines how others react to you." The Seven Mistakes to Avoid when Organising Your Student Leadership Program How do you measure the success of a training or teaching program? There are many measures you can use including; focusing on learning outcomes, behavioural change, student engagement and even efficiency of delivery. Character Traits of Extraordinary Leaders When people make a decision (either consciously or unconsciously) to follow your leadership, they do it primarily because of one of two things: Your Character or your Skills. They want to know if you are the kind of person they want to follow and if you have the skills to take them further. Yes, there are other variables but these are the bulk of the matter. This week we focus on the kind of character that causes people to follow your leadership. C4 Leadership: Taking Your Leadership (and your Life) from Good...To Explosive! Chances are if you are interested in this post, you are looking for a few tips to take your leadership and/or your life, up a notch or two. Read on for a few things that have really helped me make my leadership more explosive after first defining what C4 is. Visions of Leadership There are three stages to making the transition from chief cook and bottle washer (CC&BW) to CEO (source of the management and direction of the business). Father Knows Best A good strong example of a family leader would be Joshua in the Bible. He was a true spiritual leader and a strong man of God. He was not one to let the circumstances of the outside world convince him of defeat. Because of his strong leadership and convictions, everyone looked up to him as a father figure. Everyone but him and a few others were cut short and fell in the wilderness journey because they would not obey and follow God's instructions. Even today we still fall short of who we will serve. Idols have been and still are a major downfall in our success and failures. That is why Joshua told the people to choose whom they would serve. If they chose to serve the idols that their father's served, then they should be prepared for God's wrath. But, his advice was, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Josh. 24:15 Leadership: 9 Universal Laws 1. The Law of Authoritarian Style Stepping Into Leadership and Being The Source Of Your Success Why is it that we often wait until we have achieved a level of success in network marketing before we feel as though we have earned the right to step into a leadership role? Leadership is NOT a position you acquire as a result of having achieved a certain volume or compensation plan position. It is a place you come from as a declaration that guides your decisions and actions. When you are the source of everything that shows up in your life and in your business, your actions will be in sync with this self-declared leadership role. Effective Leaders are (#1) Conceptual SEE INTO THE FUTURE CREATIVELY AND PRACTICALITY: Planning day-to-day is obviously important, but a good leader must be able to see the long-range picture, to know the history of the organization and have a sense of the direction in which it is traveling. Effective leaders always have the long-range picture in mind as they plan laterally. Charismatic Leadership What motivates people to work and to achieve? What circumstances create an environment in which some people achieve and others do not? Does motivation come from within or does it come from others - from leaders or managers? Can you motivate the un-motivated? Does it have to involve money? Why is it that some work teams achieve and others do not? Is it that the better work unit has better people? If this is so, then does that mean that the better work unit would succeed whether they were led or not? Is leadership the same as management or is leadership a part of management? Are managers and leaders the same? Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 2, Multiple Conversations Side conversations ruin meetings by destroying focus and fragmenting participation. A Good Leader Knows The Teams Colours Leadership can be a very challenging task. As leaders we don't always get to choose who is on our team. In fact very often a leader inherits a team, of which most of the members have been there far longer than the leader, and may even know more about the work than the leader. Whatever the situation, one of the responsibilities of a leader is to motivate the team to all work together towards the common goal. This can be a daunting challenge. So often the team is comprised of very diverse members, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and work styles. The team dynamics are also often complicated by internal disagreements and personal conflicts. The leader, not only has work with this group of people, but also needs to achieve the results expected by their superiors. 3 Elements of Leadership Power! In an article discussing the need for innovative products and profitable service offerings, Vinutha V., points out that, "improvements are only the expected results, not the source of competitive advantage. Improved product development through innovation arises from the knowledge and experience of employees." [Source: The Financial Express - appearing in ZDNetIndia News] The Four Laws Of Leadership (Part Two) In Part One, I described the laws of motivation. In Part Two, I'll examine the laws in more detail. A Leader?s Ultimate Goal Connect to Engage! Connect and Engage! Your People Are Your Power. Are You a Good Manager or a Great Leader? Your word is your truth - Know that when you speak, you will fulfill your promise to others and others will know they can depend on you. Think before you speak. Under promise and over deliver. Always keep your promise. Leadership: Wisdom of the Ages If you gather 100 experienced leaders together to share with you their most important secrets for success, you probably wouldn't hear a lot of academic theory or jargon. Instead, this is a good idea of what you'd hear: Abe Lincoln: An Extraordinary Leader Perhaps noted as one of the greatest United States presidents of all time, Abraham Lincoln's early life may not have reflected his potential greatness. He failed in business. He lost election to the state legislature, Speaker of the House, nomination for Congress, appointment of land officer, U.S. Senate twice and nomination for Vice President. After those eight major failures, Lincoln was elected President of the United States. How many of us would have kept going like Lincoln did? None of Us Arrived with an Owners Manual: A Fresh Perspective on the Drive to Lead (part 2) Why did not I get an Owner's Manual
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