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Elements of Timeless Leadership
Great leadership is timeless, always in vogue. The world has been hungry for great leaders from time immemorial. In times of chaos and war, environmental and social upheaval, great leaders often emerge pointing the way toward peace. In times of tranquility, calm and prosperity, great leaders have emerged to maintain the systems of order and to challenge apathy. Great leadership is always popular, but in times of enormous need, how do we differentiate the great from the greedy, the strong leader from the despot? The principles are ancient and have stood the test of time. Great leaders always move out in front, establishing direction, insuring order, and providing correction and regulation as needed. Always passionate about their followers, great leaders are eager to live their lives in service to their needs. When considering highly regarded leaders throughout both world and personal history, we seem to perennially return to the analogy of the shepherd. We deem it the supreme accolade to characterize a leader as shepherd. There is much to learn about great leadership from this analogy. Through an examination of the traits and attributes, perspectives on the shepherd's approach will move us to next level leadership. 1. The shepherd recognizes the sheep are not his to do with as he pleases. He understands the sheep are not a tool, a means to an end, but a resource charged to his care. He is empowered, entrusted by another; responsible, and answerable to one who has greater authority. As an effective leader, he understands not only what it means to be a leader, but what it means to follow as well. Understanding and acceptance of the cycle cultivates and reinforces character. 2. The sheep hear, recognize and follow the voice of their shepherd. People naturally navigate to the familiar. Trust develops with experience gained in relationships. We have often heard that familiarity breeds contempt, but it also breeds trust and, with time and consistency, strengthens expectations. 3. The shepherd knows the sheep intimately and is able to call each by name. Shepherds use a system of sounds, clicks and hisses to call the sheep, slightly different for each of the sheep in the flock and every sheep knows and responds to the specific sound which is his. Consistent caring proximity is always recognized and always produces results. Relationship is the key there is no such thing as an absentee shepherd. 4. The shepherd always leads the sheep into the safest, most beneficial conditions available and always away from harm. Strategically, he goes out before them, out of harm, into safety but always maintaining the lead. He never expects the sheep to move into circumstances he is not willing to withstand among them, rather always expecting more of himself than he would of those in his charge. 5. The shepherd is willing to put the immediate needs and well-being of the sheep before his own, often at great personal risk. The well-being of those entrusted to him is paramount to the shepherd. This singularity of purpose encourages his decisions to be always grounded in integrity. The shepherd is prepared to lay down his life both literally and figuratively. 6. There is a difference between a hired hand and a shepherd. A hired hand is motivated by compensation. A shepherd has a deep and committed interest in the sheep. He is one who is responsible for what is not his - - by his own choice. And his relationship is characterized by longevity and consistent presence, with or without significant compensation. The shepherd is at all times ready to lay down his life for the sheep. How much more the leader for the people entrusted to him. People are a sacred trust and serving them is an awesome commission. The true shepherd understands the critical difference between power, often stolen and generally imposed oppressively upon the unsuspecting, and authority, which speaks of responsibility and answerability to a higher power. The picture is a simple one, possibly too unsophisticated for the best business schools. But as we turn to the simple, we find that common sense, in its crystal clarity, is at its base, and as Victor Hugo observed, "common sense is in spite of, not as a result of education." Hopefully that is changing, so we will turn out a generation of leaders who are both educated and wise, simple and passionately dedicated. Copyright 2005 So-lu'shunz Management Services Karin Syren is a certified coach specializing in EffectivenessCoaching, with a concentration on issues facing women in leadership. Karin has helped leaders at all levels to clearly identify issues facing them, coaching them through the steps to gaining, regaining & maintaining control of the intense demands and transitions facing them. She offers guidance in discovering mission, creating vision and designing goals, increasing effectiveness through increased awareness. Visit her website to take a sample of her unique Personal Awareness Questionnaire at http://www.solushunz.com
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Coaching Why Not Lead With Emotions? Studies have shown that companies that have acquired competencies to lead with emotional excellence are far more productive and efficient because of the impact emotional excellence has on employee morale, loyalty, retention and overall performance of the organization to name a few. What Every Manager Should Know About How to See the Talents of Effective Leaders An organization of any size, from the family to the department store, the neighborhood grocery store to the largest international corporations, is a reflection of its leadership. The Three Essential Attributes of a Leader: (Part 2) Bringing Others to the Vision We need to engage our listeners and transform them into excited, willing and committed supporters of the vision - for the duration of delivery! How to Become a Great Leader & Improve Your Leadership Skills A great leader is able to inspire his/her workers to work harder. Instead of firing workers, great leaders know how to fire his/her worker up to do their best. Leaders Click It? Into Gear! "Click It" Into Gear! Leadership and Change in a Holographic Universe Have you ever noticed that since the early part of the 20th century, nearly every new scientific theory manages to sound more and more like the same sort of metaphysical philosophies science once dismissed? Well, it's happening again and this time our views on the structure of the universe, the power of human consciousness and even the nature of reality itself are being challenged by a startling new finding: that many hard to explain events and scientific puzzles become suddenly clear and easily understood if we consider that everything we see and experience around us is not in fact a physical reality, but rather our own interpretation of an infinitely large, dynamic and multidimensional hologram, constructed by and interpreted through our own consciousness. Leadership Tips From My Dad Lee (L.B.) Weiss (Sept. 21/25 April 30/82) Communication Skills & Leadership - Organizational Communications Processes in Leadership Activity "Sooth 't were a pleasant life to lead, With nothing in the world to do But just to blow a shepherd's reed, The silent season thro' And just to drive a flock to feed,- Sheep - quiet, fond and few!" - Laman Blanchard What Does Exceptional Business Success Require of Us? To excel in business we need conscious command of all our faculties, mind, body and heart to ensure our work/life balance. Then we can seize the moment of opportunity and create exceptional results. Leadership Lessons from Pope John Paul II "Heroes are rebels with a cause. Rebels because they challenge the traditional ways of thinking and refuse to follow the herd. They have a cause, a vision, that's larger than life." - Sharif Khan, author of Psychology of the Hero Soul Leadership - L.P.B It! "Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things, but the absence of vision." - Anonymous The Greatest Leaders Are Often The Worst Leaders It's a common occurrence, a CEO leads a company to record earnings, retires and in months, those once high-flying earnings are dropping like shot ducks. Would Socrates Be A Celebrity Today? Last week, as I was standing in the checkout line of my local grocery store, I found myself staring at the dozen or so magazines on display. As I gazed upon the various photos and headlines praising or trashing the celebrity du jour, I got to thinking. Act on Some of the Facts Making any decision without having all of the information and facts beforehand can be very tough. I spoke with a young man recently and he told me that some of his professors had changed the rules on him in the administration of his classes. The syllabuses of a couple of his classes had been altered, which switched exam dates. He was also notified of these changes after the semester's grace period. The grace period in which he could get his tuition money back after dropping a course had passed. Because of the changes, he would have two to three exams on one day. Leadership and The Dirty Work The airline, Jet Blue, has been featured in many magazines as a new company that has hard great results and success so far. A lot too has been mentioned about the challenges they face ahead and about the culture they created at the start and are working hard to foster now. One of the many things that sets Jet Blue apart is their focus on teamwork. Here's one example. They have no cleaning crews - every employee on the flight (including pilots and those not working but on the flight) cleans up the plane. This saves time and money - both things very important to any business. Dont be Afraid to Lead! In most aspects of human activity, the pendulum of fashion swings back and forth between extremes, passing briefly through the point of balance on every swing. Leadership Prep So you want to be a leader? Or you want to be a better leader? It can be done, you know. No matter where you are in your leadership journey, you CAN move forward. You CAN lead better. You CAN lead more people. You CAN lead your organization to higher ground. Trust - The Most Vital Component in Leadership "Trust is the emotional glue that binds followers and leaders together." 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! Building Future Leaders As a whole we spend a lot of time filling our minds with various forms of self-improvement.
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