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Incites: a
newsletter for Leaders from Terry Power
Welcome to the third edition of ‘insights’. Thank you in advance for
passing this along to anyone interested in educating leaders whether this
be insights for your children, your staff or for yourself. This newsletter
is in three parts; hindsight, in-site and foresight. Enjoy!
Hindsight
In case I might use it.
Keeping magazines, articles or ‘useful’ stuff in case some day you may
need it is a trap that often works to your detriment rather than
advantage. Knowing that you have that ‘piece’ ‘article’ or other item
somewhere causes you to spend inordinate amounts of time looking for it.
If you know you’ve given it away or thrown it out, you resolve to using
something else or going and getting it directly.
Give it away. Clothes is
a wonderful example of hanging onto something you no longer need. If you
haven’t worn it in 12 months, chances are you’re never going to where it.
The solution is to clear your closet periodically, your filing cabinet and
your draws and be ruthless in the process.
Focus on just a few things.
Of the myriad of possible things we can put on our to do list only a
handful will give us the results we want. Finding and focusing on those
few things can have a significantly positive impact on our productivity.
Communicate with intent.
Too often we speak without giving thought to the impact of what we say.
Particularly before entering into a potentially hostile situation. A
little time spent preparing some possible scenarios can lessen the
possibility of stress.
Red ink mentality. When I
was at school most of my teachers seemed to get perverse pleasure from
defacing all my work with dark red admonishments, which only served to
deepen my resentment and find ways to antagonise their authority. This
same thinking pervades many corporations and organizations with similar
results. For most people, a focus on what is working, what they are doing
right, reaps more satisfactory results.
Insight
Following on from last weeks ‘In-site’ and the first three guide posts
for leaders wanting to navigate the future are the last four guideposts:
Guidepost #4 Be truthful. As well being attentive to the deception
that’s out there, we must be truthful to ourself. In these times of rapid
change our integrity base must remain constant. A mountain among the winds
of change, changeless at the core. Only through our integrity can we
expect to gain and maintain the trust of our followers and others.
Guidepost #5 Emergence of a global culture. Assimilation is inevitable.
The day of the Net has arrived. Through cyberspace the physical boundaries
of sea, land and air are being surmounted at an unprecedented rate - at
the click of a button. As a result cultures will merge, new currencies
will appear and colonised cyberspace will rule. Make no mistake, an
underestimation of the future is inexorable. Flexibility is the key. Waltz
with the web, bounce with broadband and get comfortable with cyberspace.
Guidepost #6 The demise of the expert. The complexity and rapidity of a
changing future defies the existence of experts. This is not to say that
people of expertise will not be valued. They will. It is those with
expertise - not the expert - who seeks to teach and foster curiosity that
will earn the respect of their followers. These are the worthy attributes
of the future. Approach with caution those who claim to be ‘the expert’ in
the field. Look not for the new, but rather the old with new enthusiasm.
Guidepost #7 The past rising beyond the future. Humanity has already
experienced three profound social changes – the Agricultural Revolution,
the Industrial Revolution and now the Information Revolution. The future
will bring a fourth – the Humanity revolution. In times of such constant
and rapid change, the human factor will again rise to be heard. People
will recognise that all change is not progress, nor is it forward. And a
fundamental need, indeed craving, is the touch of a warm hand and not the
coldness of a computer keyboard. As leaders we have a responsibility not
to loose sight of that.
Guideposts are just that – guides. They carry no power to direct, only
humans themselves are endowed with the power of choice. Guides can beguile
us but ultimately some responsibility rests upon us as leaders to take up
the torch and carry it forward toward a better world. The future is an
exciting place to contemplate, and well it should be, for we are all going
to spend the rest of our life there.
Foresight
Ever
noticed things don’t always go the way you want? The contract doesn’t come
through, the report is late, the accountant was wrong ‘sorry, you do
owe money’. Like everything in life you have a choice how you respond to
this. With dismay, disappointment, disapproval. Not responses that will
help your cause. In fact you could end up feeling worse. I have an idea
for you that I must attribute to my fifteen year old daughter Monique.
Whenever she receives a disappointment she responds with a nonchalant,
nonsensical ‘sound’ that seems to convey the meaning perfectly. I call it
the Monique SMMa Difficult to put into writing
it is really a short S an elongated M followed
by a short, soft a; SMMa.
Try it, I think you’ll be surprised how cathartic it can be.
About
the author
Terry
has built numerous businesses, he understands how to help people be their
best and what it takes to lead a company to success and profitably. He
cuts right to the core issues that are important to you and shows your
people what works, what doesn't and why. He artfully blends content-rich
presentations with an entertaining and motivating style that inspires,
motivates and leads people to action. When
Terry
presents you learn in an enjoyable and fun way while learning practical,
immediately applicable skills that impact your bottom line. Your people
will gain a fresh perspective from real-world material for real-world
results.
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