The United States is no longer a nation of readers. We are no longer a nation of writers. We aren’t even a nation of talkers anymore. We have become a nation of shorthand communicators. The well-constructed sentence no longer holds intrinsic value because of its usefulness in communicating complex ideas. Instead, we increasingly gravitate to abbreviated forms of communication that rely on not only a syntax that may be at odds with standard English, but that use an entirely new lexicon that is rapidly infusing the ways in which we write and talk to each other. In fact, this lexicon is developing and spreading so quickly that it is arguably the fastest growing language in the world. This new language of the 21st century is not Spanish or Japanese or even standard English. The new language is called Text, and it’s sweeping the globe like a pandemic flu. Despite its shortcomings, texting is a cornerstone of contemp
Leadership is both art and science. It is a science in that specific tasks and functions can be identified and described as constituting leadership. It is an art in that how a person goes about those tasks and functions makes all the difference.
There are at least seven functions of the business leader common to most businesses:
Identify and communicate the mission, goals and objectives.
Get agreement from everyone involved that the mission, goals and objectives are worthwhile.
Determine the needed resources. Don't overreach!
Identify and find the resources. Almost all new business failures are because the resources were lacking.
Make a good plan.
Use the resources wisely.
Evaluate constantly and make necessary changes. Flex
Energy is currently the biggest cost in most businesses today. Healthcare is close behind. I want you to look at the energy source little considered in business - the energy levels of you and your people. How do you maintain and support the energy of you and your people?
I am not talking about motivation, which is great. I talking about their daily energy levels. How much energy do your people come to work with? What do you have available in the office to help them through the lag times? Everyone has these energy dips, and there are both effective ways and inneffective ways to support energy.
I have solutions. These solutions are for your people what installing solar panels would be for your physical energy cost reduction. What I teach is solutions to help your people manage their own energy better all along the day. These solutions create better energy, more clarity, and the capacity to do it at will.
Will be attending the above-mentioned conference in Minneapolis from April 30-May 2. Resume writing, career changes, returning to the corporate market after respite, traditional movivational speeches, Jesus Christ Superstar production and more. Not exactly my bag, but I will be introducing a "spiritual, philosophical, pragmatic, legalistic, small business approach" at my booth....and hope and expect such will be well received.
Ted Knight, in his new e-Book titled Leadership: What it is, How it Works and How to Make it Happen, makes the following observations about the difference between leaders and managers. He writes:
"Proverbs 29:18 tells us that where there is no vision the people perish.
Leading is not managing. Managing is focused on doing things right while leading is doing the right things. Did you ever hear the expression that someone "led everyone down the trail to the swamp"? His management was good but without direction.
Recall the joke about the airline pilot who announces over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have good news/bad news. The good news is the flight is ahead of schedule but the bad news is we don't know where we are!" Again, managing overtakes leading.
It is almost always best to make decisions at the lowest possible level because it helps to ensure
Leadership and management abilities are not always skill sets found in the same individuals.Many people subscribe to the accepted thought that if a person is a manager, or has a mangers title, that person can also lead.
This thought process has been the Achilles heel for many organizations.Unfortunately not all mangers can lead, and in fairness, not all leaders can manage.Leadership without Management does yield movement forward however it usually is fraught with pitfalls and usually leaves an organization floundering once hitting a lower plateau
The word leadership can refer to: The ability "to get people to follow voluntarily”.One of the differentiating factors between Management and Leadership is the ability to inspire. To be a leader a person’s ab
Margaret Thatcher once said that indeed consensus is the absence of leadership. In the political arena our nation is noting that the choosing of a leader hinges on a presidential candidate managing to achieve a majority of the votes cast. That means a sizable minority, nearly half of the voters, will not be part of a consensus about who should lead. By implication it also means there will be no consensus as to what steps the leader proposes. For many years this very problem has led to gridlock in Washington.
Business leaders can learn much from what is happening in the political arena. Those who lead the millions of businesses that make up the economy wrestle every day with the challenge of making decisions. There are the everyday decisions about all aspects of the business. There are longer term decisions about company policy: what should it be? And there are overarching decisions about the mission of
There is a knock on the door. It's 11 PM. You answer the door and its Inspector Jenkins and his partner Inspector Smith with the Secret Service. They inform you that they have been investigating fraudulent wire transfers made from one of your trading accounts over the last six months. Your spouse and children come to the door to see what is happening. Just as they do, Inspector Jenkins informs you that you are under arrest for making the fraudulent wire transfers, and he cuffs you. You try to explain, this must be a mistake.
Identity theft isn't about petty charges to an existing credit card. The scenario above, character fraud, occurs when someone else uses your good name to commit a crime. Medical identity theft occurs when others get medical services in your name, which can make an indelible mark on your medical records. There are millions of people that need your identity to work in the U.S., and those records get reported to the IRS,
I have noted a veritable surge in the infusion of existential philosophy, psychology and practice into almost every aspect of American life- love, law, literature, entertainment, medicine, mental health counseling, politics....etc.
Baby boomers who are re-living an "existential past" are particularly ardent adherents, as are the "twenty something" generation, children of said baby boomers.
This makes me feel as though my life's work has not been in vain....as I continue to travel the country and the world with my "optimistic, spiritual, existential yet practical" message.
I note pockets of extreme interest in this approach to life all over the midwest particularly, to wit: Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, The Dakotas, Western Illinois and Missouri. Similarly I have detected same in Latin America and The Caribbean and in parts of Asia.
Ironic, inasmuch as the philosophical roots of this movement
A question frequently asked about executive leadership trainings is why trainings? Aren't executives already knowledgeable and skilled? The answer is that of course executives are knowledgeable and skilled. They did not achieve their positions by being dummies! So why more training?
Reason # 1: new information
In today's world everything changes. Yesterday's knowledge does not apply today. This is true in any number of respects. The tax code, safety regulations, financial reporting, industry research, product development, communication/advertising technologies and health care costs would be examples. In the give and take of trainings new information and red alerts are part of the process. Training keeps the pros on their toes!
Reason #2: skills
When you are good, training helps you to keep getting better. Skills development actually accelerates. The good communicator rapidly be
