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You searched for the string: "Model stamina and discipline" found 10 results
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LEADERSHIP: COACHING AND SELF-COACHING
published: 2009-01-03
Think of your favourite sporting figure! Who's their coach? Call to mind how they watch each play or shot – then gently (often almost invisibly) send a message: to relax, focus, push harder or whatever’s necessary. It's powerful stuff.
LEADERSHIP: IT MAY BE O.K. TO BE A WORKAHOLIC
published: 2008-04-07
There are times when we stretch ourselves to breaking point. On top of our regular commitments, a parent gets ill, a child’s in trouble, a project goes pear-shaped. For short periods, it’s possible. We push to extreme; then, re-balance.
LEADERSHIP: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
published: 2008-03-17
The article, "The Making of an Expert" (HBR July-August 2007), is worth reading if only for one line: experts are always made, not born. And, as the authors stress, this is as true for business leaders as sportspeople, scientists and artists. But how? Years of "practicing intensively"; focusing on "tasks beyond your current level of competence and comfort"; and, having a coach not only to guide you but "help you learn how to coach yourself."
LEADERSHIP: WHAT THE HELL IS AUTHENTIC?
published: 2008-03-03
"Discovering Your Authentic Leadership" (Harvard Business Review, February 2007) is like a 20-minute, personal-growth workshop. All the feel-good, righteous stuff is there. You should be self-aware and authentic. Don't try to be like anyone else. Find your own life story and build on that. Ensure you've got life balance. Well, all that's fine so long as it finds you on parade and taking leadership actions others will esteem and follow. And, in this regard, my experience (from three decades of consulting and leading) says there are other factors as well. Like being passionate and driven, market savvy, technically proficient, tireless in the service of your team and, yes, at times even angry and unfair. Generals Patton, Napoleon and Wellington weren't heavily into self-awareness. Nor are many CEOs – including ones I've known and admired. Nice is certainly valuable, but not sufficient.
LEADERSHIP: INNOVATE - BUT CAREFULLY
published: 2009-05-25
Check out these quotes! "Your planning process is superb." It's "excellent ... a very simple but very effective management tool." And, the resource material is "the best stuff I've seen." Yes, I'm showing off. These three recent comments refer to our online Leadership-Action-Planning tool. And, they're from: the CEO of a web-based business; the local head of a global investment bank; and, the CEO of a specialist insurance business. Sounds good. But, we're still struggling for uptake. So, how's your own (product and process) innovation? In tough times, innovation's key. But, it comes with challenges. So, let's review the lessons.
LEADERSHIP: FOR SURVIVAL AND BEYOND
published: 2009-07-13
Apart from the paramedics, surgeons and undertakers of the business world, the rest of us are struggling. Only bankruptcy specialists and their like are thriving. Sadly, I'm not one of them. So, I keep fighting; but, I also focus on life beyond the slump. Why? Because we can all learn something from people who've survived gulags and similar camps. The secret is not strength or youth, but vision of a different and better future. So, would your staff say you think beyond surviving the current quarter? And, even if they're impressed with your "fire-fighting", do they sense you're leading them somewhere worth going in the future? From recent discussions, here are some pointers I've heard for leaders to consider.
LEADERSHIP: IT STARTS WITH LEADING YOURSELF
published: 2009-07-20
It's a wry statement but true: every overnight success is preceded by ten years of slog. A serial entrepreneur said this to me recently. He was talking about his current business venture that's struggling to get traction. But, the same statement also applies to leadership. Getting to the top is a testament to discipline and courage. At each stage, the discipline to make a plan. And, the courage to implement it. Do you have that? And, know what it means today?
LEADERSHIP: FOR BOTH NOW AND LATER
published: 2009-09-21
Bad times are tough for everyone. Fewer sales, lower margins, cancelled contracts - and, yes, lay-offs. We're each under pressure - trying to find new customers, offer extra service, get bills paid, cut costs. In sum, improving our effectiveness (in achieving goals) and our efficiency (in delivering them). Doing more and doing it better - but with less! This is true whether we're an engineer, front-line salesperson or work in the canteen. But, it's doubly true for leaders. You have to inspire and motivate people more than ever. You've got to be a leader for today and tomorrow - not yesterday. Which are you? Here's how you can find out.
LEADERSHIP: POWER AND PURPOSE
published: 2010-01-28
US decline and China's inexorable rise are much talked of. But, in a recent article, Josef Joffe* concludes his rebuttal thus. "Gainsayers will still dramatise China's growth rates as a harbinger of a grand power shift. But as the 21st century unfolds, the US will be younger and more dynamic than its competitors." Whether right or wrong, it's an important issue. And, his arguments have resonance for the durability of leaders, as well as nations. He stresses the requirement for "requisite power and purpose." If asked, would your colleagues say you still have these?
LEADERSHIP: DEMONSTRATE SUCCESS NOT HUMILITY
published: 2010-02-08
When someone commented to Winston Churchill that Clement Atlee was a modest man, he famously replied that Atlee had "much to be modest about." I suspect Churchill (in contrast to gurus like Jim Collins) would find the current fashion for bland CEOs unacceptable. Collins says the best are "humble, self-effacing, diligent and resolute souls." Diligent and resolute sound good to me and my four decades of business involvement say they're needed characteristics. But, humble and self-effacing contradict my experience. Some CEOs cultivate quietness and consultation but that's not the same as being humble or self-effacing. So, what kind of CEO are you; and, is it working? Here are some things to ponder.