by Rick Baker
On Feb 8, 2011
"Success is Clearly in View" - The Leader's vision must be vivid and shared*.
How often do you stop what you are doing, sit back, and quietly ask yourself - “Why am I working?”
I don’t mean, ask yourself - “Why am I doing this piece of work right now?”
I mean, some day you will no longer be working. When that day arrives, what do you hope you will have accomplished?
I mean, asking yourself questions like…“
When I stop working
- how do I want to be remembered?”
- what will my memoirs say?”
- what legacy will I leave?
- who will replace me?
I mean, asking yourself – “When will my career end?”
And, asking yourself – “How will my career end?”
***
Obviously, none of us has a crystal ball. None of us can predict the future.
And, for some people the credo is ‘Live For Today’. Those people stopped reading this Thought Post many lines ago.
Leaders have the ability to choose. [That perk comes with the territory.]
Leaders have the ability to choose…and none of us can predict the future.
However, leaders can ‘approach the future’ with intent.
Leaders do that by ‘living the present’ with intent.
Intent opens the door to many powerful things:
- high self-motivation
- high self-confidence
- high self-esteem
- better ability to attract and connect with other talented people
- better ability to lead other people
The Power of Intent nurtures Good Habits when the leader (1) has clear Vision of the end point and (2) shares that clear Vision repeatedly with those who follow.
The Power of Intent can only be maximized when the leader has a clear Vision of the end point.
Footnote:
- "Success is Clearly in View" - The Leader's vision must be vivid and shared. That’s the title of the 2nd workshop in our 6-workshop Leaders’ Academy series.
by Rick Baker
On Feb 8, 2011
Sales Tweet #147 Ancient sales advice: salesperson better to wear out soles of shoes than seat of pants.
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
This has been paraphrased. The original version, I believe translated from Greek around the time of Plato, was: “When a man desires to succeed at the noble profession of sales that man must wear out the soles of his sandals before he wears out the backside of his toga”.
by Rick Baker
On Feb 7, 2011
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending a Jill Schichter education event, organized by our friends at Trovo Resources.
Jill’s presentation covered a number of things that must be done when ‘reductions’ are required at our workplaces.
Jill injected a great blend of thought, thoroughness, and people-sensitivity.
For me, 8 things resonated:
- Definitions: Jill provided a number of definitions, as examples she defined downsizing, rightsizing, and flexible rightsizing…expressing a preference for flexible rightsizing when that is possible.
- Make sure all decision makers are using the same measurements. Jill provided a Cost/Benefit template to help us capture all the facets that must be considered.
- For strategic workforce planning, build on your previous successes. [focus on the ‘bright lights’]
- Focus on the most critical high-impact jobs [the ‘80/20 Rule’ applies]
- Don’t underestimate the power of your employment brand. [news travels…so, we should make it good news]
- The most difficult job a manager does is letting a person go. [we must be sensitive to the people aspects]
- Related to all of the above, and particularly the human sensitivities tied to #6, Jill did a great job of answering the many questions posed by the attendees.
- Jill shared a fond memory from her time spent working with Stephen Covey [one of my favourite teachers]…Covey taught - the difference between a manager and a leader – “you manage things, you lead people”.
And, Jill explained - managers say “What are you doing?” while leaders say “How are you doing and how can I help?”
Thank you Jill for the excellent presentation.
And, thank you Tony, for the invitation and hospitality.