February 2009
Greetings!
Wow… January flew by! Did you miss it like I did?
As I’ve reflected on 2008 and spent time planning for a big 09, I’ve focused on developing a new vision, new partnerships and services that will provide greater value for current and future clients. However, if I can’t inspire others to follow this new vision it is all for naught. This is where the rubber meets the road for leadership.
We have inaugurated a new President and have listened to his optimistic goals for his term in the White House. As President Obama begins to face the great challenges ahead of him we watch and wonder if a greater vision and new direction has been set for our country. We do not know what the results will be or eventually what leadership legacy he will leave in the tapestry of history. Only time will tell. It is interesting to see President Obama assemble his leadership team; begin making decisions and taking action to begin moving forwards on his new direction. This is an interesting case study in leadership. Great leadership can inspire one to do things they otherwise thought impossible. My prayer is that President Obama will inspire this great country to become what we are supposed to be… LEADERS!
What about you? Who are you inspiring and who is following your leadership? What is your vision for 2009? Have you shared your vision with your team? Have they bought in to work together with you to achieve this goal? What are the dreams of your teammates? How can you help them reach heights they really aren’t sure they can reach right now?
As leaders, these are all questions we should be asking ourselves and those who we are partnered with to accomplish our mission. Just as important as leading others – we should be continually “sharpening our saw” as Stephen Covey tells us and be ready with new information, new ideas and new coaching skills to share when the opportunity arises to help someone else.
“If I’ve got correct goals, and I keep pursuing them the best way I know how, everything else falls into line. If I do the right thing, I am going to succeed”-Dan Dierdorf
Set a new goal this year to get better, stronger and wiser in your relationship skills. Help someone else become more successful this year, and you too will succeed!
Maxwell on Perserverance
Perseverance is not an issue of talent. It is not an issue of time. It is about finishing. Talent provides hope for accomplishment, but perseverance guarantees it.
Life seems designed to make a person quit. For even the most talented individual, obstacles abound, and failures are commonplace. Only when a person matches talent with perseverance do opportunities become avenues of success.
Perseverance means succeeding because you are determined to, not destined to.
Perseverance means stopping, not because you’re tired, but because the task is done.
Leadership Development
This article reviews notable trends in the leadership development field. In the past two decades, such trends included the proliferation of new leadership development methods and a growing recognition of the importance of a leader’s emotional resonance with others.
A growing recognition that leadership development involves more than just developing individual leaders has now led to a greater focus on the context in which leadership is developed, thoughtful consideration about how to best use leadership competencies, and work/life balance issues.
Future trends include exciting potential advances in globalization, technology, return on investment (ROI), and new ways of thinking about the nature of leadership and leadership development.
Quote of the Month
“My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose—somehow we win out.”
–Ronald Reagan
Remember, 2009′s success should be determined by you, and not the world around you. Do not let the winds of fear; doubt and passivity keep you from achieving this year. Now is the time to look forward. Review the goals you set for 09 and then make up your mind to make this a better year than any before.
“Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.”
—Seneca
Mike Harbour
Harbour Resources
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