Friday, November 19, 2010

The purpose of planing

In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

It is important to plan not because everything you plan will happen or that things will go according to your plan but it is important to do so to build your confidence. Everyone has examples of things not going their way or as planned. The key is learning how to improvise. There are always going to be many factors that cannot be managed or be predicted.


It is the same in life and leadership. A good leader knows how to improvise and make decisions when things don't go as planned. Sticking to the book or the rules will not always work. Learning to adapt quickly and improvising is necessary. This does not mean you never stick to the 'book' or rules. Having rules is good but to they also have to be flexible.


So go ahead and plan and plan well. Boost your confidence and have an expectant future but when the unexpected happens be quick to adapt and improvise.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Actions speak Louder

I have listened to this song at least 20 times since I woke up this morning! It has several artists from Reach Records.



100% of the proceeds of the song go to build an orphanage in Sudan. You can get more information here and buy the song here!

Don't delay! Do it now! Great music and even greater cause!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Biggest temptation of a leader

There are many temptation that a leader faces during his or her leadership journey but one the most common and universal temptations of a leader especially after achieving something, is to lead people from what he or she have learnt in the past and stop growing. I have the opportunity to work with both young and old leaders and this temptation is not something that is only seen in the young leaders or only in the older leaders.

Learning and growth are an essential part of leadership and the minute a leader thinks that they do not need to learn and grow, they stop being effective leaders. Giving into the temptation of 'taking it easy' and abandoning personal growth is very dangerous for both the leader and the followers. The leader can stifle the growth of the organization as well as the people because the leader himself is not growing and learning. A leader can become very insecure and frustrated when there is a lack of personal growth.

The easy and comfortable thing to do is not to grow and to lead others based on things of the past. This does not mean that things learnt in the past are not important or not necessary but to stop growing and learning new things will only effect the organization in a negative way. It will not allow you to innovate and respond to the changes that are happening at a rapid pace everywhere.

Learning and growth may be hard at certain times but that is what a leader is called to do. Do hard things. It is the leaders job to do the hard things and inspire others to do the same. The leaders who will fight against this temption will be the ones who will lead people into the future and lead them well.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Leadership takes.....

Leadership is an art and here are a few things that it takes to be a leader.
  • Courage
  • Wisdom
  • Timing
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Maturity
  • Strength
  • Character
  • Stability
  • Resourcefulness
  • Self control
  • Humility
  • Patience
  • Faith
  • Hope
  • Integrity
  • Learning
  • Managing
  • Resilience
  • Empathy
  • Risk
  • Optimism
  • Unselfishness
  • and LOVE.
What would you add to this list or remove from this list?