| |
| |
|
Leadership Information |
|
|
|
The Seven Secrets to New Age Leadership
Did you ever notice that In our American culture, we have the tendency to look outside of ourselves for leadership? That's a trap. Isn't it time we looked inside ourselves to see how we can be the leader we want and need to be in the 21st century? I certainly think so. Leadership used to be about telling people what to do. We saw the manager as "hero." Managers were needed to solve problems, needed for their technical expertise and their know-how. They were needed to keep the ship running in tiptop shape! All our old leadership models came from the military, where people took their command from a few people at the top. These models don't work in today's world. As the industrial age models rust, the power has shifted from the people who sell, to the people who buy. Today's business leader needs to a master juggler, and a compassionate listener. She needs to be savvy and intuitive and sharp as a tack in business matters. Most of all today's leader needs to be able to mobilize HUMAN energy, align it and direct it towards a single goal - creating more value for the customer. This, in turn creates a more profitable company. Companies that have high levels of customer happiness and employee happiness outperform those who don't. It's pretty simple. I believe there are seven traits of successful leaders for the 21st Century. Creative thinker - Einstein said, "The world we have created is a product of our way of thinking" Nothing will change in the future without fundamentally new ways of thinking. If we want to create a new world we have to first change our thinking and thinking patterns. 80% of the population thinks reactively. They take action to make something go away (usually a problem.) The other 20% are creative thinkers - they take action to make something come into being (the creation.) Creative thinkers thrive on the question "What's Possible?" Reactive thinkers ask, "What's wrong?" or "Who's to blame?" Reactive thinkers live in reaction and response to circumstances. Creative thinkers go beyond circumstances. The next quality of tomorrow's leader is "Change readiness." The Change-ready individual embraces change. They understand the process of change and how it affects most people, and is skilled at enrolling people in it with a minimum amount of fear. Most people do resist change - that's because it forces us right out of our comfort zones. A leader knows how to move people out of their comfort zones with dignity and respect. He helps people share a "common understanding" of the past and why they need to change it and then provides them with a positive image of their future along with actions they can all agree will move them in the right direction. A leader is a Landscape Architect. It's her primary job to build a living environment- called culture. Culture is the soul of the enterprise. Today's leader is a master "culture-crafter." He or she sculpts and crafts an environment that stimulates, excites and invites people to be the best they can be. The architect leader knows that the ability to create a nourishing and challenging environment for people to grow in is more important than any technical skill she can possess. Continuous Improvement - The leader of tomorrow will regularly challenge old beliefs and be passionate about learning and about applying that learning in the real world. She will often ask my favorite question "Who is doing something differently then I am and what can I learn from them?" The New Leader is Authentic. How and who you are is just as important as what you know! Hold yourself to the highest standards - don't talk the talk unless you are prepared to walk the walk. Don't expect of others what you don't expect from your self. Be real, tell the truth. The leaders that are the most revered are those that let the light of who they are shine through in all they do. They are honest, forthright and clear. Coach/Facilitator - A leader needs to be a coach not a commander. He needs to hold space open for things to happen. It is said that when leaders do their job properly people believe they have done it themselves. Leaders are there to help people see things from a different perspective, to provide questions that encourage learning and to help turn work experiences into learning experiences. Our new leader is a Visionary. It's clearly documented that visionary leaders are successful at mobilizing human potential. A vision provides focus. It's a tool for aligning energy. Clear vision and purpose provide people with a framework from which to make decisions, it organizes action and effort. Clearly a need for a new leadership style exists. Take a good look at your style and see if you are prepared for living and leading in the 21st century. Want to find out more about how to be a powerful and compassionate leader 21st century leader - check out our weekly training program. ©Copyright 2000-2004 JoAnna Brandi & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. About The Author JoAnna Brandi is Publisher of the Customer Care Coach ? a weekly training program on mastering "The Art and Science of Exquisite Customer Care." She is the author of "Winning at Customer Retention, 101 Ways to Keep 'em Happy, Keep 'em Loyal and Keep 'em Coming Back" and "Building Customer Loyalty - 21 Essential Elements in ACTION" she writes a free email tip on customer caring. You can sign up at www.customercarecoach.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Leadership - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Leadership Development and Jumping Out of Airships A German silent film melodrama depicts an airship bombing London during World War I. Lit up by searchlights and strafed by fighters, the crippled airship loses altitude as the captain frantically jettisons dispensable gear to lighten weight. The Top 10 Questions for Socially Responsible Leaders The assets of your business traditionally include property, plant, equipment, and your customer base. Progressive organizations understand that business assets also include their good reputation, responsiveness to change, the ability to conduct a constructive dialogue with stakeholders, the ability to take advantage of networked resources, and a host of other non-traditional assets. 10 Attributes of Effective Strategic Leaders! Did you know that people who lead strategically resemble fine-tuned machines? By focusing on their strategies, leaders see a bigger picture, they understand the reasons why and recognize the worthiness of elusive opportunities.Effective leaders make strategic use of and add value to every challenge in four important ways:1) Thinking through the lessons to be learned in each situation;2) Leveraging the available sources, imports and exports of energy;3) Boosting weak, diffused signals and messages of meaning;4) Sharpening the leading edge of innovative efforts - their people. Embracing Adversity for Achievement "Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity." -- Lou HoltzSuccess in life depends upon being strong people with clear goals and indomitable spirits. Listening Like a Leader Our studies of the most effective people in corporate America show that the top 2 percent are effective not because they executed best practices well. They did not make the most phone calls or have the best processes. 3 Cs Leaders Must Communicate! "Of every noble work the silent part is best, Of all expression that which can not be expressed" - William Wetmore StoryWhat we intend to communicate are the meanings our listeners hear.Every leader has something to say - yet, how many leaders tell those tales that need to be told?1) Are leaders using the wrong words?2) Are their words conveying the wrong things?3) Do they intentionally mean the wrong things?I believe our leadership communication problem involves an element of all three. Getting Things Done, Without the Sweat! How do you get your people on your side? And once their on your side, how can you get them to do anything you want? It's a skill that we all want. Nothing's better than leaving the hard work for someone else! But how?Do You Have It In You?Getting what you want and deserving it are two totally different things! Do you think it's reasonable to order a task onto your subordinate? Do you think it's acceptable to call up a friend only when you want something? Or how about being nice to someone just to butter them up but ignore them otherwise?No way! No fair!What would you think if someone treated you like that? Well this happens all the time. The Three Factors of Leadership Motivation Leaders do nothing more important than get results. But you can't get results by yourself. Peek Inside The Heads of Amazingly Successful Leaders Would you like to know what really goes on inside the heads of astoundingly successful leaders? Here is your chance. Part of the research for my book Absolutely Fabulous Organizational Change? involved highly successful executives filling-out my Abilities & Behavior Forecaster? pre-employment test. Leadership For Deep Results: Without Them Are You Wasting Your Leadership And Your Life? (Part One) I've challenged all leaders I have worked with during the past two decades to achieve "more results faster continually."They can get on track to start achieving such results not by working harder and longer but by slowing down and using Leadership Talks on a daily basis. Three Factors Of Leadership Motivation Leaders do nothing more important than get results. But you can't get results by yourself. None of Us Arrived with an Owners Manual: A Fresh Perspective on the Drive to Lead (part 2) Why didn't I get an Owner's ManualAfter a little while with life happening and no sign of the Manual we began to realize we would need to make the best of it. We began to look around to see who had one and studied what they knew, surely some of it must be generic! We began to study our parents, our siblings - if they looked competent enough, and our other care givers. Dont be Afraid to Lead! In most aspects of human activity, the pendulum of fashion swings back and forth between extremes, passing briefly through the point of balance on every swing.For a while, we were told leadership was all about setting clear objectives and holding people accountable. Transformational Leadership "What is leadership?" When this question is asked most of the people answer "leadership is the capacity or an ability of a person to lead". Earlier theories of leadership viz. Strengthening Leadership Development with Employees Within every business lies a network of people who are working to make their employer successful. Because growing business requires more employees, employers need to seek prospective candidates who will align well with their business. Leadership Challenges: The Walls In Our Lives We have all experienced walls or challenges in our work lives. How you handle the walls may be a defining point in your leadership and your career. Leadership Like Water-Water Canoeing Although world business is undergoing historic changes, the prevailing view of what constitutes business leadership is stuck in the past. Generally, business leaders view leadership as an order-giving process. Leadership Is Action?Not Position! People respond to good leadership! Period! It is in all aspects of our lives, not just business. A mother is a leader in her home; a son may be leader of a team sport or a daughter the leader of the debate team. Creating Unlimited Belief for Success! What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?It may be those Old beliefs and Personal Insecurities. (aka: conceptual barriers)Conceptual barriers are the barriers that are right behind the eyes, DEEP within the brain. The Ten Commandments of Leadership A poem hangs on the wall at Mother Theresa's orphanage in India. For all who are called to lead, it is a great reminder of what we should do:1.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
