Leadership Law III – Hire the housewife
April 8, 2009 by Sally E Smith · Leave a Comment
A pocket of untapped market for the next generation of quality staff will be the homemaker returning or entering the job market. Because training is on going and required for all the new AGE leader’s staff, the homemaker is not at a disadvantage for lack of experience. To the contrary, with her background of managing diverse and limited resources to an end result, she will be better qualified than many of her experienced counterparts of specialists for position openings. Add to that, enthusiasm to prove oneself and be given a chance – the new AGE leader is savvy to know who to hire and will look at the world differently.
Leadership Law II – Read the cover letter – throw away the resume
March 21, 2009 by Sally E Smith · Leave a Comment
Since past behavior predicts future behavior, look for the candidate’s behavior “patterns.” The new AGE leader will collect information of a different type. Knowing that training and education is life long and is much more the responsibility of the progressive leader today than that of past employers and job experiences, the focus is turning back to the basics. Knowledge and job experience has a short shelf life but values, character and behavior is preset by the time a team member joins the business. No longer is simply knowing what someone has done good enough. The new AGE leader wants to know who their people are, and how they walk their talk. By listening to how the candidate responds to your questions, “Tell me who you are? What you are proud of? “How have you overcome problems?” they will be able to get a very good idea of what their behavior will be like in the future.
The World Is Up for Grabs
March 11, 2009 by Sally E Smith · Leave a Comment
The days of predictability, static processes and plans, linear and logical thoughts are over. This is our time to capture new ways of doing everything, new vocabularies that tell the story, and learning environments to attempt to stay current.
Think of our past schooling, economic theory, having “enough” money, financial planning, product life cycles, the role of the Federal Reserve, and on and on.
What will the handbook on life and business contain? What knowledge, skills and theory will it have for the reader?
It seems this current world belongs to the creative innovators who are comfortable with ambiguity and challenges. We are in a world of “real time” processing – adjusting our navigational system as life happens to eventually dock at that future destination of reaching our dreams and goals. Being in the moment takes on new meaning and certainly is appropriate as a Standard Operating Procedure.
In “present time” processing, our world can be assembled and rearranged on a regular basis, making small correctional adjustments to bring our tasks in on target, only to began again, day after day…staying in alignment and following the path events create.
Leadership Law I – Pay people not to work
February 20, 2009 by Sally E Smith · Leave a Comment
The new AGE leader who is able to stimulate their people to produce at an accelerated level has a fundamental belief in the ability of the team to do it. What we believe about others’ capabilities has a great effect on the actual behavior and performance of others. The new AGE leader believes that the team can find its own answers and has the ability to push itself beyond its present limits. The old methods of taking control to set things right just aren’t a part of the new AGE of leadership. To demonstrate and stimulate the process of creative resolutions and development, the leader of today will build in a renewal factor for all their people. Mandatory paid time off annually for staff will pay a return twice fold for progressive new AGE leaders. This time should be about reflection, relaxation and thinking. The new AGE leader may send staff off for three days where they can be alone…at a stimulating retreat location.
Leaders – Born, Made or Learned?
February 10, 2009 by Sally E Smith · Leave a Comment
The journey of leadership started for me when I was in the 8th grade. My gym teacher, Mrs. Brown, had a conversation with me that would start me on a life-long search of understanding and insight into leadership.
I was the captain of an undefeated volleyball team. This particular day Mrs. Brown asked that I change positions with the captain of a team that had never won a game. She then had us play a game against each other. To everyone’s surprise the team I was coaching was successful in defeating my undefeated team.
Mrs. Brown pulled me to the side afterward and told me that she wanted to demonstrate an important lesson. She said that I had demonstrated leadership as captain. She told me that people can have strengths and skills but they need leadership to show them how to use them to work together. Mrs. Brown encouraged me to continue to develop my leadership strengths.
Throughout the years that followed, I remembered that day and felt that I was somehow on a treasure hunt to understand its meaning. My evolution of understanding leadership has lead me through chronological phases of understanding leadership.
- Leadership understanding phase 1 -Something You Go Do
- Leadership understanding phase 2 – Something You Are Called
- Leadership understanding phase 3 – Something You Are
- Leadership understanding phase 4 – Something You Become
And my discovery of having worked with thousands of individuals of all walks and positions in life, is that it is a potential everyone has yet so few discovery.
Business Book Clubs
January 31, 2009 by Sally E Smith · 1 Comment
My work takes me to many places, and I work with various audiences made up of business owners and CEO’s. It is not a surprise that after years of observation and direct experience, I have found a direct parallel to the size and success of a business, and its leader’s dedication to continued learning. Information is moving at its most rapid rate in our history. Tomorrow and each day that follows, will set a new record high for speed and quantity. Our business literacy rate is dropping – a major contributor to a business’ lack of performance and sustainability, not to mention growth and size. It boils down to a very simple principle…nothing new going in…nothing new coming out.
Leaders who excell make time to read or listen to a book. It is a component of their leadership process. They know how important it is to stay current as chief learning officer of their business. A business book club helps a leader impose the discipline necessary to accomplish this commitment. Sharing new information, discussing thoughts from a book, and leaving with new pearls of wisdom that can be implemented in the business are just a few of the benefits and rewards of reading a book with peers.