Commitment is Everything
Posted in Mind Management on 02/05/2012 09:12 am by KairologyBy Ian A. Williams
I’m not absolutely sure who said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. (According to Wikipedia the saying is thought to have originated with St Bernard of Clairvaux), but I’m sure there’s truth in it, provided of course that hell is a place you don’t want to be. Intentions are of course driven by ideas and thinking, and sometimes by our heartfelt desires. But very often they stop there, and never become a reality in the actions we take. When life goes awry, or something surprising happens, we need to stop and think. Why did that happen? Why did I say something that hurt someone else? It’s not what I intended! In those circumstances, we need to work backwards: OK so that was the effect……..how did I behave?………is that what I intended?
Intentions are worth nothing unless they are translated in how we behave, and to the effect or result we want to see. It boils down to your purpose, and the commitments you make to live that purpose. Winners in life often check out that what they are committed to actually works through into reality, and when things go wrong they work out why. Losers in life don’t bother, but tend to just muddle through injuring themselves and others in the process. They may be innocently oblivious to it all, or perhaps they just don’t care! But either way, there’s plenty of mayhem to see, when and if they bother to look over their shoulder at the results.
So what and who are you really committed to? How are your commitments related to your purpose in life, and how is all of that evident in your day to day life? These are small questions that require big answers. That’s why working on your personal leadership is so challenging!
Why not make 2012 the year in which you begin to consciously look at how your commitments translate, and the impact you have in life. Use the 7 of Hearts simple tool contained in the Kairology programme. This card takes you through commitment and you’ll be amazed at the results. As a taster here are some coaching questions to help your thinking and change:
Introduction by Ian Williams A number of my clients have recently been working through issues around strategic versus operational leadership. We all want to understand the difference and be involved in both, in the most appropriate way. What we often forget is that our personal leadership needs to be strategic, so that we can demonstrate the skills needed in leading others strategically. The leader’s job is to involved people in strategic issues – particularly those relevant to their job and goals – and to allow them the space and time to be strategic. What I often hear is frustration from senior people that leaders don’t or won’t rise to the challenge. My advice is coach, encourage and build confidence – then have the courage to step back. This article gives some good definition and helpful pointers. Ian What is strategic leadership and why do I need it? by Stephanie Tuia Strategic leadership is a self-explanatory term, and even when separated, still provides a meaningful definition. A definition of strategic leadership can be summed up as the ability to anticipate, prepare, and get positioned for the future. In my experience, I have been able to pinpoint specific examples of colleagues who have exemplified strategic leadership in their professions. I’d like to share some examples of how strategic leadership is essential to a work environment. A small company had been acquired by a larger firm. With this, the current leader had been let go and a new leader was appointed to take charge. Anticipate and Prepare Get positioned for the future One department is flourishing with work productivity, while one department is far behind. Focus on the right energies These glimpses give you some helpful scenarios of how strategic leadership can be applied in your work environment. Should you have any future problems with work productivity, profits or even issues with your employees, address those concerns with some professional guidance and you’ll discover how an investment in your team will result is bottom line results. To learn more about effective strategic leadership visit http://www.cmoe.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Tuia http://EzineArticles.com/?Applying-Strategic-Leadership-in-the-workplace&id=292267 What is strategic leadership and why do I need it?
Posted in Leadership, Strategies, Team Building on 09/22/2009 08:10 am by Kairology
Being acquired by a larger firm may bring more awareness to a company or provide better benefits, but several cons may get in the way at first. During a transition period, many employees are sometimes left without a job, or have decided to move on to other things in the wake of unsatisfied changes. It was no different when a well-liked president of the company was phased out due to financial setbacks. The firm took a lengthy process to make a move until finally appointing an internal employee to serve as the interim president. Left with a lot of the dirty work, the new leader immediately went to work and restored and initiated productivity with his employees. His biggest attribute was that he was prepared for this new role before he was even appointed as the new president. His natural work ethic had already groomed him for charismatic leadership and when the opportunity for advancement came, he wasted no time in taking charge and continuing the work. Likewise, a strategic leader will be able to pick up the pieces and restore work productivity regardless of a drastic change. Being the cheerleader and still an enforcer, Teams leaders are versatile figures held accountable for their employees work performance.
A team leader’s major objective is to keep worker performance at a high and encourage improving results that would ultimately lead to a brighter outlook and future. Preparing employees now enables them to do such. Team Leaders have a weekly, monthly or even yearly report to give so their main motivation would be to constantly focus on the progress and performance of their individuals. In order to maintain and continue a future of positive results, an effective team leader will use strategic planning in his/her strategic management. Mentally, he/she will find ways to encourage employees to perform high to obtain team incentives, but will also encourage strategic planning at the individual level. Training employees to strategically plan in their prospective territories will alleviate the leader with multiple responsibilities and generate a more productive outcome in the work area. With a focus on the individual employee, a team leader will have the power to influence his/her employees to control their progress and look towards a better outcome.
In a business world where deadlines are demanding and profits are important, companies and their leaders will hold work productivity as a high priority. A strategic leader will observe less than optimum circumstance and move quickly to create beneficial change. Saving time by focusing only on the right energies will help a company profit. For example, an employee serves in two departments, splitting duties between each. It is evident that his/her skills are stronger in research and development rather than in the sales department. A strategic leader may see more value in changing this employee’s role to work in this stronger area of expertise. At the same time, a strategic leader will realize that this employee may be able to provide unique insight across both functions that others cannot. Strategic leaders will observe these situations quickly and waste no time in shifting employees to areas where both the individual and organizations can benefit the most.