Act Like an Owner
Have you ever wanted to set a higher bar for your employees? Is it time to nudge the culture so employees have some skin in the game, a greater sense of purpose or be willing to take on more. Here is one way to do it…
4 steps to growth
Tell me and I will forget.
Show me and I will remember.
Involve me and I understand.
Step back and I will act.
2013 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,500 times in 2013. If it were a cable car, it would take about 25 trips to carry that many people.
Don’t Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit.
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
as every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
when he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
it seems to a faint and faltering man,
often a struggler or has given up,
when he might have captured the victors cup,
and he learned too late when the night slipped down,
how close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be nearer when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Author Unknown
Honesty is the best policy…
My Dad would say to me, “Honesty and integrity are so key to who you are. Whatever you do, it will eventually be found out.” His teaching reminds me of this story. One day, four high school students decided to cut their morning classes. After lunch, they reported to their teacher that their car had a flat tire. The teacher simply smiled and said, “Well, you missed the test this morning, so take your seats and get out your notebooks.”
Still smiling, she waited for them to settle down. Then she said, “First question. Which tire was flat?”
Six Pillars of Character
Six Pillars of Character:
Trustworthiness
Respect
Responsibility
Fairness
Caring
Citizenship
Words to live each day by
Before you act, listen.
Before you react, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
Ernest Hemingway
Five things a leader should do to get the best out of their team
In the numerous obituaries that have been published for Steve Jobs, the word visionary seems to be the most quoted adjective in an attempt to define his leadership style.
Steve Jobs always had a vision, even in the early days, and he knew how to inspire people with it.There’s no doubt that teams need their leader to be clear about what they are aiming for, but it takes more than a vision to get the best from a team in the long-term. So here are five things a leader should do to get the best out of their team:
- Recognition
– Team members need to know how they are doing. No one is immune to the power of praise, so find ways to catch your people doing things right. - Correction
– For praise to be truly effective it must be balanced with correction. Don’t leave reprimands for the annual review; deal with issues immediately, sensitively and in private - Listening
– Great leaders don’t tell, they ask questions, then probe the answers, seeking first to understand before making themselves understood. - Networking
– Beyond the team will be relationships that, if fostered, will smooth the way for your group to succeed. Leaders must be ambassadors for their team. - Vision
– As the proverb says “Where there is no vision, the people will perish.” A shared goal is what turns a group of individuals into a team and only the leader can cast the vision – what’s yours?
The Big Wheel
THE BIG WHEEL
Sometimes when you’re feeling important,
Sometimes when your ego’s in bloom,
Sometime when you take it for granted,
You’re the best qualified in the room.
Sometime when you feel that your going
Would leave and unfillable hole,
Just follow this simple instruction
And see how it humbles your soul.
Take a bucket and fill it with water.
Put your hand in it up to your wrist,
Pull it out, and the hole that’s remaining,
Is a measure of how you’ll be missed.
You may splash all you please when you enter,
You can stir up the water galore,
But stop… you’ll find in a minute,
That it looks quite the same as before.
The moral in this quaint example
Is to do just the best you can,
Be proud of yourself, but remember,
There’s no indispensable man.
Author Unknown
