Persistence is an important trait for leaders to cultivate, but it has its downside. Remember that the best leaders know when to pull the plug on a project or process. Sometimes it takes more courage to back down and admit you're not going to succeed than to keep charging ahead in futility, wasting time and money on initiatives that have little chance of success.
Don't let your passion -- or your ego -- prevent you from knowing when to cut your losses. Brave leaders quit when they see it's time to move forward in a different direction.
Source: Applicant Web site in Leading for Business
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Stick to your guns when communicating during tenuous economic times
The state of the economy is still uncertain, but your responsibility to provide steady leadership to your workforce is never in doubt. use thee guidelines to communicate the right message to your employees.
1. Remain consistent. Don't shift direction according to the day's news, good or bad. Whether you're announcing successes or setbacks, use your message to reinforce your organizations's vision and values.
2. Be positive but honest. Don't ignore real problems when communicating to your workforce. Employees can usually sense insincerity or waffling -- they follow the news too. Give them the proper context for whatever bad news you have to shire, and trust that they can take the truth like adults.
3. Don't overact to circumstance. Thought it's difficult to stay calm when things go wrong, lashing our blindly will sink employee's confidence in your leadership. You don;t have to respond to every problem with an instant solution. Take the time to assess the situation, and choose your words and actions carefully.
4. Stay involved with your people. A crisis is the wrong time to pull back and grow detached from the lives of your workforce,. Yes, you ay be tempted to withdraw and spare yourself the pain of delivering bad news to people you care about, but they'll pick up in your reticence and may start withholding their energy and support in response.
Source: Leading for Results, Adapted from the CareerBuilder Web site
1. Remain consistent. Don't shift direction according to the day's news, good or bad. Whether you're announcing successes or setbacks, use your message to reinforce your organizations's vision and values.
2. Be positive but honest. Don't ignore real problems when communicating to your workforce. Employees can usually sense insincerity or waffling -- they follow the news too. Give them the proper context for whatever bad news you have to shire, and trust that they can take the truth like adults.
3. Don't overact to circumstance. Thought it's difficult to stay calm when things go wrong, lashing our blindly will sink employee's confidence in your leadership. You don;t have to respond to every problem with an instant solution. Take the time to assess the situation, and choose your words and actions carefully.
4. Stay involved with your people. A crisis is the wrong time to pull back and grow detached from the lives of your workforce,. Yes, you ay be tempted to withdraw and spare yourself the pain of delivering bad news to people you care about, but they'll pick up in your reticence and may start withholding their energy and support in response.
Source: Leading for Results, Adapted from the CareerBuilder Web site
Friday, December 11, 2009
Survive a Recession and Build Your Sales
Work on a plan of attack -- as if you were a great general leading your forces into battle, remember: Wars are won in tents. Write down your goals and prepare a written action plan.
Source: The resources dwelling within them -- Richard E. Byrd
Source: The resources dwelling within them -- Richard E. Byrd
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Top 20 Countdown of Miscellaneous Thoughts…
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again. (AMEN!)
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever..
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
18. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How do I respond to that?
19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well..
20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
Source: Hal Williams, Dahlonega, Georgia
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again. (AMEN!)
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever..
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
18. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How do I respond to that?
19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well..
20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
Source: Hal Williams, Dahlonega, Georgia
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