In small business settings once you get past the obvious knowledge and competency screens, success decisions are most often a matter of personal choice.
In our society that rewards constant action, it is often hard to step back and reflect about where you have been, what you have learned, and where you should be going. However, leadership requires thinking and reflection as much as it is supposed to stimulate action. Many people I know are busy at doing the wrong things. They are working hard but not smart. Every day is just one more attempt to push the boulder up the hill and hope that at some point positive sustained momentum will push them over the top. Unfortunately as the slope of their climb increases the weight of their responsibilities also increases and the path they are treading becomes less predictable and stable. You can’t push forward into unchartered territory and not expect to learn some tough lessons along the way. If you are not careful, you may slip or fall and the boulder will roll right back over you.
One of the most frustrating and disheartening things that someone in my position has to deal with are leaders who have a tendency to ignore reality and follow a flawed strategy or other key decision off a cliff. Pride almost always gets in the way as he/she thinks that changing course would represent failure or unnecessary pain. Usually there is a difficult decision that has to be made about people, finances or the current business model (sometimes all three). The inability to make these types of decisions tends to lead to one outcome – failure. A reasonably competent leader may delay the timing but the end result is inevitable.
Peggy and James Vaughan
Please click on this link for a Summary of the Life Design Workbook. The Life Design Workbook is a comprehensive guide that empowers you to take control of your life by making intentional choices that reflect your true values and aspirations. Written by Peggy Vaughan and James Vaughan, Ph.D., this workbook serves as a transformative […]
Read moreJoseph Campbell - Selected and Edited by Diane K. Osbon
Listen to Book Review AudioView the BookPlease click on this link for the Reflections on the Art of Living – A Joseph Campbell Companion Book Summary “Reflections on the Art of Living” offers a transformative perspective on the human experience. Campbell’s unique blend of scholarly knowledge and practical wisdom provides a framework for understanding personal experiences and finding meaning in […]
Read morePlease click on this link for the Managing Oneself Book Summary. We live in an age of unprecedented opportunity: with ambition, drive, and talent, you can rise to the top of your chosen profession regardless of where you started out. But with opportunity comes responsibility. Companies today aren’t managing their knowledge workers careers. Instead, you […]
Read moreTo control the anxiety produced by moments of intense pressure, first step back and analyze the stakes. The secret is to understand that how you perceive the stakes in any given situation can be controlled. “When you get into peak pressure moments, all you can think about is how important [the stakes are], what you […]
Read moreWhich technology trends matter most for companies in 2024? New analysis by the McKinsey Technology Council highlights the adoption, development, and industry effects of advanced technologies. Despite challenging overall market conditions in 2023, continuing investments in frontier technologies promise substantial future growth in enterprise adoption. Generative AI (gen AI) has been a standout trend since 2022, […]
Read moreAs a manager, onboarding a new hire isn’t just about providing manuals and login information, it’s about setting the employee up to operate autonomously in their role and feel comfortable within the organization. To do this, leaders need to emphasize the importance of developing strategic relationships with colleagues across the company who can share critical […]
Read moreNoah Berk, Co-President of obo – https://theobogroup.com, shares his thoughts on leadership and business.
KPI.org is an online resource for KPI practitioners sponsored by the Balanced Scorecard Institute (BSI), a Strategy Management Group company. BSI provides consulting, training, and professional certification services to commercial, government, and non-profit organizations worldwide. BSI specializes in helping organizations: Become a high-performance organization Increase focus on strategy and results Improve organizational performance by measuring what matters Align the […]
View moreEver since our founding in 1970, our mission has been to advance the understanding, practice, and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. Driven to serve with purpose for nearly 6 decades, we’ve shaped the industry and partnered with leaders globally to take on their most pressing challenges. By expanding human potential, we invest […]
View moreSince generative AI (gen AI) burst onto the scene in late 2022, it’s captivated business leaders and society at large. The excitement is well deserved: McKinsey research indicates that gen AI could add the equivalent of $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion of value annually—and redefine the way people work and live. Over this period, McKinsey […]
View moreThis is a presentation on leadership skills that can be taught through movies. This can be used in classrooms, corporate leadership training, etc. In the Clint Eastwood directed movie, Invictus, Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela, who navigates South Africa through the transition away from Apartheid towards reconciliation. The movie is full of leadership examples, and […]
The School of Life has produced 500 films and written 5 million words. This is an enormous problem. To stand any hope of remaining in anyone’s mind, ideas – even very good ideas – need to be brief and reduced to an essence. That’s why, for the sake of our followers, we’ve summarised everything we […]
Principles Book Summary Part 1: Chapter 1 Over the course of our lives, we make millions of decisions that are essentially bets, some large and some small. It pays to think about how we make them because they are what ultimately determines the quality of our lives… We are all born with different thinking […]
Read moreClick on this link for the A Sense of Urgency Book Summary A Sense of Urgency – Book Excerpt (Click on this link for the Word document) Chapter 1 – It All Starts With A Sense of Urgency …Go check, then you find people running, and they are stressed out. But this man (leader), […]
Read morePlease click mon this link for The Truth About Leadership Book Summary. The Truth About Leadership – Book Excerpts The Truth About Leadership By James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner Book Excerpts Introduction – The Ten Truths The first truth is that you make a difference. It is the most fundamental truth […]
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