Business Leadership Skills 01 (Jul 09 - Feb 13)

[winston]

Just reviewed my notes on this book that I read along time ago ...

The Prince - Machiavelli

1) Pay attention to employees. Make concessions before negotiations.

2) Maintain an air of power. Listen but always have the last word. Let others do the menial work while you associate with the important people.

3) Dont let others know what you are thinking. Dont be predictable.

4) Appeal to people's passion.

5) Always watch your back. Anticipate actions. Be subtle.

6) Associate yourself with smart people.

7) Work the playing field. Before setting out on any venture, make sure conditions are favourable. Rockefeller wanted to have a monopoly on oil. Instead of buying oil companies, be bought rail companies which the oil companies depended on.

8) Dont isolate yourself. Stay visible and interract socially. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer".

9) Create your own legacy. Somebody who takes over an empire will always be compared to the previous leader. Do things differently. Rebel against the old ways of doing things, whilst keeping what worked.

[kennynah]

The Prince - Machiavelli


2) Maintain an air of power. Listen but always have the last word. Let others do the menial work while you associate with the important people. >> dont agree

3) Dont let others know what you are thinking. Dont be predictable. >> can only create misunderstanding...no time for such games

6) Associate yourself with smart people. >> dont forget the little people too

[winston]

Ha Ha ... That's why it's called Machiavellian thinking, not that I agree with some of his stuff as well ...

[winston]

"Of course I'm a publicity hound.... How can you accomplish anything unless people know what you are trying to do?"

Vivien Kellems

[winston]

"In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create."

David Ogilvy

[millionairemind]

Published July 30, 2010

Creativity is what CEOs are looking for, survey shows

It also finds most are not prepared for a volatile economy

By FELDA CHAY

CREATIVITY within the leadership ranks is now the key focus of companies worldwide as they struggle with the challenges of a more volatile economic environment - a key concern for many, according to the latest IBM survey of chief executives worldwide.

When asked about the leadership qualities they thought were important over the next five years, 60 per cent of the 1,541 CEOs surveyed said that creativity is the key. Other characteristics include having integrity (52 per cent) and being able to think globally (35 per cent).

In particular, CEOs located in Asean appear to rank the trait highly. The survey found that within the economic bloc, seven in 10 CEOs surveyed rated creativity as an important leadership quality.

This focus on creativity comes at a time when economies worldwide recover from the recent financial storm, and are seeing faster economic cycles and increased uncertainty.

Globally, the survey found that seven in 10 CEOs felt that the new economic environment is more volatile. A majority also found it more unpredictable and complex.

And while eight in 10 expect that their firms will be operating in a more volatile environment, only five in 10 feel prepared for this - making it 'the largest leadership challenge identified' since IBM started doing the survey in 2004.

Said Grace Chopard, vice-president and partner, strategy and transformation, IBM global business services, growth markets: 'Coming out of the worst economic downturn in our professional lifetimes - and facing a new normal that is distinctly different - it is remarkable that CEOs identify creativity as the number one leadership competency of the successful enterprise of the future.

'But step back and think about it, and this is entirely consistent with the other top finding in our study - that the biggest challenge facing enterprises from here on will be the accelerating complexity and the velocity of a world that is operating as a massively interconnected system.'

IBM conducts the survey once every two years, and did face-to-face interviews with CEOs from 60 countries for its latest study.

The study also found that Asean CEOs believe sustainability is an important focus leaders of their firms should have.

Five of the 10 CEOs surveyed from the region said that it is a characteristic leaders in their firms should possess.

Globally, however, the trait appears to be less of a focus, with only three in 10 CEOs saying that finding leaders with a focus on sustainability is key to their company.

[winston]

NEEDS MATTER

When leaders listen well, they often find people expressing needs for:
· community with each other
· autonomy and loyalty
· to be valued by others
· honesty and openness
· safety and protection
· to celebrate life
· justice and peace
. the common good

Such needs are not cultural artifacts. They are universal. They arise from being alive as humans, and they connect us with many other life forms. All leaders would therefore do well to notice how these and other needs are running on the playing fields of life and work


Source: Life Trek Coaching

[winston]

Listen to Your Gut By Perry Marshall

Recently, I consulted with a student who had invested heavily in a business that was making money but involved dealing with seedy individuals.

He was conflicted about it. He'd put quite a bit of money into the venture. It was profitable, thus doubly hard to walk away from. But he didn't feel good about what he was selling or who his customers were. His head and his gut were duking it out.

I don't like to just come out and tell people what to do in a situation like this. So here's what I said to him...

"One of the most valuable skills I've honed is the ability to listen to my gut.

"I learned this the hard way.

"There was an investor in the company I worked for who I personally liked. But every time he called, I'd feel a subtle, almost imperceptible, wave of fear. Only much later did I realize his mission was to slice my fingers off, one bloody joint at a time. (Figuratively speaking, of course.)

"My head didn't know it, but my gut did.

"Ignoring my gut turned out to be a costly mistake."

Your gut can send you good signals, too. When I interviewed Mendy Butler, for example, who is now my Most Excellent Customer Service Person, I didn't know her at all. So I wasn't sure I should hire her. But as she got up to leave, a cool song started playing in my head: "We likes Mendy!"

I did follow through and check all her references -- but hearing that song in my head was the green light that she was the gal for the job.

Another example: At the very first seminar I put on, David Bullock stole the show. I got waves of raves about his presentation about online testing and tracking. He was totally tuned in with great information. He was entertaining, fun, even arresting.

And you know what?

He'd never had any speaker training.

He'd never spoken to a seminar audience before.

He'd never even been to that kind of seminar.

But I made him my keynote speaker and he totally rocked.

My gut told me to feature him.

He's now got speaking invitations from major seminar promoters all over the biz.

At first, it's not easy to detect your inner voice. But little by little, you begin to see through the haze and hear it more clearly.

As I told my student, if you ignore your gut today, it will be harder to hear its voice at all tomorrow.

Never disconnect your most reliable instruments.

I think my student will do the right thing. And in the process, he will teach his Inner CFO a lesson: "We're in charge of the money here, boys. The money is not in charge of us."

Small seeds grow and multiply. Little hinges swing big doors. Seemingly insignificant choices have far-reaching consequences. A decision to heed your best instrumentation, and become even more reliant on it instead of less, benefits you in unforeseeable ways.

Listen to your gut.


Source: ETR

[winston]

Trust Matters by Bob Tschannen-Moran

These are the attributes that trustworthy leaders carry with them and seek to infuse in their organizations, be they schools or any other:

· Benevolence means that we want nothing but the best for people. We truly care about how they feel and what they need. We want them to succeed and they know that we want them to succeed. They trust that we have their back, not blindly, but authentically sharing a sense of purpose and destiny.

· Honesty means that we have no hidden agendas and play no games. Teachers can see through the debate. Although the talk is about school choice and improvement, the reality is about school punishment and closure. Costs are king. When the debate is not honest, it does more harm than good.

· Openness means that we share what is there. Although leaders always have to make decisions as to issues of confidentiality, sometimes protecting our sources, the presumption of great leadership errs on the side of openness and transparency. People want to know what's going on.


· Reliability means that we carry ourselves in consistent ways and that we do what we say. Broken promises undermine trust every time. Leaders go out of their way to avoid over promising and under delivering. We want people to count us because that's when they call on us for help.


· Competence means that we have the skills and understand the job well enough to get the job done. In the case of leadership, this involves both technical and people skills. School leaders have to set up systems but they also have to treat people right. That's when things get better


Source: Life Trek Coaching

[winston]

Become a Great Leader By Brian Tracy

The fact is that the best businesses have the best leaders, at every level. The job of the leader is to establish the vision, values, mission, purpose, and goals of the company. If the leader is not absolutely clear about each one of these, it is not possible for anyone else in the company to be clear about them either.

The leader's job is to lead. It is to make the critical decisions that determine the fate and future of the business. The job of the leader is to be clear about what he wants to accomplish and then get everyone in the company focused on that end goal.

The leader must be goal-oriented. He must have clear, specific written goals and plans to achieve each critical business objective, especially those of sales, cash flow, and profitability.

The leader must be result-oriented. He must focus the limited resources of the company on those areas where the greatest results are possible.

In addition, he must be people-oriented, solution-oriented, sales-oriented, and cash flow-oriented. These are the requirements of leadership in a turbulent business in a tough market economy.

Source: ETR