Leadershipbydesign
News From LBD
 April 2009 Vol 2  Issue 2
FEATURE STORY

A corporate executive, on holiday in a small Greek seacoast village, was strolling by the docks and taking in the local color. He complimented one fisherman on the quality of his catch. "How long did it take you to get all those fish?" he asked. "Not very long," answered the Greek. "An hour or two." "Then why didn't you stay out longer to catch more?" Shrugging, the Greek explained that his catch was sufficient to meet his needs, and those of his family. The executive asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a nap with my wife. In the evening, I go to the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the bouzouki, and sing songs. I have a full life."
The executive said, "I have an MBA from Harvard. I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You'll catch extra fish that you can sell. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring you, you can buy a second boat and a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can ship fish to markets all around the world. In time, you can then move to New York City to direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Greek. "Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the executive. "And after that?"
"When your business gets really big, you can sell stock and make millions!" exclaimed the executive with zeal. "Millions? Really? And after that?" "After that you'll be able to retire, live in a small village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a nap with your wife, and spend your evenings singing, dancing, and playing the bouzouki with your friends."

What is success? Ask yourself some hard questions. Why are you doing the things you are doing? What do you really want from life?
 

 
What Leaders are Reading

"The Dream Manager" by Matthew Kelly - This book emphasizes that a key and critical role of leadership is the ability to recognize the dreams of those that we lead, and inspire them to achieve those visions. This book is a must read for leaders to familiarize themselves with the concept of helping employees fulfill their personal dreams to achieve organizational goals and for anyone just wanting to get energized again or learn more.

"You Can Compete: Double Sales Without Discounting" by Bob Phibbs - This work gives the independent business person concrete advice from someone who's worked in retail stores 50+ hours a week, has known what to do when their back is against the wall and has a proven track record of success. It is aimed at independent business owners.
 
"The Bible" - Romans 12:3-8 - Using God's gifts of leadership.

 

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LEADERSHIP TIP
OF THE MONTH

 
The road to success may be a long one, but proper planning can help to create a shortcut for you. Try these six simple questions to create your own shortcut.

Where am I?

Where do I want to be?
Dream, wish, be ambitious!

How will I get there?
Visualize the actual steps. Make them challenging and be ready to adjust as needed.

What is my arrival time? Prioritize your goals to create your time line.
Who can help me get there? Tap into your greatest resource ... other people.

What will it cost?
You're probably looking at an investment of time, money, and emotion.

What do you think? Are you worth it?


John Branstad
John Branstad

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"Leadership is not about learning to survive the storm.  Leadership is about learning to dance in the rain."

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John Branstad
www.leadershipbydesign.org
763-213-5267