News from Leadership By Design

News From LBD

July 2011 Volume 3 Issue 7

In 1914 Thomas Edison's factory in West Orange, New Jersey, was virtually destroyed by fire. Although the damage exceeded $2 million, the buildings were insured for only $238,000 because they were made of concrete and were thought to be fireproof. Much of Edison's life work went up in smoke and flames that December night.

At the height of the fire, Edison's 24-year-old son, Charles, searched frantically for his father. He finally found him, calmly watching the fire, his face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind.

"My heart ached for him," said Charles. "He was 67 - no longer a young man - and everything was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, "Charles, where's your mother?" When I told him I didn't know, he said, "Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.'"

The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, "There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew."

Three weeks after the fire, Edison managed to deliver the first phonograph.

Seeing things differently (positively) appears to be a characteristic of leadership.

What Leaders are Reading

Conquering An Enemy Called Average, by John Mason.

Mason says, "Tell me who your friends are, and I will will tell you who you are. If you run with the wolves you will howl. But if you run with eagles you will soar." This book stresses the important lesson that who you associate with affects how you think and how you behave.

Ruthless Execution: What Business Leaders Do When Their Companies Hit the Wall, by Amir Hartman

This book identifies the central ingredients that help certain companies get beyond the wall and thrive--and show how to instill these ingredients in your organization.

Leadership Tip of The Month

The Challenge

Your challenge, and the challenge of many leaders, is when adversity strikes will you be able to see things differently? Positively?

The answer: YES, you can. The real question might be, will you see things differently?

How you see people, places and things is based on your attitudes. They are an all-important part of your make up and how you view the world. Attitude is the basis of all individual behavior.

One of my favorite aphorisms is: "You are what you think." Do you think negatively or positively? How you think gives you a choice of how you see things.

To change how you think and see things, surround yourself with positive people. Support each other when the urge to be negative threatens, and include attitude development as an essential element for yourself and employees.

You will be surprised how differently you will see things when you think differently.

For additional information contact LBD.

John Branstad

Quote of the Month

"Positive thinking turns obstacles into opportunities"

Harvey Mackay

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