News From LBD

November 2013 Volume 5 Issue 11

Why Leaders are Grateful at Thanksgiving.

What could a leader be thankful for in a country and world that seems so divided, and a business environment that is the most volatile in recent years? Here are just a few reasons why.

First, some leaders, believe it or not, are thankful for the opportunity to lead people through the turmoil, divisiveness and volatility.They take pride in helping others acknowledge the realities and impact of these dynamics and lead them to positive outcomes that will make things better for everyone.

Second, many leaders are thankful for fiscal challenges facing their organizations.Yes, there are leaders who are truly thankful for the challenge of finding opportunities during difficult fiscal times.They focus on what they have, versus what they don't have.They help employees develop strategies that enable them to succeed in spite of having less fiscal resources for the work and they are thankful for employees who muster the courage to sustain a "can do" attitude in the midst of fiscally challenging times.

Third, leaders are thankful for colleagues who are there when they most need support. No one understands the joy and challenge of leadership like another leader. Leaders are thankful for colleagues who stand with them, inspire them and drive them to be better leaders.

Finally, leaders are thankful for their families. They are thankful for spouses, partners and significant others who love them unconditionally while hundreds of hours a year are spent outside the home helping and leading others. Leaders are thankful for homes that are a safe space and soft landing for decompressing from the fact that each and every day, leaders absorb organizational chaos and are required to replace it with calm, focused approaches that yield positive outcomes.

A critical leadership skill is to make a concerted effort to be thankful for something each day. When someone embraces this skill as part of a leadership practice, they appear to be happier and have richer lives.Thanksgiving provides the perfect opportunity for leaders to slow down, reflect, and be thankful for the many things that contribute to their ability to lead.

Adapted from The Citizen by Gwen Webber-McLeod

What Leaders are Reading

The Finishing Touch by Charles Swindoll --

As leaders we hear a great deal about motivation, goal-setting, developing a plan of action and a "just do it" attitude. But we don't hear much about finishing well, about hanging tough when things don't go well. This book of Daily Devotions encourages you, with God's help, to reach your goals and reap the harvest of a life worth living during times of stress.

Executive EQ by Robert Cooper and Ayman Sawaf --

Studies have shown that the most intelligent people are often not that successful in their personal lives. As Cooper (The Performance Edge, Houghton, 1991) and Sawaf demonstrate, that principle applies in business as well. The authors argue that business success depends on "emotional intelligence," a quality that "enables you to be authentic and true to your best self; to be clear and get along and to sense opportunities and create the future." Filled with examples from major businesses, their book includes an "EQ map" that lets readers measure their own relative strengths and weaknesses across many emotional intelligence characteristics.

Leadership Tip of The Month

Goals Accomplished!

Vince Lombardi, the famed coach of the Green Bay Packers, frequently told his players, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

Realizing that this is sometimes easier said than done, what can you do to help you "get going" when times are tough?

In other words, how do you stay motivated to achieve your goals?

The feature article for this newsletter, Why Leaders are Grateful at Thanksgiving, may very well answer these questions for you.

Be thankful and proud of what you have accomplished by giving yourself periodic feedback of those accomplishments.

Take a few minutes and list your past accomplishments. Go back as far as you can and jot down when you accomplished them and how you felt at that time.

Keeping a record of your goals accomplished is a morale builder that will boost your self-confidence to set progressively higher goals.

It is your personal achievement trophy case providing both a spur to continued improvement and a shield against the attacks of doubt, fear, worry, indecision and procrastination.

On those occasions when self-doubt creeps into your mind, simply look at your Goals Accomplished and review those past successes and the impact they had on you, your company and the people around you.

Be thankful for past successes.

To learn how, contact LBD.

John Branstad

Quote of the Month

"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."

Henry Ford

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