News From LBD

February 2015 Volume 7 Issue 2

A Valentine for Leadership

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day...a day where most people think about love, falling in love, loving the ones in their inner circle, it's about love! No surprises there.

So when I think about the people who I love dearly or perhaps even when I ponder the subject of love in general, my mind immediately carries me to the character traits of those people who I admire, respect and adore. I compiled these traits into an acronym...L.O.V.E. (yes - a bit of a cliché).

Normally, love is considered an action verb; therefore, it is appropriate that each letter of my L.O.V.E. acronym represents an action verb. Here is my short leadership lesson on L.O.V.E.

Learn. Leaders that I admire are life-long learners. They are people who seize every opportunity to learn something new about themselves and about others.

Open. Really great leaders open doors for other people. They put themselves on the line to help other people achieve their dreams.

Verify. Effective leaders always take time to verify information before sharing it, vet (e.g. carefully examine) people prior to endorsing them and earnestly evaluate viable options before making decisions.

Educate. Leadership teaches us that we must share what have learned, thereby educating those who follow us. Shepherds who educate their flocks are the best leaders on earth (in my opinion.)

Short, sweet and sincere; Leadership and L.O.V.E.

Happy Valentine's Day!

By Karen R Owens, Owens Consulting

What Leaders are Reading

Seven Disciplines of a Leader

By Jeff Wolf

Seven Disciplines of A Leader is a comprehensive manual for building better leaders. In this book, Wolf shares the secrets of great leadership to help readers align professional development and exemplify these traits themselves. Each of the Disciplines is valuable on its own, but together they add up to more than a sum of their parts. From initiative, to planning, to community service, readers will gain insight into what separates the good from the great, and how organizations can nurture these qualities in their employees with leadership potential.

Leadership Tip of the Month

Valentine's Day Affirmations

Have you ever considered sending a Valentine to an employee, manager, or business partner?

Not all Valentine's Day greetings need to be an expression of LOVE. They can simply be an epression of what you love about what someone does.

In other words, consider such a greeting as an affirmation of their accomplishments.

Describe what qualities, acheicvements, behaviors or skills you value in this person. Use your own words or adopt them from quotations, scripture, or other positive sources.

There are many on-line resources whereby you can create such greeting cards and send electronically.

Imagine the surprise and apprectiation when this individual finds such an e-mail from YOU.

To learn more, contact LBD.

John Branstad

Quote of the Month

"If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway."

Mother Teresa

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