Leadershipbydesign
News From LBD

July 2015 Volume 7 Issue 7
 

             Eagles in a Storm

 

Recently numerous severe storms passed through our community where our phones, sirens and TV outlets warned us and told us what we needed to do to survive the storm.

 

Growing up we had a dog that always sensed when a severe storm was coming, long before we knew, and she went to the lowest room in the house and hid under a bed. How did she know to do this?

 

Eagles also know when a storm is approaching long before it breaks and will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, the eagle sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.

 

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

 

When the storms of business or life come upon us, and they usually do, such storms do not have to overcome us.

 

We all have the ability to ride the winds of the storm that bring business and economic downturns, failure and disappointment. We can soar above the storm if we have the attitude and determination to lead ourselves and others to not just survive, but to thrive.

 

Leadership is not about learning to survive the storm; it's about dancing in the rain and then doing it.

 

 


What Leaders are Reading   

  

 

Eye of the Storm Leadership 

by Peter S. Adler, Ph.D.

 

150 Ideas, Stories, Quotes, and Exercises On The Art and Politics of Managing Human Conflicts.  
  
We all yearn for a better way forward in conflict resolution, be it the courtroom, boardroom or halls of government, our families or communities. Peter Adler's 150 gems of folk wisdom add up to a fresh path and dare us to take the chance. Provocative and challenging, Peter Adler's "Eye of the Storm" utilizes everyday situations and international crises to stimulate our thinking and to explore new ways of creating resolution.  Each of the 15 chapters (including Guerilla Bridge Building, Turbo-Charging Negotiation, Working Together and Artful Communication) is broken down into 10 sections with stories, quotes, and exercises which push us, encourage us, and occasionally chastise us to look beyond our complacency and demand the very best of ourselves as conflict resolvers.  To quote Adler:  'Strap on your seatbelts.'  He takes you on a ride you have never taken before."

 

 

 

 

Join Our Mailing List
Leadership Tip of the Month

Strengthen Your Strengths

 

 To become a more effective leader, one that can "dance in the rain," you must be able to lead yourself. You must have a positive attitude and practice self leadership.

 

Take time to identify your strengths, as they give you the ability to trust yourself, and make valuable contributions to others in times of stress.

 

No matter how much of a useful quality you have, you can always develop it further.

 

One degree of personal growth today can make a big difference in your positive impact tomorrow.

 

Does one degree make a difference? It does when you're boiling water. At 211 degrees water is hot. At 212 degrees water boils, creates steam, creates energy, power and becomes more useful.

 

Most people tend to work on their weaknesses and, yes, we do need to shore them up. However, to excel at leadership we must strengthen our strengths.

 

One degree just may make the difference of thriving in a storm versus just surviving.

    

  To learn more, contact LBD.   

John Branstad
John Branstad
Quote of the Month 

"There are no extraordinary men... just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are forced to deal with." 
 
Adm. William Halsey
John Branstad
www.leadershipbydesign.org
763-213-5267