Over the course of my career I’ve assembled a very handy annual New Year’s “Checklist” that helps get me focused and ready for the challenges to come in the days and months ahead, and well positioned for success.
Those who tell the stories.
It's a powerful statement this.
There's a mystical, mythical element to it, being a native American saying.
I find it interesting that Plato said much the same thing "Those who tell the stories rule society."
Two such disparate cultures and societies recognising the power of story.
Just about anyone who writes about story, talks about story, ends up using this quote.
And certainly at the level at which most people think about this statement ... anyone who tells the stories will make money in business, and rule the world that way.
Story is a currency recognised the world over.
It is a powerful marketing tool, the difference, sometimes, between a profit and a loss.
But looking at it a different way - looking at the leaders, the rulers, those who rule the world.
They lead, they rule because they are able to tell our stories for us.
We need a story to make sense of life.
We need a story to make sense of our culture.
We need a story to make sense of our world.
We need someone to lead us forward by telling our story, what is really happening, how things are going to be.
When there is a movement for change in our culture, a mass discontent with the way things are, in our world, it will succeed because someone is able to lead it forward by articulating for that mass of people, what is really happening and how it will progress, tells the story about it.
What story are your leaders telling?
Let us choose the leaders who tell the story of our highest aspirations, not our lowest common denominators of fear and greed, ego and power.
Let us then buy from the marketers who tell the story of our highest aspirations, not our lowest common denominators of laziness and competitiveness.
Futurist Rolf Jensen said "The highest paid person of the 21st century will be the storyteller."
Let's choose whom we pay to tell our stories, and choose well.
Do you recognise resitance when you see it?
So, I'm trying to lose some weight. And I notice that the days that I declare to myself, "No sugar today," I end up eating sugar earlier than ever. I actually forget that I have even made myself this promise...usually until just a moment after the sugar is melting from my tongue.
Can you relate? Maybe not in this area, but we all have places where we do not keep promises to ourselves. Where do you do this?
Not following through on commitments is a form of resistance. You can probably see clearly how this resistance might sabotage my efforts toward my goal.
My resistance is brilliant. It continually takes new and different forms and is quite good at disguising itself and finding new ways to outsmart me. Your resistance is brilliant, too.
Resistance will keep us from achieving what we want and need. Worse than that, resistance has the power to sending us and our businesses careening in exactly the opposite direction.
Whether you are a leader in an organization or in your own life, anytime you find yourself in a change situation, you will find resistance. If you don't, you are not looking hard enough. It is the way of things. You will resist. Your staff will resist. Your boss will resist. Your clients will resist. Potential employers will resist. Your family will resist. The higher the stakes, the more resistance you will find.
If we are not aware that resistance is at work, resistance wins. But only 100% of the time.
Your only hope of overcoming resistance is to expect it
Your only hope of overcoming resistance is to expect it. But even that isn't enough. You also have to value it and embrace it. You have to work with your resistance, not against it.
You have to get intimate with resistance. And that starts with recognizing it. Here's what you want to look for:
Obvious resistance is easy to spot:
Refusal
Arguing
Disruptive behavior The most powerful forms of resistance are usually much more subtle:
Not being available
Not getting started
Getting distracted and not completing
Offering misleading information
Bringing up other issues
Becoming very busy with something else
Getting sick
Anger
Irritation
Frustration
Confusion
Criticism
Silence
Feigning acceptance, without asking necessary questions or working out the details
Finding reasons to be removed from the task
Surfing the web
Compulsively checking your BlackBerry or iPhone
Oh yeah, and forgetting.
Which of these do you do? Which do you see the people you work with doing? Which do you see in your clients? Start noticing the signs of resistance in you and the people around you.
Remember resistance is very creative.
Next time, we'll talk about a few ways to work with your resistance.
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Sharon Rich works with organizations and people approaching major change. Just look at the spectacular corporate failures of the past decade to see that talent and intelligence aren't enough to create success. Sharon helps leaders to get the specific tools, skills and perspectives they need to create successful change and make it stick. For more information and to get a complimentary copy of her article "6 WAYS LEADERS SABOTAGE CHANGE and 5 Principles Change Leaders Need Now," go tohttp://www.leadershipincorporated.com/Free_Stuff.html
"If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are an excellent leader."
Dolly Parton
"Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true direction." ~Unknown
Change is not easy. But it is simple. Things will always change. We don't have a choice about that, but we do have a choice on how we react to change; and as a leader whether or not we choose to create change. The choice really boils down to this...either we manage change or it will manage us.
As a leader, however, deciding to make changes is the easy part. Getting your people on board is much more difficult. Why is that? Quite simply, change is an emotional process. We are all creatures of habit who usually resist it and welcome routine. Uncharted waters are scary!
In the long run, however, sameness is the fast tract to mediocrity. And, mediocre companies won't survive. Tuli Kupferburg said it best... "When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge." And, that is your challenge...to convince your team that the new world you are trying to create is better than the one you're in.
Is it easy? Of course not. It takes planning, commitment, patience and courage. The truth, of course, is that change can be a wonderful gift. In fact, it is the key that unlocks the doors to growth and excitement in any organization. And, most importantly, without it...your competition will pass you by.
A big part of success, as a leader, will be your ability to inspire your team to get out of their comfort zones; to assure them that even though they are on a new path, it's the right path, for the right reasons.
That's what this book is all about....ideas, to inspire, to motivate, and to encourage your team to move forward and to embrace change.
I'd like to share one of the chapters titled: "Learn from Old Warwick".
Enjoy!
Excerpt from: Change is Good...You Go First By Mac Anderson and Tom Feltenstein
Learn from Old Warwick
Fostering a spirit of teamwork is critical in times of change. The key element is trust. Trust for the leader and trust for each other. There is a wonderful story from the play, Some Folks Feel the Rain; Others Just Get Wet; and I think it's worth sharing again to shed some light on how people think about teamwork...
A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.
"Warwick can get you out of that ditch," said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, "Yep, old Warwick can do the job." The man figured he had nothing to lose.
The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted, "Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!"
And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch. The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, "Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?"
The farmer grinned and said, "Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he's part of a team, he doesn't mind pulling."
To watch the movie or to look inside the book, just click here.
“Real leaders forever need bigger and more irresistible challenges.”
—Mark Victor Hansen
“Nothing so conclusively proves a man's ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.”
—Thomas J. Watson
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And do you want to learn the leadership "magic" of building a team whose members work together effectively and positively, bringing the exceptional performance improvements that good leadership and successful teamwork can bring? And what about the rewards, respect and personal growth that come with effective leadership?
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Looking at where you are right now, do you feel that you're not getting the rewards and recognition you deserve?
You may be very competent as a manager. However, leadership is a different thing from management (they complement one another). If you rely only on being a good manager, you'll never inspire people to give their very best. Because of this, people who are only good managers are passed over for promotion - time and again...
The good news is that with just 24 hours of study, you can learn to be an exceptional leader! With just a little application, you can learn the 48 simple skills that will make you the wise, self-confident, inspiring and successful leader you want to be. You'll say goodbye to the mundane struggle of everyday management existence, becoming the natural center of a positive, enthusiastic, well-motivated and highly successful team.
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Dealing with conflict is a task many managers struggle with or even avoid. But you can transform disagreement and discord into positive outcomes by learning seven constructive ways to respond to conflict. => http://bit.ly/v6pW0E
