Some Words on Leadership

"A new leader has to be able to change an organization that is dreamless, soulless and visionless ... someone's got to make a wake up call." ~ Warren Bennis

I’ve been thinking about leadership lately. I have had some really good leaders in and out of uniforms, in classrooms and in front of them. I have also had some horrible 'leaders' in my past that I've seen simply torture an organization. What makes a good leader? What kind of leader do I want to be? What kind of leader do I want to follow? What can a good leader do for an organization? Here are my thoughts of my perfect leadership ideal below, not in any particular order:

• Vision, Passion & Self-Sacrifice - Be an Inspirational Communicator of the Mission: Remind everyone why they are there, what has to be done, fire everyone up; Cheerlead the Cause! Make it look like the vision is the reason they live! - Understand the state of “Now” and communicate the future state of “Success”
• Be Confident, Persistent, Consistent, Decisive - Be the Communicator of Professional Expectations - Be the Fair Compensator & Punisher - Be the Top Listener
• Be the Role Model – Coach – Teacher – Career Councilor – Empowering Force
• Representative of Company’s People and The Company’s Goal – The Face of the Company – Be accountable for the Successes and Failures of the Company – Do Not ‘Lead’ from the Shadows
• Be the Great Aligner – Team Builder – Mission Chef – Positive and Active Intervener - Environmental Monitor – Resource Manager – Change Manager
  

I love some of these quotes: Bright Leadership Quotes, one quote from Jim Rohn that I liked and that I’m going to summarize and have made into a tattoo:

Be strong but not rude – Be kind but not weak - Be bold but not a bully - Be humble but not timid - Be proud but not arrogant - Be humorous without folly - Deal in realities - Deal in truth

This 2009

2009 in Preview:
Here are a few things that I want to focus on this New Year.

1. Seem more professional online

- It’s becoming a realization that prospective employers are probably using Google to research potential employees. So I want to focus on getting the best of myself out on the Internet, and maybe not my ranting about the apparent illogical of my current employer.

2. Build marketable skills

- I’m working on this everyday with the completion of my degree. But I also want to research certifications and other just-in-time skills that will make me an asset now vs. later.

3. Harness my sarcasm for good

- If you were to ask me which character in the sit-com Friends I most resemble it would be Chandler Bing. Sarcastic, Snarky, and self deprecating. I am aware of this character flaw in myself and want to figure out how to use this for good and not evil.

4. Keep my room clean

- My immediate surroundings need organization. How can I reign in my personal chaos if I have stacks of paper and boxes crowding me into a 3x3 foot cavern? This must be tackled.

5. Spend more time in the yard

- This is a must. As the weather clears up in March/April I really need to get out in the yard and spruce it up before it really gets out of hand. I also want to finish painting the back of the house. The trim hasn’t been completed since we did the remodel a couple of years ago.

6. Graduate with a BS

- With any luck I will graduate with a BS in information technology in July of this year. I know this will help my marketable skills, but also it is a personal goal that I plan to be very proud of.

7. Be differently employed

- It is my goal to be employed by a different entity this year. With the state of the economy and my newly acquired skills it makes no sense to remain in a questionably viable business with no room for personal career growth. It’s a dead end, if not a reversing situation.

8. Enroll in a music class/lessons

- I think as a reward for my completion of my degree I would like to enroll in something personal and fun. I was thinking about taking lessons like guitar or mandolin or something like that.