How to lead in chaotic times

Old 06-08-2011, 07:05 AM
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TheYellaBrick
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Default How to lead in chaotic times

Include people in your vision.
People thrive in activities in which their aspirations, hopes and resources are incorporated from the start. Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline says people are only motivated by personal visions which usually include aspects that concern any social entity, family, community, public or private organizations.

“One finger cannot kill a lice.”
Leaders have to walk on unfamiliar grounds with others, sooner or later. Traditional knowledge has it that it took a team to spear a buffalo. Your team must know what the buffalo (challenge, change or vision) is, who has what spear and how each team member’s contribution is part of the organization’s success. Communication, coordination, conflict and change management systems are essential for the team to overcome the buffalo, stay focused and increase productivity.


Forget short-term team building programs, otherwise you will be trapped in the passion of feeding the self-esteem of the “worried few.” Build a strong community where confidence and productivity are largely influenced by a sense of belonging and acceptance for the team’s overall purpose. A community, not “self,” provides these productivity assets. In sports, teams consist of talented specialists. To win games, these specialists perform their best by working together with each other. It’s a community thing.

Grow the whole person.
Don’t separate business from body and soul. As I work with college football coaches about developing a motivation program that helps athletes win games (I have presented motivational speeches to Boise State University football since 1998), my suggestion is, develop them academically, morally and athletically. Your genuine interests in people’s growth in all areas, not just in the aspect you need today, motivates them to excel in life. They become key contributors across the board. The assurance that players can have life off the court is a key to success for many winning teams. The same principle applies in all social institutions.

Take hold of the buffalo’s horn and let others take care of the kicks. Jomo Kenyatta, the late first president of Kenya, told his countrymen, “I have held the buffalo’s horn, deal with the kicks,” as Kenya freed itself from Britain’s colonial bondage. Clear, expectations and empowerment are the “horn” you, the leader, must hold and your team will follow with all it has.

Train and develop your people.
If the people you lead depend on your skills and wisdom, you will have to support them perpetually. Providing them with training and a safe work environment dissolves the uncertainty of knowledge work. It allows individuals to do their jobs.

Inner peace.
The importance of inner peace is un-discussed in modern corporate world. However, great leaders know that a peace of mind and soul gives them the stability and focus they need to undertake the difficult decisions. At the top, you find that your decisions relegate you to emotional isolation. An uncertain business environment amplifies isolation. Inner peace gives you tranquility and a place to stand so you can move your world.

BONUS:
Resilience after an experience with “buffaloes.” Because buffaloes (challenges) are part of life, you must learn to bounce back from the effects of these “buffaloes” and help those around you bounce back from their “buffaloes” as well.

Character, integrity, and consistently high values will help you lead your team to success on unfamiliar ground.
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Old 06-09-2011, 02:19 AM
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outlaw256
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after reading all this i got a sudden urge to watch dances with wolves.wrong kind of buffalo?lol
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