Being Other Focused
In the Wall Street Journal, Franklin Lavin, U.S. Ambassabor to Singapore wrote the Manager's Journal column about some of the things he learned from the late President Reagan while working on his staff. ******** PLEASE NOTE ************ If you are thinking about moving on from this article because of your feelings about the politics of President Reagan, please don't. The lesson I am about to share isn't about politics or partisan-ship, or any of those things. *********************************** It is about caring. About being focused on others. It is a lesson for all leaders. Lavin shares a story about an appearance the President was making at an Alabama school for handicapped children. The event was going super well, until one of the children with a severe speech impediment asked a question of the President. No one in the audience could understand and the room became tense. The President asked him to repeat the question, and the energy in the room was further dampened. Again, no one understood. Here is how Lavin tells what happened next, "The teachers froze. What was to have been an upbeat day was turning into a disaster... Reagan to the rescue. 'I'm sorry' he said with a smile, 'but you know I've got this hearing aid in my ear. Every once in awhile the darn thing just conks out on me. And it's just gone dead. Sorry to put you through this again, but I'm going to ask one of my staff people to go over to you so you can tell them directly what your question is. Then he can pass it back to me.'" This is what caring, gentle people do. This is what leaders do. If they see someone hurting, they try to help. They don't help to "get through it" or get people back to work. They help, and care, and listen because it is the right thing to do. They show they care through their actions. If you are like me, as you read this you thought, "How would I have handled that?" and "Would I have been as successful as President Reagan?" They are good questions. The better question though is, what can I do today to be more focused on others, and therefore help them succeed? Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Leadership - Connect to Engage!
It's been said many times that true leadership is measured by ones ability to motivate and influence others.
Are You A Leader in the Chrysalis?
Let's get this straight at the outset?
The Leadership Talk As A Living Hologram
The hologram is a three-dimensional photograph made on a flat surface with laser beams.
Leaders ARE; Are you?
Identity Crisis
Unleash It!
On airplanes, in restaurants, in the newspaper and on television, I often hear people saying their businesses are not growing to their satisfaction or that they are not reaching their objectives. The explanations that follow consist of reasons like:
Charismatic Leadership
What motivates people to work and to achieve? What circumstances create an environment in which some people achieve and others do not? Does motivation come from within or does it come from others - from leaders or managers? Can you motivate the un-motivated? Does it have to involve money? Why is it that some work teams achieve and others do not? Is it that the better work unit has better people? If this is so, then does that mean that the better work unit would succeed whether they were led or not? Is leadership the same as management or is leadership a part of management? Are managers and leaders the same?
What Kind of Leader Are You?
You are a leader if someone is following you. This could be as simple as one person watching you and following your example and encouragement, to being a leader in your home, your community, your workplace or even your nation. Leadership can take many forms, but typically it often involves managing people- one of the most difficult of all tasks. It means coordinating and motivating the actions of others to achieve a common goal. A leader has to establish that goal, and gain the willing agreement of others to be governed by and work together towards that goal.
Choose Your Best Life: Where Are Your Choices Leading You?
According to the dictionary choice means "to select freely after consideration, to have a preference for, to take an alternative and of high caliber." Based on this definition, I believe choice is the act of careful selection, identifying preferences and exploring quality alternatives that lead to freedom. How often do we approach our choices in such a deliberately thoughtful way?
The Best Ways To Multiply The Extraordinary Leadership in Your Organization
Extraordinary Leaders are those who understand that in order for the
organization to grow and make the maximum impact that it can, the leadership
base in the organization must grow first and grow strong enough to hold the
growth. If this does not happen, the organization will either not grow or
will grow and then crumble because there is no solid foundation of
leadership. The effort to multiply leadership must be ongoing and
purposeful. Here are some ways to get your leadership base growing strong
and wide!
Leadership: Wisdom of the Ages
If you gather 100 experienced leaders together to share with you their most important secrets for success, you probably wouldn't hear a lot of academic theory or jargon. Instead, this is a good idea of what you'd hear:
Get Angry And Then Get Results
Leadership is not about winning a popularity contest, it's about getting great results. To do so, leaders must challenge people not to do what they want to do but what they don't want to do.
Leadership Lessons from Pope John Paul II
"Heroes are rebels with a cause. Rebels because they challenge the traditional ways of thinking and refuse to follow the herd. They have a cause, a vision, that's larger than life." - Sharif Khan, author of Psychology of the Hero Soul
Dissolving Conflict Through Reframing
Reframing is looking at the situation with a new set of eyes. Its asking your self if you have a clear picture of the situation and of what is happening around you.
Embracing Adversity for Achievement
"Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity." -- Lou Holtz
Sometimes Leaders Need to Get the Boot
Today I stood up to a guy right in front of his boss. I challenged him, the former leader, to change his position and give up his position of power. He had fallen from that position though no fault of his own, yet, he didn't deserve the power that he desired.
C4 Leadership: Taking Your Leadership (and your Life) from Good...To Explosive!
Chances are if you're interested in this post, you're looking for a few tips to take your leadership and/or your life, up a notch or two. Read on for a few things that have really helped me make my leadership more explosive after first defining what C4 is.
Leadership A Perspective From Tao
Tao Te Ching said to be written by Lao Tzu during the period of warring states in china around the second century B.C.; a compilation of Chinese philosophy dating back to 6th century B.C. or even earlier, is a profound philosophical work with many lessons for the corporate of the 21st century.
Leadership Skills and Ability
What is true Leadership.
5 Human Capital Asset Enrichment Strategies for Leaders!
Here's a really simple way to think about the ins and
outs, the doing and practice or attitudes and behaviors of
being a leader.
3 Aspects of Developing Leadership Skills
Everyone knows that great leaders are made, not born. However good that statement sounds, we still want to know how we "make" or turn people effective leaders. And other questions need to be answered about the process of leadership development.
|
