Tom Peters has a good reminder for leaders: "They watch your feet, not your lips." Those we lead may listen to our words, but they also watch our actions. To the extent that our actions match our words, our leadership influence will grow and trust will increase.
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Greg Stielstra at the PyroMarketing blog has an interesting article entitled "Are You a Stuntman?" In it he explores the difference between people who fall and break a bone and stuntmen who fall and spring right back up. Why? Two basic factors: Surprise vs. Expectation Stopping the fall vs. Starting to land Those who get hurt by falling are usually those who never expected to fall. In other words, they are surprised by the fall. Because they are surprised, they are also unprepared. The life lessons are innumerable. Stielstra also does a good job building off the old joke, "It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop." As they are falling, stuntmen are planning how they will land. It might look ugly but it's planned and thought out. Take a trip over to the article. Read it and think about how to apply it.
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I can remember when having a pair of shoes with velcro was considered cool; I can foresee another time in life when having shoes with velcro will be practical! Velcro is used in a variety of products and settings because it's an effective way of linking together two objects. It's replaced zippers, shoe laces, and more. It has the familiar "ripping" sound when pulled apart. When it comes to relationships, compliments and criticisms are like velcro strips ... once we've said either one, we're linked to the person on the receiving end. Compliments reinforce and rebuild. A well-placed compliment recognizes a strength and reinforces it. It takes latent potential and brings it closer to the surface. It also rebuilds, breathing new life into a damaged relationship or wounded dream. Criticisms live on in the heart well after they've left the mouth. Intentional or unintentional, they fasten themselves to previous hurts…
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One of the blogs I regularly track is Mac Lake's. Last week he posted a great reminder about how we need to minimize the "friendly fire" that happens in a work environment, be it church or business. Here it is: Hit by Friendly Fire Just months after the September 11 attack on US soil Pat Tillman, safety for the Arizona Cardinals, turned down a 3.5 million dollar contract in order to join the US Army and defend his country . While serving on patrol in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004, Tillman was killed in a friendly fire incident. Friendly fire is a strange term isn’t it? It means to fire inadvertently on someone on your own squad. It isn’t intentional, they don’t purposely cause harm, it happens because someone isn’t paying attention. Unfortunately there are people in offices all across the country who are struck by “friendly fire” everyday. Leaders…
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An old Russian proverb states, "Success has many fathers while failure is an orphan." Nearly everyone I've met wants to be successful -- though the definition of success may vary, the desire is there. I've met few people who aspire to be failures. Because of this, there is a great temptation to take credit where none is deserved. When an idea goes well, it's everyone's idea. "I knew that would work." Of course, at the time they may have thought it was the craziest idea out there. On the other hand, when an idea or project fails, it's like dropping a skunk in the middle of a party -- everyone scatters. No one wants to own the smell. This is where great leaders (and spouses and parents and coaches) stand out. They are content to let others get the credit and are willing to accept the blame. Perhaps the most…
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