Three Minute Leadership: Always Remember Rule Number 6

by Michael M. Reuter on 3/14/2010

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To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning

In The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander, we find a simple story that teaches us how to bring about greater collaboration in our relations with others in our professional and personal life.

“Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man burst in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and standing and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him; “Peter,” he says, “kindly remember Rule Number 6,” whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologizes, and withdraws. The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by an hysterical woman gesticulating widely, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: “Marie, please remember Rule Number 6.” Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology. When the scene is repeated for a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: “My dear friend, I’ve seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?” “Very simple,” replies the resident prime minister. “Rule Number 6 is ‘Don’t take yourself so g_damn seriously’” “Ah,” says his visitor, “this is a fine rule.” After a moment of pondering, he inquires, “And what may I ask, are the other rule?”

“There aren’t any.””

One of the questions I ask leaders as we discuss their leadership journey is what are the do’s and don’t they would recommend to others for a successful career. One of the most consistent responses in the ‘don’ts’ category is: Don’t take yourself seriously. They learned in their journey that position, power and influence didn’t give them the ability to know it all and have all the answers. They learned that it is wiser to listen to people’s ideas and perspectives with an open mind and genuine interest. They learned that when they took themselves seriously, they shut people down and distanced them. They learned how much more they could grow, add value and contribute to the business and others when they didn’t take themselves seriously.

Always remember Rule Number 6! Learn to laugh at your simple humanity. Remember the words of Heraclitus: “Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.”

Have a beautiful day and an incredible week!!!

Mike

hree Minute Leadership: The Leader's Greatest Gift - Valuing Someone for Who and What They Are

by Michael M. Reuter on 3/5/2010

Early Release – Sunday, March 7, 2010

To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning

American poet and playwright, e.e. cummings, wrote: “We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” To be accepted for who we are is one of the greatest gifts we can receive, and one of the greatest gifts that great leaders give others. It builds respect, commitment and trust. It goes beyond the material, social and physical, and makes a simple and beautiful statement: “I value you because you are you - for who and what you are.”

We have all experienced times in our professional or personal life when someone recognized a particular value we brought to an activity. When they told us, we were exuberant! We felt very special and uplifted. Our self-esteem grew and we were more confident. Our value was confirmed and appreciated. Our attitude toward the person who had recognized our value was one of respect and trust. We became more committed to the person than before, and more willing to give more and do more for the person.

Each of us has this wonderful ability to do the same and produce the same effect. Leo Buscaglia, author and motivational speaker, wrote: “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Every day we are given incredible opportunities to turn a life around. Don’t miss a moment or a person. As cummings said: “Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curisoisty, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” You have the power to change your world and someone else’s by taking the time to recognize the beautiful gifts that only they can bring to the world.

Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!

Mike

Three Minute Leadership: A Daily Ritual to Achieve Your Greatest Dreams

by Michael M. Reuter on 2/28/2010

 

To:  The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning

Robert Schuller, author and entrepreneur, writes:  “Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.”  For great leaders, a daily ritual  of preparation is a must-do.  In her book, The Tao of Personal Leadership, Diane Dreher writes of the samurai warriors who provide leaders the valuable lessons of daily preparation.

The ancient samurai spent all their lives preparing for the unexpected.  They began each day with a precise ritual.  Rising early, they would bathe, dress, and arrange their hair with perfumed oils, paying careful attention to the slightest details of grooming.  Why?  Because this ritual prepared them for a day that could be life’s greatest blessing or greatest battle.  They knew each day could be their last.  Their morning ritual was a misogi, a cleansing of spirit, centering them for whatever lay ahead.”

It is incredibly exciting to awake each morning to a world of infinite possibilities: achieving a success that no one ever never dreamed possible, finally connecting dots that never seemed related,  or simply seeing and smelling a flower that you had passed by and never seen.  Be like the samurai.  Prepare each morning in quiet reflection… to be more than you ever thought possible.  And have fun doing it!

Have a beautiful day and a fantastic week!!!

Mike

Three Minute Leadership - Dream One Size Bigger

by Michael M. Reuter on 2/21/2010

• Stop focusing on the impossibilities – “The first step in becoming a possibility thinker is to stop yourself from searching for and dwelling on what’s wrong with any given situation.
• Stay away from the “Experts” – These are the naysayers. “If you want to achieve something, give yourself permission to."
• Look for possibilities in every situation – Keep your eyes open and don’t be distracted by the negatives of a situation.
• Dream one size bigger - “If you push yourself to dream more expansively, to imagine your organization one size bigger, to make your goals at least a step beyond what makes you comfortable, you will be forced to grow.  And it will set you up to believe in greater possibilities.”
• Question the status quo – Understand that the status quo is a limit that you can change;  you only need to act to go beyond it.
• Find inspiration from great achievers – “Look for people with the attitude of Robert F. Kennedy, who popularized George Bernard Shaw’s stirring statement: “Some men see things as they are and way, ‘Why?’ I dream of things than never were and say, ‘Why not?’”

Three Minute Leadership: Your Greatest Decision

by Michael M. Reuter on 2/14/2010

 

To:  The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning

In Michael Useem’s book, The Leadership Moment, we read a haunting story about Bowen McCoy, an investment banker at Morgan Stanley, and a decision he faced on a mountain trek:

“McCoy had taken a six-month sabbatical in 1982 to ‘collect’ his thoughts by trekking through the mountains of Nepal.  He was resting at 15, 500 feet on his way up the difficult mountain pass of Thorung La, just north of Annapurna, when he encountered an unconscious, nearly naked sadhu, or Hindu holy man.  If he carried the sadhu to a lower elevation, McCoy knew, he night end his chance of crossing the pass and completing his month-long trek;  he could even endanger himself and others if the unpredictable weather turned stormy.  After briefly watching other trekkers help warm the sadhu, McCoy departed for the pass and several hours later celebrated victory on it.  Only then did he question whether he had done the right thing in abandoning the sadhu before ensuring his safe descent and physical recovery.  ”

Reading this each of us will reflect on our own decision given if we were in McCoy’s shoes: his passion for accomplishing this goal; the proximity of the goal (he was almost there); his personal satisfaction in achieving it… all this weighed against the plight of a single human being needing help in a potential life or death situation.  What decision would you have taken: Move forward as did McCoy? Stop and ensure the security of the sadhu? An alternative satisfying both needs?  These are the moments that test our deepest principles and values.  If they are strong, we will make the right decision… and know it.  McCoy admitted: “I had literally walked through a classic moral dilemma without thinking through the consequences.”   Fifteen year later he wrote:  “I never found out if the sadhu lived or died.”  and he is still ambivalent about whether he made the correct decision or not.

Every decision, big and small, gives direction to our lives. Let each be made from your core values and life’s purpose. Let Anthony Robbins’ words, author and motivational speaker, be a guide to one of your greatest decisions: 

“I remember the moment my life changed, the moment I finally said, ‘I’ve had it!  I know I’m much more than I’m demonstrating mentally, emotionally, and physically in my life.’ I made a decision in that moment which was to alter my life forever. I decided to change virtually every aspect of my life.  I decided I would never again settle for less than I can be.”

Never settle for anything less that you can be.  Be more than you ever dreamed you can be!

 Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!

Mike

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