by
Michael M. Reuter
on 11/16/2008
To: Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
Stephen Covey writes: "One of the deepest needs of the human soul is to be understood." Understanding he defines as being "able to see with the other person's eyes, heart, mind and spirit." It is through this that trust and respect are established among individuals and groups, innovation soars and productivity (the leader's and the organization's) multiplies. A simple story helps to remind us of what happens when our attention lapses:
"There were two men standing across from each other, each in desperate need of a helping hand. They reached out to each other, but their fingers barely touched. The man on the right wondered why the other man wouldn't reach just one inch more. Finally, frustrated, he reached forward and clasped the other man's hand. When the other man tried to hug him, he stepped back.
"Why didn't you reach just one more inch?" he demanded. The other man was astonished. "One more inch?" he asked. "To me it seemed like you were miles away."
Take the time this week to rejuvenate your focus on understanding. "See," as Covey teaches, "the other person's eyes, hear, mind and spirit." Enjoy the richness of moving that "one more inch" that can change the world - yours, your organization's and your people's. And have fun doing it!
Have a beautiful day and a great week!!!
Mike
by
Michael M. Reuter
on 11/9/2008
To: Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
In re-reading Stephen Covey's The 8th Habit - the 8th Habit is to "find your voice and inspire others to find theirs" - I found a work by Hafiz, a thirteenth century Iranian poet, that Covey uses as an introduction to his teaching on finding your inner voice. It captures the infinite possibilities - the magnificent surprises and gifts - that leaders continually strive to find in themselves and others each day of their journey:
"There are so may gifts
Still unopened from your birthday,
There are so man hand-crafted presents
That have been sent to you by God.
The Beloved does not mind repeating,
'Everything I have is also yours.'
There are so many gifts, my dear,
Still unopened from your birthday."
From this introduction Covey beautifully teaches great leaders that: "The power to discover our voice lies in the potential that was bequeathed us at birth. Latent and undeveloped, the seeds of greatness were planted. We were given magnificent 'birth-gifts' - talents, capacities, privileges, intelligences, opportunities - that would remain largely unopened except through our own decision and effort. Because of these gifts, the potential within an individual is tremendous, even infinite."
This week may you open another of your birthday gifts and discover in it another of your infinite possibilities. And in your servant leadership may you also lead others to open one of theirs.
Have a beautiful day and an incredible week!!!
Mike
by
Michael M. Reuter
on 11/2/2008
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
Michelangelo once wrote: "If the people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem wonderful at all." Great leaders recognize the depth and significance of these words. They know the hard work they have put into what they have accomplished - the long days and extra hours to get the job done, the meetings to set direction, create alignment and build relationships, the missed opportunities with family and friends to put out a fire, the quiet moments when work is 'finished,' yet their mind continues ponder and sort through things needed to done.
Great leaders know that success doesn't just happen, that achieving their fullest being requires a lot of doing. It is the beauty of full engagement in life - in all that they do - a richness so elegantly captured in the words of former US President Theodore Roosevelt in a speech given in Paris at the Sorbonne in 1910:
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
May your week be filled with great achievements borne of valiant striving, brilliant enthusiasm and incredible hope. Choose wisely and choose well… and have fun doing it.
Have a beautiful day and a fantastic week!!!
Mike
by
Michael M. Reuter
on 10/26/2008
To: Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
One of the fundamental responsibilities of great leadership is to create change. In their book, the Art of Possibility, Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander provide keen insights into the creative process. They suggest that leaders should look at things as 'already invented.' Since we are the creators of our own world - one that we build based on our perceptions, assumptions, culture, learnings - they suggest, we have the power to change it. The term they use is: "It's all invented." For example, if people build a life that is abundance-oriented, they care less about losing something, or being in control to have more, and therefore they are more open to risk.
In the measurement world which requires rigid structure,
Have a beautiful day and a fantastic week!!!
leaders set goals and strive for them. In the universe of possibility, the great leaders set the context and let life unfold. There are infinite possibilities for you to create and explore. John Scully, former CEO of Apple Compute once said: "The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious." May you re-invent your world this week. See challenges, opportunities and life through different eyes - and enjoy the wonder, excitement and the capabilities of new possibilities. Be one of those great leaders who not only sees possibilities, but brings the possibilities to life and creates magnificent change.
Mike
by
Michael M. Reuter
on 10/19/2008
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
In a recent meeting with leaders who were discussing Clayton M. Christensen's book, The Innovator's Dilemma - The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business. one of the leaders caught my ear as she summarized her learnings using Christensen's own words:
"Although I will do my best to this the right market with the right product and the right strategy the first time out, there is a high probability that a better direction will emerge as the business heads toward its initial target. I must therefore plan to be wrong and to learn what is right as fast as possible."
While Christensen was writing of sustainability and disruptive technologies and their differences, my own thoughts on hearing these words were on their relevance to the lives of great leaders. They struck at the great leaders' preparedness: their personal choice to do their best, their planning to make sure they have done their homework for the road ahead and their awareness that there will be surprises along the way - "I must plan to be wrong and to learn what is right as fast as possible." This is a powerful statement of the leader's commitment to preparation. It is this openness that sets them apart: to look for the unexpected, to have the eyes to see an idea or trend that isn't totally perceptible to the rest and to pursue it, to believe - and dream - that there can be something better.
Paul "Bear" Bryant, a former football coach, once said: "It is not the will to win that matters - everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters." Great leaders have that will. May your week be filled with preparations for the unexpected and better directions, that when they arrive you will hear the words of Seneca: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."
Have a beautiful day and a wondrous week!!!
Mike