by
Michael M. Reuter
on 1/29/2012
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous learning
John Maxwell, author and leadership guru, writes about the importance of gratitude for a successful leadership journey. His life-long learnings have taught him that going at it alone will not make a successful life’s journey. Great leaders succeed because: “Followers make leaders possible.” It is others who help shape and build their success through their teaching, influence and coaching throughout our journey.
Maxwell offers three groupings of people who help him succeed on his journey:
(1) Some people helped me that never knew me - Some people have deposited their thoughts into my mind through the books they have written. Others have influenced me on account of the lives they have authored. These leaders, like Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr., have inscribed leadership lessons on the pages of history for all to read.
(2) Some people knew me but never knew they helped me - These individuals modeled success principles for me that I could apply to my life. I watched them and caught from them things that add value to my life today. I am filled with joy whenever I am able to express my gratitude to these unintentional mentors.
3) Some people know me and know they help me - These friends have been intentional in their assistance. Most of the good things that have happened to me are a direct result of their commitment to add value to my life.
The people who have helped me the most include:
Gift Complementors: These people do things I am not gifted to do.
Creative Thinkers: These people solve problems and give me options.
Door Closers: These people complete assignments with excellence.
People Developers: These people multiply my influence by training other leaders.
Mind Stretchers: These people expand my thinking and my spirit.
Networkers: These people connect me to relationships that enhance my life."
Maxwell reminds us: “You won’t be successful as a leader unless a lot of people want you to be. No matter what level of talent you possess, you’re dependent on others for success.” Take time to think about those people who have helped you most. Thank them for their caring and for all that they have given you. And in return, give yourself unconditionally to those whom you touch – your learnings, counsel, influence, network - that they, too, know that you care, that you want them to succeed. Enjoy the beauty of your gift-giving. It is a magnificent journey!
Have a beautiful day and a fantastic week!!!
Mike
Contact Information:
Michael M. Reuter
Director, Center for Leadership Development
Stillman School of Business
Seton Hall University
Tel: (Office) 973.275.2528; (Mobile) 908.419.6060
Email: Michael.Reuter@shu.edu
by
Michael M. Reuter
on 1/22/2012
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
In the movie, Letters to Juliet, we find this enchanting thought: "’What’ and ‘If’ are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What if? What if? What if?”
“What if’s” in the lives of great leaders are the beginnings of dreams and visions, the seeds of infinite possibilities, the nourishment of challenges and risks that will stretch them to explore their undiscovered, extraordinary greatness. They provide pause for quiet reflection - of what could have been or what could be – and inspire new insights and learning.
What are the important “what if’s” in your life (professional and personal) at this moment? Some that come to mind may be:
What if…
I stopped doing those things that don’t have the value-add needed by my current priorities?
I reshaped my life and chose to follow a different path?
I bring more balance to my own life? How will that change things?
(Name a person) had not entered my life?
I could be more than I ever dreamed I could be?
Our “what if’s” are the fiery embers and inspirations that push us to find those incredible and beautiful gifts within ourselves. Socrates, Greek philosopher, said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” He also counseled: ““Let him that would move the world, first move himself.” Find the full richness and beauty in yourself. To the last “what if” above, remember the words from Josh Groban’s song, Believe: “You have everything you need… if you just believe.” Grab every moment and enjoy the excitement and fun of your magnificent journey.
Have a beautiful day and an incredible week!!!
Mike
Contact Information:
Michael M. Reuter
Director, Center for Leadership Development
Stillman School of Business
Seton Hall University
Tel: (Office) 973.275.2528; (Mobile) 908.419.6060
Email: Michael.Reuter@shu.edu
by
Michael M. Reuter
on 1/15/2012
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
A friend recently shared with me a “Study Hacks Blog” which speaks about comedian Steve Martin’s memoir, Born Standing Up, in which Martin describes the key to his success. His message to great leaders is a simple one: “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” The author writes: “It simplifies the quest. Forget all the frustration, the tricks, and the worry. Just focus on becoming good. Really damn good. Outstanding. Unlike anyone who has come before you.”
Martin has two ways for applying his “method”: Intellectualize and Don’t Wander. For Martin, “simply putting in the time is not enough.” Through Intellectualize, he wanted to change things - go beyond the standard punch line which was popular at the time. He innovated, looked at the best practices and then chose to “reconstruct these elements into something new and even better.” With respect to Don’t Wander, it was about being keenly focused on his passion - “staying diligent in his interest in the one field he was trying to master….if you don’t saturate your life in a single quest, you’ll dilute your focus to a point where becoming outstanding becomes out of reach.”
Martin’s perspectives are wonderfully captured in the counsel given by W. Edwards Deming, American statistician and author: “It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best.” So, know what you do, seek to find the infinite possibilities within it and then choose to be not simply your best ... choose more than your best: choose to be more than you ever dreamed you could be. And have fun doing it.
Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!
Mike
Contact Information:
Michael M. Reuter
Director, Center for Leadership Development
Stillman School of Business
Seton Hall University
Tel: (Office) 973.275.2528; (Mobile) 908.419.6060
Email: Michael.Reuter@shu.edu
by
Michael M. Reuter
on 1/8/2012
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
In his June 2011 Commencement Address at Dartmouth University, Conan O'Brien, TV host and writer, with an introduction filled with fun and humor, shared a lesson that he had learned the year before when he experienced "a very profound and public disappointment."
He had failed. He said: "I did not get what I wanted, and I left a system that had nurtured and helped define me for the better part of 17 years. I went from being in the center of the grid to not only off the grid...." He spent the next year wandering, doing things that were "silly, unconventional, spontaneous and seemingly irrational." His commitment to his purpose in life was being redefined and he felt liberated. From this he realized: "There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized."
He spoke of Johnny Carson who wanted to be a Jack Benny, famous 1940’s and 1950’s comedian, and failed; of David Letterman who wanted to be a Johnny Carson, and failed; and of comedians of his own generation who wanted to be David Letterman, and who failed. Of this he said: “It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound re-invention….The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.”
What magnificent rewards that disappointment offers: the clarity to see one’s purpose more clearly, the conviction to have a greater commitment to accomplish it and the gaining a greater realization and understand of our own beautify uniqueness. Eliza Tabor, author, writes: “Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it.” May your disappointments be few, but when they come, may you treasure the beautiful gifts they give and become greater with their departure.
Have a beautiful day and a fantastic week!!!
Mike
Contact Information:
Michael M. Reuter
Director, Center for Leadership Development
Stillman School of Business
Seton Hall University
Tel: (Office) 973.275.2528; (Mobile) 908.419.6060
Email: Michael.Reuter@shu.edu
by
Michael M. Reuter
on 1/1/2012
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
As the New Year begins, we take stock of this past year’s accomplishments and learnings, and we begin planning for the great and exciting New Year to come. In a recent note Philip Humbert, leadership guru and coach, speaks about preparing for our 2012 journey. He tells us two truths:
“Here's a great truth: You are evolving. You are, inevitably, becoming something and someone new all the time. You are not the same person you were a year ago! You know stuff you didn't know back then. You have skills you didn't have a year ago. You've forgotten or ignored or gotten confused about things that used to be terrifically important! Over time, we evolve. And, here's a second truth: It either happens by accident, or it happens on purpose, according to a plan.
His wonderfully simple advice for each of us is: “Evolve on purpose.” The choice of the paths that we will follow during this coming year is in our hands. We must choose wisely and well.
A great beginning for our 2012 planning comes from Stephen Covey’s lesson of “The Big Rocks” of life from his book First Things First. It provides fertile ground for our planning and the seeds of greatness we will sow.
“As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
“Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"
"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!" "No," the speaker replied, "that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all."
As you begin this year’s journey, ask yourself: What are the big rocks in my life? What principal goals will I accomplish? What will be their impact on my business, my family and my community? Focus on those critical few that will bring the greatest value to your life, your business and those whom you serve. In January 2013, these ‘big rocks’, when accomplished through your passion and commitment, will become the new cornerstones for that new year’s growth.
May this New Year be your greatest ever for you and yours: one filled with incredible personal and professional growth… for yourself and others;, a year filled with passion, joy and love; a year again filled with magnificent accomplishments; a year in which you become more than you ever dreamed you could be. Enjoy each precious moment of your magnificent journey this year… and have fun doing it.
Happy New Year!
Have a beautiful day and a great week!!!
Mike