- to establish, explain and assess reasonable goals.
- to state goals positively.
- to ensure goals are realistic, achievable and have some stretch to them. (Achievement builds confidence.) Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.
- to negotiate all goals; win commitment.
- to write down goals; convert dreams to tangible targets.
- to align goals with the corporate mission. (Requires regular review to prevent goal conflicts.)
- to FOCUS time and effort on the important but not urgent issues that have long-term impact; the issues which make the big difference.
Thoughts on Thursday: Tough Decisions and Talent
CEO’s should surround themselves with people who don’t mind having to make tough decisions.
You need people around who have the strength to say no when things are not right.
A note for the CEO: You communicate even when you are not communicating!
Here is a little story from one of my favourite leadership practitioners, Max De Pree, that reminds us that what a leader does is important.
I often found the CEO job a rather lonely life where every move is under someone’s observation. But rather than letting this develop into a sense of strain or tension, it is important to remember that if your actions reflect your words (or intentions) then you are being authentic and effective.
Esther, my wife, and I have a grand-daughter named Zoe, the Greek word for “life”. She was born prematurely and weighed one pound, seven ounces, so small that my wedding ring could slide up her arm to her shoulders. The neonatologist who first examined her told us that she had a 5 to 10 percent chance of living three days. When Esther and I scrubbed up for our first visit and saw Zoe in her isolette in the neonatal intensive care unit, she had two IVs in her navel, one in her foot, a monitor on each side of her chest, and a respirator tube and a feeding tube in her mouth.
To complicate matters, Zoe’s biological father had jumped ship the month before Zoe was born. Realising this, a wise and caring nurse named Ruth gave me my instructions. “For the next several months, at least, you’re the surrogate father. I want you to come to the hospital every day to visit Zoe, and when you come, I would like you to rub her body and her legs and arms with the tip of your finger. While you’re caressing her, you should tell her over and over how much you love her, because she has to be able to connect your voice to your touch.”
Ruth was doing exactly the right thing on Zoe’s behalf (and, of course, on my behalf as well), and without realising it she was giving me one of the best possible descriptions of the work of a leader. At the core of becoming a leader is the need always to connect one’s voice with one’s touch. (my emphasis)
Reference: De Pree M O (1991) Leadership Jazz. Melbourne: Australian Business Library, Information Australia. pp.1-3
If you’re a little bit down it may help you make better decisions: depression and leadership
Winston Churchill struggled with depression, and that may have made him a better leader.
Mildly depressed people tend to see the world more clearly.
Referring to Churchill, Nassir Ghaemi, professor of psychiatry in Tufts University School of Medicine, states: “The depressive leader saw the event of his day with a clarity and realism lacking in saner, more stable men.” (see Johansen, 2012, p.50)
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