Leading During Difficult Times by Linda Hatcher
“As leaders we all have a tendency to become distracted by seemingly urgent problems and to dismiss other problems or situations as trivial and unimportant. We tend to travel down one side of the river stream in a fixed direction because it is comfortable and we are all creatures of habit. But the farther we travel down one side of a river, the more likely we are to continue on that side. Do not forget - the time to cross a river is before it gets too wide!”
This is a quote from the writings of our accomplished Leader in Action for December, Greg Thomas. A former sale executive, Thomas is now CEO of a nonprofit leadership development organization, and author of several practical, relevant leadership books such as 52 Leadership Tips. We have a review of that worthy book (CLICK HERE) in our new Leader Guide, and we also have an in-depth interview with Thomas about his views on leadership.
In continuing times of belt-tightening, many difficult choices are being made, including whether to cut leadership development programs. In the December issue of Leadership Guide Magazine , Thomas comments on this issue, among many others. (CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE INTERVIEW.)
“Not doing effective training and development has a boomerang effect and the boomerang is rapidly heading back!” he says. “ Now that employees have been reduced and those remaining are doing more work, there is not much left for a leader to do to position the organization for growth (or perhaps survival). The most important thing that can be done is to help make the remaining employees more productive and effective. People already work enough hours, they just need to learn valuable skills to improve their personal habits and attitudes. Remember the difference between a great organization and a mediocre organization is the quality of its people. Training is essential if you want to improve productivity and effectiveness.”
The third featured article in Leadership Guide Magazine is a review of the book Great Communications Secrets of Great Leaders by John Baldoni. (CLICK HERE)
INSPIRING LEADERSHIP QUOTES by Greg Thomas, our December Leader in Action:
The greatest leaders who ever lived first learned to be good followers. It was in this role that they learned excellent leadership qualities and empathy for others.
To a constructive leader it is always a long-term vision that is important. It is about building an organization and a legacy that lasts for generations. It is about growing people and strategically taking the organization to new heights of achievement.
A life well lived is a life in balance. The important key is to refresh and re-boot your life on a weekly and annual basis. If we are not careful we will become consumed by work and constant distractions. This is what leads to our personal problems and relationship issues.
P.S. Do not forget to visit our free Leader Library (CLICK HERE) which contains hundreds of practical articles on effective, ethical leadership. Have a safe holiday season!
