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Time and Personal Management
Explores the basics of managing this most precious of all resources: Time
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Originally published by Hamilton's "BIZ" Magazine under the title "Leadership's Triple Crown" this article examines the leaders roles as "Visionary", "Manager" and "Coach or Mentor"
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| A Seven Point Strategy For Your Life |
Can You Spell Success - Part 1 |
| Chew Your Cabbage Twice |
Can You Spell Success - Part 2 |
| Directed Introspection |
Failures |
| I Think I Can |
Identify Your Goals |
| Making Time |
The Crisis Of Stress |
| The Law Of Expectations |
What Do I Know? |
| The Team - Part 1 |
What Is Your Destiny? |
| The Team - Part 2 |
What's Next? |
| The Team Part 3 |
Coaching A Task Force Team |
| Types Of Teams |
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TIME
AND
PERSONAL
MANAGEMENT
If
you
can't
schedule
it, you
can't
manage
it!
Most
business
people
agree
one of
their
most
critical
challenges
is the
effective
use of
time.
We
are each
allocated
the same
number
of
minutes
every
day but
have you
ever
noticed
that
some
people
seem to
accomplish
a lot
more in
a day
than
others?
Many
people
who do a
strict
study of
their
time use
are
appalled
at how
little
time
they
spend
being
productive,
and how
much
time
they are
unable
to
account
for.
Time and
water
may be
our most
wasted
resources.
Time
spent
"putting
out
fires"
detracts
from
time for
managing
and
building
the
business
and ...
firefighting
tends to
leave
managers
so
exhausted
they
just
want to
"veg
out" for
a while
...
or
... so
exhilarated
that
they
spend a
couple
of
hours
indiscriminately
kicking
butt.
Either
way,
productivity
suffers
-- big
time!
When
managers
procrastinate,
spending
too much
time in
investigation,
scenario
building
and
analysis,
there is
little
time
left to
get
anything
done.
Have
you ever
sat
through
a
meeting
wondering
"why am
I
here?"...
knowing
the
answer
is,
"because
you are
a
manager."?
Have you
ever
worked
out the
cost of
a dozen
managers
spending
four
hours in
a
meeting
"just
because"?
Do you
often
come out
of
meeting
fearing
that
your
whole
department
may have
"burned
down"
while
you were
away?
Time
management
is
personal
management,
a large
component
of which
is, the
ability
to say
"no".
It's a
lot
easier
to say
"no" at
the
appropriate
time if
we know
what
we're
trying
to
accomplish,
why
we're
here...
and if
we
already
have
time
scheduled
(committed)
to do
the
important
things.
Think
about
it. If
you were
to
schedule
every
minute
of every
day to
do
important
things,
there
would be
no time
left to
do
unimportant
things!
AND, if
you did
all of
the
important
things
before
they
became
urgent,
you
would
never
have to
put out
any
fires!
Because,
fires
are the
result
of
important
things
not
getting
done
until
they
become
urgent...a
crisis!
It
sounds
too
simple
to be
true
doesn't
it?
However
the fact
is, all
of your
time is
going to
get used
up -- if
you
don't
schedule
it...someone
else
will! If
you can
get a
handle
on what
are the
five or
six most
important
things
you do
at work,
and if
you
regularly
and
consistently
schedule
the
majority
of your
time to
do those
things,
and if
you can
learn
the
personal
discipline
to stick
to your
schedule,I
can
unconditionally
promise
that you
will
become
more
productive.
Now
before
someone
goes
ballistic
let me
state
categorically
that I
would
not ask
you to
schedule
every
minute
of every
day
(that
would be
life in
hell!).
On the
other
hand, if
it's
important
to
you...and
if
you're
not
doing
it...schedule
it! That
includes
a dinner
out with
your
spouse,
an
afternoon
with the
grandchildren
or a
game of
golf.
A
small
investment
in a
time and
personal
management
program
can pay
huge
dividends
at work
and
away!
Len
McNally
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Page
The
Three
Faces of
Leadership
http://EzineArticles.com/featured/
this
article
was
published
by
Hamilton's
'BIZ'
Magazine
in the
Fall
2003
edition
under
the
title:
"Leadership's
Triple
Crown"
What
does it
take to
be the
head of
a small
business,
a
department
manager,
or even
a
corporate
CEO? the
successful
leader /
executive
is a
broad
visionary,
an
effective
manager
and an
inspiring
mentor /
coach.
But
being
competent
in all
three
roles is
only the
beginning.
Which
hat the
boss
wears
and when
shifts
with the
business
climate,
organizational
needs
and with
the
individual's
own
abilities.
The
Leader
As
Visionary
The
visionary
is the
one who
handles
the
creation
or
inspiring
of
goal-directed
action.
This
leader
is the
man, or
woman,
with the
plan.
The
senior
manager,
CEO,
president,
general
manager
or owner
has a
fundamental
responsibility
to
"Create
the
Vision."
The
illusory
definition
of who,
as a
company,
we are,
what we
do and
why,
where we
are,
where
we're
going
and how
we get
there
from
here.
Once
that
vision
is
defined
-- and
that's
no easy
task --
the
leader
must
articulate
it in
terms
the will
enable,
even
compel,
others
to buy
in and
dedicate
themselves
to it.
In other
words,
agree to
follow.
To quote
author
John C.
Maxwell,
"If you
think
you are
a leader
but have
no
followers,
you're
not
leading,
you're
just
going
for a
walk."
The
visionary,
however,
is not
just a
dreamer.
The plan
must
translate
into
action.
The
leader
is the
one who
must
outline
a clear,
specific,
and
effective
strategy
for
bringing
the
vision
to life.
This
"plan"
isn't
just a
simple
timeline.
You
can't
say you
intend
to land
on the
moon
next
year
without
considering
how to
build
the
rocket
required
for
getting
there.
The
vision
will
fail
without
a
reasonable
estimate
of the
necessary
resources,
including
capital,
facilities,
equipment,
people
and
talents
essential
to a
successful
implementation.
Determining
what is
needed,
how to
acquire
it, and
where
best to
deploy
assets
is
fundamental
to
making a
vision
reality.
Any map
includes
milestones
along
the road
and a
method
for
tracking
results
so that
everyone
involved
knows at
all
times
what
progress
is being
made.
You
would
run out
of gas
on the
highway
without
a fuel
gage.
Don't
expect
your
people
to
complete
a
journey
without
an idea
of how
far they
have to
go and
what
resources
they
have to
get
there.
A
leader's
ability
not only
to be a
visionary
but to
convey
that
message
powerfully
enough
so
employees
want to
strive
for that
goal has
a direct
impact
on the
company's
bottom
line.
The
clearest
example
I know
of this
is two
well-known
Hamilton,
Ontario
companies
located
just
down the
street
from
each
other
but
miles
apart in
direction,
focus,
and
profitability.
I'm
talking
of
course
about
Canada's
two
largest
steelmakers
Dofasco
and
Stelco.
Dofasco,
with a
clear
vision,
and a
history
of
strong
leadership,
is
seeing
major
returns
even
during
tough
economic
times
for the
steel
industry
as a
whole.
The
story is
completely
different
a few
blocks
away. At
Stelco,
there
seems to
be a
focus on
the
bricks,
mortar,
and
machinery
as the
corporate
essence
without
a real
sense of
where
the
company
is going
and why.
The
absence
of
apparent
vision
and
feeling
of
corporate
destiny
breeds
apathy
in the
workforce
and
leads to
no
feeling
of
accomplishment
or pride
in their
work.
It's
just a
place to
earn a
living
and to
get away
from as
soon as
possible.
In a
recent
meeting
with a
Vice
President
I was
told
that in
one
mill,
"wrench
time"
(the
time
that
maintenance
people
actually
charge
to
specific
jobs)
was down
to 90
minutes
per
shift
compared
to the
industry
average
of 4
hours,
and no
one can
see a
way to
improve
it.
While
the
absence
of
vision
and poor
atmosphere
are not
the sole
factors
in the
company's
decline,
it's
hard to
argue
with
their
lack of
success.
Stelco
again
reported
a net
loss of
$82
million
in
second
quarter
2003,
more bad
news
after a
first
quarter
2004 net
loss of
$44
million.
Stelco
is now
trying
to stop
the
hemorrhaging
with a
change
in
leadership.
Jim
Alfano
stepped
down as
President
and CEO
in July,
replaced
on an
interim
basis
with
Fred
Telmer,
Stelco's
Chairman
of the
Board.
While
Telmer
heads
the
transition
team,
the
search
is on
for a
new CEO.
"Has
vision"
should
be at
the top
of the
qualification
checklist.
Results
rest on
the
shoulders
of the
visionary,
no
effective
leader
acts
alone.
The
senior
leader
may only
create
an
initial
"rough
draft"
of the
company
plan and
must
flesh it
out
through
team
input.
But
unless
the
leader
has a
clear
vision
of where
he is
going,
the
rough
draft is
likely
to
remain
just
that. He
must
guide
the
polishing
process.
As
the
vision
is
disseminated
deeper
into the
organization,
internal
leaders
-- for
example,
the
middle
management,
department
heads --
are
presented
with an
already
defined
goal but
the
process
of
articulating
that
vision
and of
directing
the rest
of the
process
through
his or
her
level of
responsibility
is much
the same
as the
view
from the
top.
After
all,
leadership
exists
at every
level in
a
company.
Even
when the
plan
reaches
the
"shop
floor",
every
employee
can
learn to
take
responsibility
for self
direction
in
accepting
personal
responsibility
for his
or her
actions,
results
and
focus on
the
corporate
goal.
The
Leader
As
Manager
A
manager,
by
definition,
manages.
In other
words,
the
manager
must
plan the
processes,
create
the
rules,
assign
responsibilities,
direct
activity,
provide
training,
focus
efforts,
control
costs,
measure
progress
and
report
on
results.
The
"leader
as
manager"
is the
one with
the
"hard
skills"
-- the
planning
and
organizing,
the
number
crunching,
the
industry,
equipment
and
process
knowledge.
This is
the
foundation
of
leadership
on which
true
leaders
build
their
soft
skill
development.
The
key to
being a
successful
manager-leader
is the
ability
to
troubleshoot.
That is,
to find
solutions
to
problems
and make
effective
decisions
that
will
keep
them
from
re-occurring.
The
manager
shouldn't
be just
putting
out
fires;
he
should
be
preventing
them.
The
ratio of
prevented
crisis
to
reactive
problem
solving
is the
main
indicator
of the
effective
manager-leader.
If the
leader
is
always
running
around
with a
bucket
of
water,
sooner
or later
someone
is going
to
figure
out if
he's
always
putting
out the
same
type of
fires.
Either
he lacks
the
necessary
planning,
organization,
influence,
and
resourcing
skills
to
manage
or he
has
failed
to build
on his
hard
skill
foundation
to bring
his
leadership
to the
next
growth
level.
If the
leader
brings
nothing
more to
the role
than the
ability
to
problem
solve,
the
company
doesn't
have a
firefighter,
it
potentially
has an
arsonist
--
someone
who
consciously
or
unconsciously
creates
the
conditions
that
require
his
skill
set. If
the
operation
runs
from one
inferno
to the
next,
when
does
anyone
have
time to
grow the
business?
The
company
suffers.
No
matter
how
addictive
the rush
of being
the
"go-to"
person
can be,
nobody
can run
on high
octane
forever.
The
leader,
his
performance,
as well
as his
quality
of life
outside
of work,
all
deteriorate.
What the
arsonist
has done
thinking
it will
make him
essential
will
eventually
burn him
out of a
career.
Time
spent on
the
managerial
role is
on a
continuum.
The more
junior
the
leader,
the more
time --
as much
as 80
per
spent --
is spent
on the
management
functions.
The
senior
executive
dedicates
less
than 20
per cent
of his
time to
"managing".
While
the CEO
must
always
pay
attention
and be
aware of
what is
going
on,
managerial
tasks
are an
effective
subordinate
developing
tool and
are
among
the
first to
be
delegated.
If a
leader
can not
delegate,
he
creates
a
development
and
succession
bottleneck.
Essentially,
he is
limiting
his own
potential
for
advancement
by not
cultivating
talent
to take
over.
He
becomes
locked
(at
best) in
his
current
position
or
(worse)
shifted
to even
more
managerial-heavy
(and
thus,
lower on
the
leadership
continuum)
responsibilities.
Moving
forward
requires
the soft
skills
of
leadership.
Vision
and
courage
are
absolutely
essential
for
delegation
as well
as the
ability
to trust
others
and to
get of
the way,
allowing
people
to make
their
own
mistakes.
As
the
leader
grows,
he must
not only
delegate
his
managerial
tasks,
but also
transition
from
being
"hands
on" to
"hands
off". No
one,
particularly
those
higher
on the
corporate
food
chain,
likes to
be
micromanaged.
Being
able to
effectively
assess
the
level of
one's
involvement
and
required
degree
of
tracking
in
delegated
assignments
is the
main
skill
leap
between
the
leader
as
manager
and the
leader
as
mentor/coach.
Steve
Thompson
of
Brantford-based
Stellarc
Precision
Bar is
one
executive
mastering
this
tricky
delegation
balancing
act in
his
leadership
style.
Thompson
wasn't
really
sure
where
his
skills
needed
development,
he had
only an
uneasy
feeling
that he
was
spending
a lot of
time
"spinning
his
wheels."
So, he
came to
The
Leadership
Centre
for
support.
When he
began to
recognize
how much
of a
"hands
on"
manager
he was,
he
resolved
to make
immediate
changes.
He
reorganized
offices,
added
responsibilities
to all
of his
departmental
managers
and
provided
personal
productivity,
leadership
and time
management
training.
His
new
focus on
giving
his
managers
the
responsibility
and
authority
to get
things
done --
rather
than
doing
them
himself
-- has
given
him time
and
freedom
to focus
on new
visions
and new
directions
for the
company
as well
as on
some
important
personal
goals.
In the
past
three
years he
has more
than
doubled
the size
of the
plant,
added a
million
dollar
state of
the art
bar
processing
line and
brought
in a
new,
dynamic
plant
manager
all
while
reducing
his own
work
week to
about
fifty
hours
from a
grueling
seventy
hour
schedule.
The
Leader
As
Mentor/Coach
Some
80 per
cent of
people
say they
are not
"engaged"
at work.
They
don't
like,
respect
or care
about
their
company,
their
managers,
their
fellow
workers
or their
customers.
What's
truly
scary
about
this
scenario
is that
the
overwhelming
number
of these
employees
have no
immediate
plans to
change
jobs.
They
don't
believe
things
are any
better
someplace
else. Is
there a
measure
of
personal
responsibility
for this
situation?
Definitely.
But
whose
job is
it,
ultimately,
to help
change
the
situation?
The
leader
as
mentor/coach.
Of
the
three
fundamental
roles of
the
executive,
this is
the one
that
most
affects
the
continuing
growth
of both
people
and the
organization.
It is
also the
face of
leadership
requiring
the
highest
level of
soft
skills.
The
mentor/coach
must
have the
self
confidence
to not
see
growing
the
potential
of
others
as
personally
threatening.
The
mentor
focuses
outward
on
results
-- not
inward
on
actions;
on
strengths
and on
what can
be --
not on
weakness
and what
is
impossible.
The
mentor
maintains
focus on
the
goal,
the
vision,
and the
"quest
for the
grail"
that
drives
ordinary
people
to
extraordinary
performance.
It has
been
said
that
everyone
has it
in him
or her
to be a
superstar
in some
field,
in some
role.
The
mentor
helps a
person
define
his or
her
strengths
to build
on them,
to
strengthen
them, to
find or
create a
role
where
these
strengths
can be
utilized
to their
fullest
potential.
With
proper
mentoring,
a
person's
weaknesses
-- and
we all
have
them --
do not
matter.
People
are
driving
their
careers
on a
road
that
leverages
their
superstar
qualities.
The
mentor-leader
grows
individuals,
departments,
and the
entire
organization
by
helping
to set
SMART --
specific,
measurable,
attainable,
results-oriented,
and
timely
--
goals.
SMART
goals at
each
level
must
reflect
and
support
the
overall
corporate
vision.
By
forging
that
link
between
individual
performance
and how
it
directly
impacts
on the
bottom
line,
the
mentor-leader
is
engaging
the
employee,
making
him or
her part
of the
plan,
not a
victim
of it.
Influencing
others
through
consensus
building
and
buy-in
strategies
is a key
mentor-leader
skill.
Effective
mentoring/coaching
skills
are at
the root
of a
striking
turn-around
story at
Hamilton's
ailing
National
Steel
Car. The
company,
founded
in 1912,
designs
and
manufactures
railroad
freight
equipment.
But the
company
was on a
bumpy
track a
few
years
back
until it
brought
in Dan
Elliott,
the
former
President
of Wabco
Freight
Car
products
in
Stoney
Creek,
as chief
operating
officer
to help
turn
things.
The
previous
owner/management
seems to
have
been
rather
autocratic
with
little
responsibility
vested
in even
senior
managers
-- not
at all
in line
with
Dan's
way of
thinking
-- and
the
company
had
slipped
from its
position
as one
of North
America's
leading
rail car
manufacturers.
Employment
had
dropped
from
nearly
3000 to
a mere
300
workers
and the
company's
economic
prospects
looked
grim.
With
a senior
management
team of
about a
dozen
vice
presidents,
many of
them in
their
early to
mid
thirties,
Elliott
began
the
process
of
rebuilding
the
company's
vitality.
The
mixture
of youth
and
experience
would
succeed
only if
everyone
believed
in the
future
and
proactively
worked
to make
the
corporate
vision a
reality.
To
achieve
this,
Elliott
took on
the task
of
mentoring
his VPs
in
setting
departmental
and
individual
SMART
goals
and then
monitoring
progress.
The
new
focus on
the
vision,
with
everyone
knowing
where
they
want to
go and
committing
themselves
to
getting
it done,
is
working
like
magic.
Not the
process
has been
an
entirely
smooth
one. The
long
term
people
found it
difficult
at first
to
accept
and
believe
in the
new
responsibilities
entrusted
to them
but now,
just
over a
year
into the
transition,
the VPs
are
emulating
Elliott's
style
and
their
people,
in turn,
are
emulating
them.
Elliot
supports
his VPs
on a
daily
basis,
mentoring
and
coaching
individually
and
collectively,
while
ensuring
they
know he
believes
in them,
trusts
their
decision
making
abilities
and is
prepared
to back
them up.
The
result
so far
--
National
Steel
Car is
regaining
its top
industry
position,
employee
levels
are back
up
around
the 1500
mark and
the
company,
despite
overall
market
slumps,
is
making
steady
progress
towards
real
profitability.
Vision,
mentoring
and
delegation
of
managerial
responsibilities
are
combining
here to
make a
huge
difference.
Three
Leaders
In One
To be
truly
great, a
leader
must
comfortably
and
effectively
wear all
three
"faces".
Strong
managers
may not
have a
clear
picture
of where
they are
headed,
dreamers
may not
get the
job done
and
mentors
will
find it
difficult
to grow
others
if they
are not
first
secure
in both
their
own hard
and soft
competencies.
Defining
the
fundamental
skills
required
is the
first
step in
developing
one's
leadership
potential.
The
leader
must
then be
willing
to
recognize
his
limitations
and
weakness
and be
committed
to
continuous
learning
and
development.
This
sort of
honest
self-evaluation,
willingness
to build
on
strengths
and
address
development
areas is
fundamental
on the
road to
the
top.
That
journey
can span
a career
but the
pay-off
is a
successful,
prosperous
and
growing
organization
with you
at the
helm.
Len
McNally
Back To
Home
Page
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THE
CRISIS
OF
MODERNITY
http://EzineArticles.com/featured/
Since
the
beginning
of the
industrial
era our
world
has been
facing
what
some
historians
call an
ongoing
"crisis
of
modernity".
As fast
as we
adjust
to new
circumstances,
the
circumstances
change
again,
and, the
rate of
change
seems to
be
multiplying
exponentially.
Of all
the
demands
imposed
by
twenty
first
century
leadership,
perhaps
the
toughest
is the
ability
to not
only
manage
change
but to
instigate
it,
control
it and
to be
it's
master.
Dealing
with the
ever
increasing
rate of
change
may be
the
leader's
most
potentially
overwhelming
task.
Today's
Change
Agent is
an
aggressive
forward
thinker.
The
Industrial
Age was
supplanted
by the
Information
Age and
the
Electronic
Information
Age has
made
even
that
seem
like
kindergarten
stuff.
The
instant
availability
of
information
on
virtually
any
subject
has
eroded
our
ability
to
pause,
analyze
and
reason
alternatives.
In the
manufacturing
world
where
only a
few
years
ago,
"better
late
than
never"
was the
watchword,
today
the word
is
"better
never
than
late."
If your
new
product
isn't
first to
market -
forget
it - the
chances
of
recouping
R&D
costs
are just
about
nil.
We
demand
instant
everything
Even
beyond
new
product
development,
our
customers
expect
instant
response
to every
request.
They
demand
that we
be on
our
toes,
ready
and able
to
provide
order
status
information
NOW!
They
also
expect
us to
deal
with
changes
in
specifications,
quantity
and
scheduling
without
a hitch
- and
with no
surcharge.
Is it
any
wonder
that
more and
more
people
are
suffering
the
effects
of
stress
-- an
epidemic
second
only to
the
virus of
offshore
competition
-- and
of
stress
induced
illness?
How can
any
person
be
expected
to cope
with a
world
where
change
takes
place at
supersonic
speed,
where
nothing
stays
the same
long
enough
to
become
familiar,
where
understanding
happens
only in
retrospect?
To
stay
ahead of
change,
get
behind
it!
A
fundamental
aspect
of
Leadership
Development
is
learning
to not
only
cope
with
this
epidemic
but to
turn it
into a
dynamic
force
for
personal
and
corporate
growth.There
is only
one way
to cope
with
change.
The only
way to
stay
ahead of
change
is to
get
behind
it!
Those
who
promote
change
are in
charge
of it,
those
who
oppose
it are
overwhelmed
by it!
Those
who must
be
dragged
kicking
and
screaming
into the
next set
of
changed
circumstances
will be
crushed
by those
who push
change
ahead of
them. To
quote
author
H.
Jackson
Brown,
"In the
confrontation
between
the
stream
and the
rock,
the
stream
always
wins -
not
through
strength
but by
perseverance."
When
we
determine
to
become
advocates
for
change
we
suddenly
find
ourselves
in the
position
of
pusher
rather
than
pushee,
we are
more
relaxed,
more
self
confident,
more
self
assured
and we
find
that
others
are more
willing
to
follow
our
lead.
The
great
writer,
teacher
and
consultant
Peter F.
Drucker
summed
it up
this
way,
"The
best way
to
predict
the
future
is to
create
it."
It's
also the
easier
way! If
you
believe
you can
hold
back the
snowball
of
progress,
you are
doomed
to be
swallowed
up in
something
over
which
you can
never
hope to
have any
control.
All
change
is not
good -
all
change
is not
inevitable
Please
don't
take
these
remarks
to
indicate
that all
change
is good,
or even
that all
change
is
inevitable.
The
prayer
of St.
Francis
(long
the
watchword
of AA)
asks
for; the
courage
to
change
the
things I
can, the
serenity
to
accept
those
things I
can not
change
and
(most
difficult
of all)
the
wisdom
to know
the
difference.
The sky
will
remain
blue,
water
will
remain
wet and
the sun
will
rise in
the
east.
The air
we
breathe
however,
will not
remain
clean,
with a
sufficiency
of
oxygen,
our
water
will not
continue
to give
life
unless
we
change
the way
we treat
our
environment
but most
of us
will
never
have the
opportunity
to make
a major
impact.
We must
change
what we
can and
encourage
others
to do
the
same.
Of
all the
traits
of
leadership
the
ability
to
produce
lasting
and
meaningful
change
is so
far out
in first
place
that
what
ever is
second
doesn't
really
matter!
Make
change
your
slave,
not your
master
How
do we
take
control
of this
"crisis
of
modernity"
and make
change
our
slave
rather
than our
master?
Leo
Tolstoy
said,
"Everyone
wants to
change
the
world
but no
one
wants to
change
themselves."
The
truth is
that all
change
must
begin
with me.
If I can
not,
will
not, do
not
change -
and
demonstrate
that
change
to all
the
world, I
can not
reasonably
expect
others
to
follow
my
advice
to
change.
If the
two are
at odds
people
will
follow
my
example
while
ignoring
my
words,
no mater
how
eloquently
they be
phrased..
Only
when
thought,
word and
deed are
closely
aligned
can I
truly
hope to
be
followed.
Only
then can
I hope
to be a
leader.
It
starts
and ends
with
"ME"
To
begin
the
process
of
personal
change I
must
examine
my self.
I must
understand
what I
believe
and why,
what I
want to
accomplish
and why
"The
soul is
dyed the
color of
its
thoughts.
Think
only on
those
things
that are
in line
with
your
principles
and can
bear the
light of
day. The
content
of your
character
is your
choice.
Day by
day,
what you
do is
who you
become.
Your
integrity
is your
destiny
- it is
the
light
that
guides
your
way."
Heraclitus
535-475BC,
Greek
Philosopher
Introspection
One
of the
greatest
obstacles
to
progress
can
often be
our
awareness
of past
failures.
If we
tried
something
a couple
of years
ago and
fell
flat on
our
faces
(and
especially
if we
were
ridiculed
or
derided
as a
result)
we tend
to be
reluctant
to rock
the boat
again.
When we
believe
that
history
will
repeat
itself,
we
become
paralyzed
by fear.
Mentoring
managers
through
a
process
that I
sometimes
refer to
as
"directed
introspection"
in order
to
expose
attitudes
and
prejudices
can
often
produce
startling
results.
Knowing
where we
are
starting
from
does not
in and
of
itself
guarantee
that we
will
arrive
at our
desired
destination
(on time
and
within
budget)
but not
knowing
weights
the odds
heavily
against
us. I
believe
that if
we want
to go
somewhere
we must
first
know who
we are
and
where we
are.
When we
know the
starting
point,
personally
and
professionally,
in
regard
to
ourselves,
our
people
and our
company
we are
more
likely
to have
a clear
picture
of where
we want
to go,
how to
get
there
and what
must
change
en
route.
I
believe
that as
many
people
as
possible
in an
organization
should
be
involved
in the
process
of
creating
statements
of
Vision,
Mission,
Purpose,
Values,
and
Goals.
When
people
have had
a hand
in the
creation,
buy in
to do
what
ever is
necessary
to get
results
is
almost
automatic.
When
these
guiding
principles
are
understood
by
everyone
from the
"Ivory
Tower"
all the
way to
the Shop
Floor
everyone
knows
where we
are
going,
why we
are
going
there
and what
we have
to do to
get
there.
They
also
know the
down
side of
not
going
there
and of
not
participating
in the
process.
Is not
the
search
for
heaven
made
more
intense
by the
awareness
of hell?
In
addition,
when
everyone
understands
his or
her
WIIFM,
(What's
In It
For Me)
getting
results
is like
picking
low
hanging
fruit.
Vision
must be
followed
by a
plan
Strategic
planning
can be
an
arduous
(but
exhilarating)
process.
Often a
three
day
retreat
with an
outside
facilitator
is the
only way
to get
the
concentrated
focus,
the
brainstorming,
necessary
to
initiate
the
process.
We must
examine
all
aspects
of the
organization,
physical
and
human
resources,
management
skills
and
needs,
culture,
attitudes,
market
place,
industry,
supplier
relations,
customer
relations,
government
regulations,
labor
agreements,
etc.,
etc. We
have to
remember
that
Rome was
not
built in
a day.
If we
are
looking
for
instant
gratification
we will
surely
be
disappointed.
When
we have
suspended
our
doubts
and
fears,
set
aside
our
memories
of past
failure,
forgotten
our
prejudices,
examined
our
strengths
and
planned
to
enhance
them,
seen in
our
minds
eye the
potential
within
ourselves
and our
organization,
created
a vision
in which
we
believe,
we will
become
advocates
for our
organization
and
evangelists
for the
realization
of that
vision.
Vision
is a
powerful
driving
force
Once
we are
over the
initial
hurdle
we will
be
driven
by the
power of
our
vision
for the
future.
A
clearly
articulated
vision
coupled
to a
specific
plan of
action
for its
attainment
(including
target
dates
for each
step),
and a
firm
commitment
to that
action,
is an
unstoppable
combination.
YES, it
will
require
perseverance,
dedication
and hard
work;
and YES,
it will
be
extremely
satisfying!
Effecting
organizational
and
personal
change
is never
a cake
walk but
learning
the
basics
of how
to set
goals
and
create
plans
with
specific,
time
sensitive
action
steps
for
their
achievement
can be
learned
in only
a few
hours.
When
coupled
to
powerful
statements
of
Vision,
Mission,
Purpose,
and
Values,
and a
well-organized
coaching,
mentoring
and
measurement
process,
the pain
is
minimal
while
the
results
are
huge!
Coaching
As A
Leadership
Development
Tool
You
will
likely
find
that
most
effective
Corporate
Coaches
have a
similar
approach.
We help
to
develop
Leadership
and
Change
Management
Skills
through
Executive
and
Corporate
Coaching
and
Management
Team
Building.
Here at
The
Leadership
Centre
for
example,
we
state:
"We help
managers
to
understand
their
greatest
strengths
and to
build on
them, to
recognize
and
utilize
the
strengths
of
others,
to
create
and
articulate
a vision
of what
can be,
and to
devise,
implement
and take
the
specific
action
steps
required
to bring
that
vision
to
life."
If we
can
change
our
beliefs,
we can
change
the
world.
And we
can
change
our
beliefs.
Peter
F.
Drucker
once
wrote,
"Management
is
seeing
that
things
get
done,
Leadership
is
seeing
that the
right
things
get
done."
Leadership
pervades
every
aspect
of
business
life,
it's the
one
quality
that
must be
there
before
anything
else can
happen.
Coaching
at an
organizational
level
can
produce
dramatic
improvements
to
leadership
and will
often
produce
bottom
line
results
far in
excess
of
anything
I would
ever
promise.
Aside
from
huge
bottom
line
results
you
should
expect:
Less
Stress -
for
everyone A
happy,
more
relaxed
work
environment
Reduced
employee
turnover
Reduced
absenteeism
Increased
productivity Improved
labor
relations
Improved
customer
relations
Improved
supplier
relations
Improved
personal
lives
{this
took me
by
surprise
when I
first
began to
see it!}
Like
most
effective
coaches
in fact,
if we
don't
see the
potential
for huge
gains in
many of
these
areas,
we won't
issue a
proposal
to work
with
you! We
don't
work
cheap
and we
won't
settle
for
minuscule
results!
A
Free Do
it
yourself
- get
started
kit
If
you
would
like to
do your
own
analysis
of your
needs we
will be
glad to
e-mail a
questionnaire
that
will
help you
to look
objectively
at your
self, at
other
executives
and at
your
organization.
Simply
click
Here
and we
will
respond
within
48 hours
-- no
obligation
of
course.
If you
are
seriously
looking
at
Executive
or
Corporate
Coaching
as a
management
tool,
this may
help you
better
understand
what you
are
really
looking
for.
Len
McNally
Back To
Home
Page
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Page
The
Magic
And
Mystery
Of Teams
http://EzineArticles.com/featured/
Teams -
Magic
and
Mystery
As the
world of
manufacturing
has
become
increasingly
competitive,
managers
have
diligently
searched
out new
and
innovative
ways to
increase
productivity,
multiply
the
power of
every
employee,
and
better
utilize
every
resource
in order
to
positively
impact
the
bottom
line.
For more
than a
decade
one of
the most
popular
"Hot
Trend"
innovations
has been
the idea
of
"Team".
We are
told
that no
man is
an
island,
nothing
of
significance
has ever
been
accomplished
by one
person
alone,
the
whole is
equal to
more
than the
sum of
its
parts
and on
and on
and on.
One the
other
hand I
recently
read
about a
Canadian
government
survey
that
concluded
there is
no
evidence
to
support
the idea
that
team
environments
are more
productive
than non
team
environments.
Some
unknown
genius
said,
"If you
think
you are
too
small to
be
effective,
you have
never
bee | 
