“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.“
–George Washington, 1732-1799
Technorati Tags: George Washington, Government, Freedom
“Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.”
–Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Technorati Tags: Leadership, Benjamin Franklin, Optimism
“Life belongs to the living and he must be prepared for changes.”
Technorati Tags: Goethe, change, leadership
“The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, philosopher, poet and orator.
Whether she realized it or not, my Mother was an Emerson advocate. Her constant advice to me in anything I did was “Do your best.” She instilled in me the innate feeling of worth from doing something to the best of one’s ability.
Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Mr. Emerson.
Technorati Tags: Leadership, Emerson
“Our life is what our thoughts make it.”
Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180
Technorati Tags: Marcus Aurelius, Life, Thought, Leadership
Early this morning, as Valentine’s Day dawned for me in the Santa Clara Holiday Inn, I met a new hero in my life, Napoleon Dzombe of the African nation of Malawi. Knowing that I would be out of town today, my wonderful wife slipped a small Valentine’s gift into my suitcase before I left home. When I awoke early in the morning, I opened the gift, which included a DVD entitled “The Blessings Hospital Miracle,” and watched it on my laptop.
The film recounts the true story of a remarkable man who emerged from personal poverty against seemingly unsurmountable odds to save thousands of his people from starvation during one of the worst droughts in Malawi. We can learn much from the courage, determination and selflessness of this true champion.
You can watch the entire 25 minute film here or purchase the DVD here.
I highly recommend it.
Thank you, Claudia, for introducing me to true greatness this morning. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Technorati Tags: Leadership
Yesterday, I finished Bill George’s book, Authentic Leadership. I was particularly impressed with his challenge to the rising generation of business leaders.
“…the torch is again being passed to a new generation. To your generation of leaders, the trumpet has sounded. If you listen carefully, you will hear the clarion call to lead in a different way than many in my generation have:
“As an authentic leader, you can change these things. You only need to be your own person, lead in your own style with purpose and passion, be true to your values, build your relationships, practice self-discipline, and lead with your heart.”
Even for those of us who have been around the block a few times, this is good advice. It reminds me of the famous line penned by William Shakespeare for his character Polonius, giving his son Laertes sage advice, “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
Thanks to Anand Shah, one the rising generation of new leaders, for recommending this book to me.
Photo: Stained glass representation of Polonius in the historic Elsinore Theatre, Salem, Oregon.
Technorati Tags: Bill George,
Shakespeare
I’ve been recently reading Bill George‘s book “Authentic Leadership.” In chapter 12, “Innovations from the Heart, he titles one subection “Passion Begets Innovation.” He recommends that leaders committed to innovation must work hard to not dampen innovation with bureaucracy, but rather give “preference to the mavericks and the innovators” and protect “new business ventures while they are in the fragile, formative stage.”
Last night, I had dinner with one such maverick, my good friend Terry Gardner, who is a brilliant technologist and passionate advocate of innovation. Terry begged me, “Let me spend more time in front of customers. Sun has been such an innovative company. Let me get out there and tell our story. We’re passionate about this, you know.”
Terry didn’t know I had been reading the book. He was just being Terry. Passionate Terry. And I appreciate that.
Yes. He will be with a customer tomorrow!
Technorati Tags:
Sun Microsystems,
Leadership
One of the exercises in the management training course I recently completed was to write an “elevator pitch” about the team I manage. One of the course participants shared a great participation age example – a YouTube video of a guy giving an elevator pitch about how to create an elevator pitch.
Great Stuff!
Technorati Tags: Participation Age,
YouTube,
Elevator Pitch
John Bock is a West Point Graduate, Colonel in the US Army Reserve and one of the best read people I know. He also happens to be one of Sun’s Software Sales Specialists with whom I work closely as we seek to deliver Sun’s software products to large communications companies.
A few weeks ago, he and I were discussing the differences in management style between the US military and modern business. He observed that despite its flaws, one outstanding element of military management style was what he called “Focus on the Mission.” We discussed how focusing on the mission at hand could foster stability and purpose amidst rapid and unpredicable change – which happens so frequently in modern business and military affairs.
Back in 1990 or 1991, I read Tom Peter’s book, “Thriving on Chaos,” which contends that all of us must learn to thrive in the midst of rapid change. That concept is certainly true, but it is easier to read and talk about change that to experience it. I believe John’s mantra to “Focus on the Mission” is probably the most valuable concept I have learned about how to cope with and manage change.
This week, I have been reading Bill George’s book “Authentic Leadership” and attending the Sun “Managing for Success” course. The most compelling part of the course was the unit on managing change. It was particularly relevant to our experience at Sun as we seek to return to a pattern of consitent profitability and growth while assimilating multiple corporate acquisitions.
In the course, as we studied the “Six Phases of the Change Process,” the “ERIBIA” method of presenting change to others and other techniques for managing change, it was very helpful to me to view these concepts through the lens of “Focus on the Mission.” As I consider rapid business changes that have affected me personally in the past six weeks, I realized that focusing on the mission at hand was the most stabilizing force I had experienced, both for me and for members of my team.
Bill George commented on “focus on the mission” this way: “It took me twenty years in business to find the right place to devote my energies – a mission-driven company named Medtronic. … It turned out to be the most important step of my career.”
Technorati Tags: Change Management,
Mission