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It’s All About You!
You are the true currency of the 21st Century. Money is simply a medium
of exchange, a measure of value, and a means of payment. In the 21st
Century, the economic currency is you and your people. Arecent Gallup
survey placed the current level of employee engagement at a mere 29
percent. Furthermore, according to a recent survey by Badbossology,
a majority of employees spend 10 or
more hours per month complaining or listening to others complain about
bad bosses — and almost one-third spend 20 hours or more per
month engaged in this activity. If you are part of this majority,
ask yourself the following: Do my actions reflect those of a leader,
or a victim? Do they characterize someone who is moving forward in
life, or someone choosing to remain stuck?
Imagine that you are standing in front of a large fireplace with your
arms full of wood. Using someone
else’s actions to justify your lack of engagement is like saying
to that fireplace — I’ll give you wood when
you give me heat. In other words, disheartened by others’failure
to give, we often stubbornly refuse to give of ourselves, resulting
in a frustrating stalemate. The answer, as you’ll learn,isn’t
to stop giving: it’s to give more. Your level of workforce engagement
is your choice, regardless of the circumstances.
Truly authentic leaders have the ability to arouse “discretionary
energy” in others. Their leadership
serves to inspire others to want to contribute more - they don’t
use “position-based power,” nor do they use a “carrot
or stick” approach. They simply demonstrate the strength and
courage to be themselves, and so inspire others to do the same. A
cursory review of some of today’s most inspiring leaders reveals
an interesting common thread: Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Nelson
Mandela all have one thing in common: the ability to inspire others
through their actions.
The real wealth of the 21st Century is in people. We need to break
with the industrial control model of the 20th Century that treats
chairs, buildings and land as assets and people as expenses. People
are the true assets.
Nowadays, almost everyone feels tremendous pressure to produce more
for less. At the same time, the vast majority of people are not being
allowed to use their talents and capacities to the fullest potential
within their companies. There is profound disempowerment and alienation
of people in organizations. The reason: we are still using the old
industrial age paradigm during the current information age. This fundamental
incompatibility has created unprecedented levels of employee apathy.
We are living in a global economy that is more interconnected than
ever before. Company CEOs, Boards of Directors and “C Level”
Managers (i.e., CEOs, CFOs, CIOs) are being paid more than ever. They
are also being expected to deliver more than ever. A Booz Allen Hamilton
study found the average tenure of a CEO has declined from 7 to 4.6
years. In today’s economy, decisions have to be made quickly
and they have to be right. Senior executive insecurity has been increasing
across the board. Executives are realizing that the command and control
skills that got them to where they are will not get them to where
they need to be in the global marketplace.
How can successful people get even better?
Ironically, their incredibly positive self-image may actually be getting
in the way. It may be coloring their view of the current reality,
which in turn may be affecting results. Authentic business leadership
begins with an honest assessment of how things are today, not how
we would like them to be. Too often, people in companies find it difficult
to focus on things other than bottom line results. We need to develop
and nurture our human capital.
We cannot invest on Monday, and expect to make money by Friday! Leadership
development is associated with long-term profitability but the corollary
is that it is also associated with long-term investment.
In order to produce successful results, leadership development must
include the alignment of resources
within companies and between clients, partners and suppliers.
BECOMING A “SERVANT WARRIOR”
The development of authentic leaders is ultimately your key advantage
in the marketplace. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. The truly
authentic leader is a “Servant-Warrior”: Aunique blend
of personal humility and professional will. Servant-Warriors have
the courage to accurately perceive their own current realities. They
also have the urgent need to move in the direction of better results.
They take action and in the process confront the fears, habits and
perceptions that stand in their way. The battles they fight are internal
conflicts even though they may have been triggered by external events.
The personal victories and the lessons learned move them towards greater
understanding.
Looking inward provides the answers and insights that allow them to
become inspirational servants.
They seek to be who they are, and recognize their interconnectedness
with others.
By resisting being who you truly are, you become vulnerable. By becoming
vulnerable you discover your invulnerability.
REFLECT
Can you identify the Servant-Warriors in your business? Do you have
any? Does your company encourage and support individuals willing to
challenge themselves to develop their leadership?
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