 |
|
The source of the best business, financial and legal news |
|
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
 | |
| |
 |
Business Informations |
|
|
|
Miraculous Leadership
It was a time of turmoil. In November 1979, supporters of the Ayatollah Khomeini took 71 Americans hostage in Iran. On Christmas Eve that year, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Gasoline prices, inflation and interest rates were soaring as 1980 began. President Jimmy Carter said America was in a "crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will." Then on February 22nd - 25 years ago - our American spirit received an unexpected boost. A group of U.S. amateur and college athletes took on the mightiest hockey team in the world in the Winter Olympics. Prior to the game against Russia, coach Herb Brooks told his team: "You were born to be hockey players. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours." Hand-picked by their coach and having survived a grueling seven-month training regimen, the youngsters absorbed his inspirational words, then went out and did the impossible. As the final seconds counted down, a then unknown Al Michaels made the famous call: "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" Herb Brooks crafted what may be the greatest upset in American sports history. He was a visionary leader, and understood how to select players who fit his style and blend each one's unique skills into a high-performance team focused on winning. As a small business owner, one of your most important roles is to lead your team to achieve incredible results. Success Handler Action: The first step to making your small business soar is to ensure your team understands their goals - the definition of winning your gold medal. For them to know their goals, you have to know yours. After you finish reading this E-Newsletter, spend some time thinking about two major goals you want to achieve in the next six months. Here are some questions to help you get started: ~ What are the biggest potential opportunities for your small business? ~ Where is your competition focusing its marketing and sales efforts? ~ Why are you better than your competition, and why do customers/clients choose you? ~ When you talk to customers/clients, what are they asking for that you don't provide, and which of these could you provide? ~ Who among your existing customers/clients could give you referrals and prospect leads? Team USA beating the Soviet Union was like a bunch of college football players defeating the New England Patriots?and the celebration was incredible. Yet in the locker room after the game, Brooks immediately went to work focusing players on their next goal - the gold medal match-up with Finland. He told them lose and the world would quickly forget their victory over the Russians, and they would have to live with the disappointment the rest of their lives. Players said later he actually scared them into winning. Success Handler Action: While it's not necessary to strike such fear into your team, it is important to keep them focused. Meet with them regularly to share information and discuss ways to better serve your customers/clients. Here are five ideas for inspiring the employees in your small business: 1. Ask for their input?and be sure to hear what they have to say. 2. Include them in your goal-setting?and engage them in executing your plan. 3. Lead by example?and help them grow as employees and individuals. 4. Teach them new skills?and encourage them to seek new challenges. 5. Involve them in the game?and reward them for completing key steps along the way. We may never see another "Miracle on Ice." The Cold War ended, and the "evil empire" Soviet Union dismantled. Olympic athletes are now professionals. Tiny hamlets like Lake Placid, NY can no longer accommodate the rush of spectators, media and corporate sponsors. However, we may always hope. In an interview shortly before his death in August 2003, Herb Brooks, referring to one of his favorite movies, is quoted as saying: "You know, Willie Wonka said it best: 'We are the makers of dreams, the dreamers of dreams.' We should be dreaming. We grew up as kids having dreams, but now we're too sophisticated as adults, as a nation. We stopped dreaming. We should always have dreams. I'm a dreamer." Listen to the coach. Keep dreaming?and go for the gold! Copyright © 2005 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved. The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he's been there - as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.
MORE RESOURCES:
leadership - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Business Leadership: How Much is in Your Credibility Bank Account? Business leaders have more than a title on their doors. They also have the trust and confidence of those who work for them; who work with them; and who buy from them. Who Is Randy Gage and Why Is He One of My Mentors and Heroes? Who is Randy Gage? I first read about him in a newsletter by his friend, and another of my mentors and heroes, Stuart Goldsmith.At first he came across as a bit too much 'in-your-face' for my liking but, as he was challenging some of my long held beliefs, I came to realise that I was in a state of denial. Creating Unlimited Belief for Success! What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?It may be those Old beliefs and Personal Insecurities. (aka: conceptual barriers)Conceptual barriers are the barriers that are right behind the eyes, DEEP within the brain. Blowing Your Own Leadership Horn There are two streams of competitiveness running through every organization. The first goes outward: It's the organization's competitive activities toward its competitors. Being Other Focused In the Wall Street Journal, Franklin Lavin, U.S. The Sink Or Swim Approach To Leadership Looking around in most corporate environments today you'll find mission, vision and values statements proudly displayed on the walls, in print materials and even engraved in granite. Often, they've invested a great deal of time; effort and expense in crafting just the right message to best describe the foundational principles of the company. The Ten Commandments of Leadership A poem hangs on the wall at Mother Theresa's orphanage in India. For all who are called to lead, it is a great reminder of what we should do:1. Be the Samurai Sword Relationships are constantly facing crisis. Everywhere we look people are in dispute with one another. Leaders Click It" Into Gear! "Click It" Into Gear!Ever wonder how two people can be in the same meeting, hear the same speaker communicate the same message - yet once the meeting is over, each person's perception of the event is totally different?Why the different perception? How can one individual think the meeting was terrific and leave completely inspired and motivated, yet the other person walks away believing the total opposite?Answer: "THE CLICK" (More on this in a minute!)Picture yourself being told that your department is about to undergo a major downsizing. (Not a pretty picture, to be sure. Building Self Confidence As a hypnotherapist I specialise in helping people to develop confidence and self esteem.Perhaps surprisingly, the people who ask for my help are not shrinking violets and their reasons for wanting to develop enhanced self confidence are not wholly selfish. Leadership Training Seminar - What Makes A Great Leader? At one point or another, we have all been either a leader or a follower. While both roles are equally important, a leader plays an instrumental role in providing direction for his/her followers. It's Not All About Cheese: The Missing Component in Employee Development (Part 1) Spencer Johnson really hit a nerve when he wrote Who Moved My Cheese? The book, a best seller still, is a wonderful allegory of the things that drive and motivate us. I personally loved the book, perhaps because I read it in one night. Leadership for the Successful Entrepreneur! Why talk about leadership?"Leadership is important whether you a leader of a team or are a sole proprietor with no one working for you. Effective leadership is actually a way of thinking, a way to get things done. In Leadership, Identifying Dreams That Lead To Great Results History teaches that when people needed to do great things, a leader first had to gather them together and speak from the heart. This heartfelt speech was often connected to defining and reinforcing a dream shared by both the leader and the people. Leadership and The Dirty Work The airline, Jet Blue, has been featured in many magazines as a new company that has hard great results and success so far. A lot too has been mentioned about the challenges they face ahead and about the culture they created at the start and are working hard to foster now. The Tao of Leadership There can be no doubt that the ancient author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao-Tzu, was a man of unique wisdom whose writings continue to influence people of different backgrounds and faiths.Many leaders then and now get wrapped up in selfish ambition. 8 Questions to Ask if You Want to be a Better Leader Those that have successfully made the transition from manager to leader have found the importance of continuously asking questions. Constantly receiving feedback from front line workers enables aleader to understand what is going right and where improvement is needed. The Challenge to Lead The topic of leadership has been and continues to be one of the most vital topics in human history. From ancient civilizations to modern day multi-national corporations, men and women of passion, fervor and zeal have sought to discover the secrets of moving others beyond the gray of their mundane reality to the rich array of colors that embody the palate of the extraordinary life. Five Things Smart Leaders Do to Lower The Barriers To Change Smart leaders understand that they don't "make" a change happen. They recognize that the people in their organization do the work, change behaviors, and, ultimately, make the change happen. The Personality of Leadership Have you ever wondered what type of person or personality makes the best leader? Most would consider the answer to that question to be the person that has the greatest success, the largest organization, or the best staff. Conversely, have you ever wondered how it is that a person with little drive or entrepreneurial skills ends up in a leadership position? You know the type person I am writing about, a person that couldn't lead a dog on a walk, but has been given the responsibility of leading a large and well-established organization.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
||||
|
