Wednesday, April 11, 2007

This week commences the start of Company Tactics Course. It started off with leadership package and lots of skills comprising it. Took time out to catch up with baby girl to see if everything is going alright.

I can't wait to share and derive some models for our leaders to adopt. Yes, i am totally enthusiastic. Leadership is amazing. I've gone through the package before and its the second time with added materials. Tho' its a drop bomb knowledge and instigation, it certainly left me with inspirations i could channel it to our leaders.


From Learning Principle Leadership to Practising It

Leadership is about learning principles and making it practical and application to their nature of job and daily challenges. Priciples and models assist them in making decisions and a leader would have to choose the best fit for his situation. Knowledge claims credibitlity in leadership and none can say a leader is speaking without basis.

In the Bible we read, "faith without work is dead". Having that trust in the chosen model does not prove anything. A leader must be willing to try the model out and see if it works. Any men or member could throw in the towels and say, "this won't work at all dude. give it up, on yourself and on us". That WON'T work out for a leader. He/She shouldn't take it as final as of yet. If he deems fit and follow through with his guiding priciples and values, see if it could impact further. If not, choose another one and make it best fit. A member or easy going person will conveniently put a period and full-stop to a problem. Leaders don't see problems, they see challengers.

Understanding the mental model and the ladder of inference helps you to analyze how a person is thinking and constructive communication and criticism is very much welcome. Americans are very good at this and Asians ought to speak up and dare to communicate. The art of questioning and analysis gives a leader an edge. Being a leader, saying good is NOT enough. What is good? Generic answers are not good enough. Generic questioning is redundant.

Reflect the following questions we like to ask:

"how was your week?" - "ok lor", "good lor", "not bad lor"(generic questioning inspires generic answering! duh!~
"everybody doing ok?" - "yar", "sure", "same lor", "ok"(does it really matter?)

Try this:
"it is yet another week of which i believed everyone had different experiences. i didn't have a good one tho'(negative but words used positively. imagine "i had a bad one"-once you finished yours no one dares bring theirs up) but before you guys could get mine, let's randomly share what's jubilant and less smiley"

"what's up with that excitment?!(stirs energy) there must be some updates about our life! who cares to share first? I'll love to go first!"

Would you then get answers like before dude? Would your members still be quiet? if yes, be flexible and choose another model to best fit..Yo man! Where's the energy? Are you simply too old to be young? Communicate yo!

Therefore,

LEADERS SEE THE CONNECTIONS.


Inputs Derived from Corporate Strategy

There are 6 inputs as shown in the diagram but if you learn a lesson from the above, this is not a ultimate model. Unless it fits into your situation, if not, adjust and be flexible. We might not have all systems up, but hey, these are generic stuff to consider. In business, this works the same. Notice "team management, individual coaching". i deem this point valid and with great importance.

There are three basic kind of positions; Coach; Mentor; Counsellor. See, if we understand the true meaning of the above three positions, the word counsellor is often used loosely. A counsellor is certified and professional. We often go, "oie! go counsel your member leh..". Does that make anything or anyone credible?

Mentor is someone not directly under the same roof of your job but housed in the same place. Often, a mentor shares and speaks subjects apart from your job.

Coaching is the word. Coaching bring a person from point A to B. Using simple and guided skill, a coach often aids the coachee to develop himself by assisting him to understand himself and reach for an attainable goal agreed by both of them.

Leadership comprises guiding principles and individuals/corporate to anchor on their values. Values are measurement of the vision. Whenever you realise you're moving away from your vision, when in doubt, that is the time where your values will come to work. Since values ought to be anchored, to reach a decision fast and effective wouldn't take much of a time. It helps you eliminate the time to go round robin and ubin to search for "unfound" answers.

Therefore,

LOTS OF WORK TO DO.(don't worry, we'll get there)


Leadership: the leader always sets the trail for others to follow

Not everyone will follow a leader intially though. He is bound to face opposition-no matter how. A sound vision will set people moving. This is covered during Leaders Meet. Those who weren't there, manz, it's so important! VISION!

I'd like to quote some stuff i learnt of which will set you really thinking. The two points are relating to the mental model, ladder of influence and left hand column practices. I probably share more if you'd care to learn. You will find it wise and inspiring...

Insanity; doing the same thing over & over again and expecting different results. The world we live is a produtc of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.

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