A Tale Of 2 Leaders
09.30.07 Filed in: Tissues /
Blog
Learn your history. George Bush 418 days on vacation, Bill Clinton 152, Jimmy Carter 79.
Of these 3, the least liked for some time has been Jimmy Carter, whom just happens to be one of our greatest Presidents ever, won the Nobel Peace Prize, is a brilliant author and still finds time for Habitat For Humanity. So,why then so unpopular? Change is painful. Under Carter we almost turned the tide with relation to foreign oil. There were plans to have our entire country solar, with no need for many past wars, but there was no “long term profit” if we created an industry that is self sufficient and needs no fossil fuel, right? So stupid were those who opposed his “radical attempts” at change. Now 30 years later look at us. Bush2 has gone on a “Christian Crusade” i use quotes because there’s NOTHING CHRISTIAN ABOUT IT, except for the name Christian which is thrown around to describe these people with a total lack of true morality or love-walk whom have for some reason self identified with a teacher who taught the polar opposite of how they live. But i digress....
Being a Great Leader is more than just knowing what’s rite. You must also posess the skills to sell what is rite to those who dont want to buy it. Which if u read history books, is about 90% of the population at any point in time.
And anyway...WHO’s AFRAID OF JIMMY CARTER (great link 2 article)
The following is a little self help article from my new fave magazine...all u future leaders...read on.
By: Steve Marzolf
for BestLifeOnline.com
To rule effectively, you have to find your assertiveness sweet spot
Whether you run a sales department or a crime syndicate, you’ll eventually have to tackle the same Machiavellian question: Is it better to be loved or feared? Model your managerial style after, say, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and you’ll achieve obedience through fear, but you won’t have your followers’ loyalty. But if you try too hard to befriend and appease them, your team will languish without direction. Assertiveness is the X-factor that can make or break a leader despite strengths such as intelligence, charisma, and self-discipline, report Columbia University researchers in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. “Truly effective leaders tend to tread a middle ground,” says Daniel Ames, PhD, the study’s coauthor, “pushing hard enough to get their way, but not so hard that they can’t get along.” Here’s how to follow their lead. Find opportunity in disagreement. “The most effective leaders engage in cooperative problem solving,” says Ames. Not to be confused with compromising (which entails losing ground by splitting the difference), cooperative problem solving begets novel solutions that meet everyone’s needs. Listen to yourself. Do you blame a lazy team for stalling your career? Perhaps you complain about subordinates’ not understanding your directives. “Such negative internal dialogue means you’re not being nearly assertive enough with a key team member: yourself,” says Carollyne Conlinn, founder of Full Spectrum Coaching, an executive coaching firm in Canada. “Get yourself back on track by creating a list of leadership goals and holding yourself accountable for meeting them.”
Speak with your body. “Fifty-five percent of communication is nonverbal,” says Joyce K. Reynolds, an executive business coach whose corporate clients have included Lucent Technologies and Noven Pharmaceuticals. Effective leaders use this knowledge to their advantage. To place someone at ease, assume a relaxed, open posture with your body leaning slightly forward to indicate interest. Before making a point, perform a decisive hand gesture; a recent Harvard study shows that doing so implies credibility and honesty. More generally, present an image of assertiveness with an erect, comfortable posture and maintain good eye contact. Read the situation. Effective leaders adjust their behavior as necessary. When a subordinate won’t take no for an answer, ratchet up. When an agitated client just needs to speak his mind, tone down. “Take cues from the situation and gauge how your behavior is playing with the other parties involved,” says Ames. “Sometimes you can push harder than you may have initially guessed. Other times, your behavior may be crossing a line and you need to step back and really rein it in.”
