Perspectives

Tuning in

I watched the presidential speech last night and was struck by what one of the commanding generals in Iraq said to the president about the troops under his command.  He expressed concern over morale being adversely affected by a perception of lack of support from the American public.  The fact that he was aware of the concern and took steps to ensure that it was made known to us shows a fundamental leadership responsibility:  pay close attention to morale.  Many leaders fail to realize the tremendous impact morale can have on a company's ability to meet its goals and objectives.  When your interests are being taken into consideration, you are better able to focus on the task at hand.

Ilan Smith

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Lead Who?

I once worked for a company whose leadership slogan was "One firm, one team.  Be a leader."  We were told that self-leadership was something we should practice.  It was odd that no one ever explained what self-leadership meant or how to go about leading yourself and made me question the logic of the concept.  I believe that leadership is getting others to willingly do what they would otherwise not do.  Needless to say, this made me wonder about the logic behind the slogan.  I never did quite understand it and wondered if focusing on ethics would have been more worthwhile.

Ilan  Smith

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Lean on me

Earlier this evening I was listening to a speech on leadership and was struck by a single statement.  The person was telling the story of a trip she had been on.  She had been rock climbing and reached a point where she was scared and exhausted and had stopped.  Her partner urged her not to look down but also shouted words of encouragement and she eventually made it to the top.  The statement that made me really think was that she said that her boyfriend was the leader at the moment when she could not be.  His words of encouragement helped her to accomplish something she really wanted to do.  Leaders often forget that cheer leading is one of the many functions which should be performed.  We all have our weak moments, and you never know when you will inspire someone to do something great.

Ilan Smith

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Salad Bowl

If we take a moment to consider what some of the qualities of a great leader are, some which may come to mind may be great communicator, good negotiator, ability to influence others and visionary among others.  Being a good leader means having all those qualities and even more, there is no single trait which can stand alone.  This is very important to remember when thinking of enhancing leadership skills - first determine if you have some of the above-mentioned qualities.  If you do, here are some others to consider:  patient, understanding, flexible, considerate, and respectful.  Leadership is a continuous exercise in improvement - we should always strive to be better at it.

Ilan Smith

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