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Leadership is defined as the capacity to lead others.  It is the act or instance of guiding.  There are so many definitions of leadership that it is hard to get a handle on just what leadership entails.  Here are some of my favorite leadership quotes.

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“Leaders are those who know what to do next, know why that is important, and know what appropriate resources to bring to bear on the problem at hand. Then, through effective communication they influence others to follow.” – Barry Bowater

“If you stop learning today, you stop leading tomorrow.” – Howard Hendricks

“It is not such a fearsome thing to lead once you see your leadership as part of God’s overall plan for his world.” – Calvin Miller

“Good leadership is motivating and mobilizing others to accomplish a task or to think in ways that are for the benefit of all concerned.” – Don Page

“Effective leadership is the only competitive advantage that will endure. That’s because leadership has two sides – what a person is (character) and what a person does (competence).” – Stephen Covey

“I believe that you get greater effectiveness in your work when you tie people’s personal mission with the corporate mission.” Richard Barrett, former values coordinator at the World Bank as quoted in the Globe and Mail, June 11, 1999 p.M1.

“Where there is no leadership the people fall, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” – Proverbs 11:14

“A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men.” Thomas Carlyle

“Leadership is an engine for creative change.”

“People first, strategy second.” The motto of successful CEOs, Fortune, June 21,1999. p.74.

“Leadership . . . consists of the principles, skills, and attitudes that harness and integrate knowledge, trust and power.” – D.E. Zand in Leadership Triad: Knowledge, Trust, and Power. p. 5.

“Leadership means staying out in front as well as only doing what we can do well.”- Margot Northey, Dean of Queen’s School of Business.

“Some men see the world as it is and ask why; others see the world as it might be and ask why not.” – Bernard Shaw

“Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Dwight Eisenhower

“Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but what you should have accomplished with your ability.” John Wooden

“Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” John Wooden

“Success is a journey, not a destination.” Ben Sweetland

“The price of greatness is responsibility.” Winston Churchill

“Leadership is not something that you learn once and for all. It is an ever-evolving pattern of skills, talents, and ideas that grow and change as you do.” Sheila Murray Bethel

“From now on, any definition of a successful life must include serving others.” President George Bush

“Our earlier belief that leadership comes about primarily through managerial ability has been replaced by an awareness of skills needed for understanding people and dealing with their problems productively.” Academic Leader, p. 3, Sept. 1994.

“It is not where you are today that counts. It is where you are headed.”

“The distance a person goes is not as important as the direction.”

“Women have for centuries been recognized as talented listeners, nurturers, motivators, excellent communicators. These very qualities that we once were told were unbusinesslike are precisely the qualities that business needs most to tap human potential.” Mary Cunningham Agee

“Supervisors who want the best out of people have to lead, not push. It is harder to do, and it takes a lot more skill. But it is worth the effort.” – Leadership With a Human Touch, January 18, 1994.

“True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.” Robert Townsend

“You don’t have to be brilliant to be a good leader. But you do have to understand other people – how they feel, what makes them tick, and the best way to influence them.” Leadership, January 19, 1993.

“One of the most important functions of a leader is to make his or her organization concentrate on its objectives.”

“You are not finished when you are defeated. You’re finished when you quit.” Leadership, June 6, 1995, p. 24.

“A good leader is not the person who does things right, but the one who finds the right things to do.” Leadership, August 1, 1995, p. 12

“An ability to embrace new ideas, routinely challenge old ones, and live with paradox will be the effective leaders premier trait.” Tom Peters

“Real leaders have no need to advertise their leadership except by their conduct, sympathy, understanding, and ability.” Leadership, January 16, 1996, p. 7.

“A leader lives with people to know their problems. A leader lives with God in order to solve them.” John Maxwell

“Leadership is not found in position; it is found in action and influence.” Glen Martin and Gary MacIntosh in the Issachar Factor.

“Any successful journey of continual improvement shows five components: a vision of a desired end state; knowledge of where we are now, our present – state; a road map for strategic intent; an internal drive system; a value system of principles.” Robert R. Thompson, Executive Excellence, July, 1995, p. 19.

“Failing organizations are usually over-managed and under-led.” Warren G. Bennis in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 10.

“Use power to help people. For we are given power not to advance our own purposes nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people.” George Bush in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 11.

“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” Kenneth Blanchard in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 18.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” John Maxwell in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 26.

“The single most important factor in determining the climate of an organization is the top executive.” Charles Galloway in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 28.

“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind in other people the convictions and the will to carry on.” Quoted in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 60.

“Ability may get you to the top–but it takes character to keep you there.” Quoted in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 78.

“The highest compliment leaders can receive is the one that is given by the people who work for them.” Quoted in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 109.

“The successful leader is the one who makes the right move at the right moment with the right motive.” Quoted in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 111.

“The first step to leadership is servanthood.” John Maxwell in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 122.

“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” Ray Kroc in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 148.

“The size of a leader is determined by the depth of his convictions, the height of his ambitions, the breadth of his vision and the reach of his love.” D. N. Jackson in Leadership Inspirational Quotes & Insights for Leaders, p. 155.

“If you don’t choose to do it in leadership time up front, you do it in crisis management time down the road.” Stephen Covey

“Everything rises and falls on leadership.” John Maxwell

“Managers are people who do things right, and leaders are people who do the right thing.” Warren Bennis

“The leadership that frees people to be their best, affirms them in their diversity and includes them in the dreams, decisions and benefits of the organization is a servant leader.” James M. Childs, Jr.

“Servant leadership propels organizational success.” Ken Blanchard

“The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.” Faye Whattleton

“Eventually relationships determine the size and the length of leadership.” John C. Maxwell

“It is always easy to do right when you know ahead of time what you stand for.” Don Meyer

“Leadership is influence.” John C. Maxwell

“Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” Bill Bradley (US Senator)

“Leadership is: knowing what to do next, knowing why it is important, and knowing how to bring appropriate resources to bear on the need at hand.” Bobb Biehl in Minute Motivators.

“The world of the 1990s and beyond will not belong to ‘managers’ or those who can make the numbers dance. The world will belong to passionate, driven leaders-people who not only have enormous amounts of energy but who can energize those whom they lead.” Jack Welch

“Leadership has less to do with position than it has with disposition.” John C. Maxwell

“Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes.” by J. C Rost in Leadership for the Twenty-First Century. p.102.

“We lose sight of the most important factors that lead to successful leadership: commitment, a passion to make a difference, a vision for achieving positive change, and the courage to take action.” by Larraine Matusak in Finding Your Voice: Learning to Lead Anywhere You Want to Make a Difference. p. 7.

“While great leaders may be as rare as great runners, great actors, or great painters, everyone has leadership potential, just as everyone has some ability at running, acting, and painting.” by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus in Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge. p. 222.

“Commitment in the face of challenge produces character.” John C. Maxwell

Economic Uncertainty Needs Adaptive Leaders
By Michael G Sanders

“It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, or the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

I just read an article titled, “Carrollton’s oldest business closing its doors.” The owners go on to say, “The current economic times, changing customer buying trends and suppliers’ business conditions, all were factored into this decision to close.” It’s a sad story but it is far from the only one. With the unbelievable instability of our economy we all know too well that businesses come and go. Technology advancements, market volatility, new business models, globalization and the speed of business create an environment of rapid change and challenge that can cause your head to spin.

If you are reading this article your business has about a 30% chance of being around in 2010. Those odds aren’t very good. It reminds me of the movie The Patriot starring Mel Gibson. The British Army came to fight the war of Independence as they had always fought wars. They lined up their soldiers facing the enemy hoping that they had more men prepared to take a bullet than the Americans did. Mel Gibson had a different strategy. He and his band of misfits attacked the British using guerilla warfare. The British failed to adapt to the change in warfare resulting is severe casualties. The small band of guerillas did more damage to those British soldiers than was imaginable at the time.

The same will happen to today’s businesses if they don’t adapt. If you fight your wars in business the way you have always done it you may be attacked and blindsided by some guerilla warriors. Or you can choose to be the guerilla warrior yourself. When you learn to adapt you can survive the onslaught of competitive forces that will come at you in the future. The strategies that brought you success in the past may be the last plans to implement in the future. If you plan on surviving in today’s competitive environment you better change strategies. Adapt or Die! It’s the mantra for the leaders of the future. The ability to adapt to changing circumstances on a daily basis will allow your company to survive and even thrive on the battlefield of business. A recent study by IBM Global Business Services said that an “adaptable workforce is a critical capability.” Warren Bennis, a noted author in the field of leadership says, “Adaptive capacity… is the essential competence of leaders.”

Crawford International conducted a study of the relationship between adaptable organizations and financial performance. Leaders in more than two-hundred Fortune 500 companies were interviewed. The businesses with an adaptive corporate culture experienced a net income growth of 989% over ten years. The businesses with a non-adaptive corporate culture saw a net income decline of 47% over the same ten year period.

The real business challenge is that only 14% of companies say their workforce is very capable of adapting to change. It is no wonder so many businesses go into extinction every year. Of the Forbes 100 companies of 1917, only 13 have survived independently today. Of those 13 companies that have survived, all but one has been mediocre to poor performers.

Every day new challenges are coming your way. Ensure success for the future by being confident that your company is prepared for the unknown challenges of tomorrow. As the complexity of your operating environment increases so will your need for adaptable leaders. Karl Weick said, “Leaders who are highly adaptive are able to thrive in uncertainty, quickly make sense of complex environments, provide creative solutions in ambiguous situations, and help others do the same.” Does this describe the leaders in you company? If not, it’s time to change.

Adapt or Die… The decision is yours!

Mike Sanders is president and co-founder of Adaptable Leadership, LLC, a leadership development
company that creates organizational leaders prepared for the unknown challenges of tomorrow.
Adaptable Leadership’s co-founder has developed leader assessment and development tools for the most elite Special Forces unit of the US Army. His work has resulted in selection tools that are utilized by half of the National Football League during the draft process. Mike can be reached at
msanders@adaptableleadership.com or http://www.adaptableleadership.com

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Business Strategies For Turbulent Times
By Brice Alvord

Turbulent times require a firm anchor point from which to lead your organization. That anchor point must be an effective strategy that is properly communicated across the entire organization. A strategy is a broad statement of planned activities which, when effectively performed, will most effectively accomplish a given objective.

The Strategy of the Business (or other Enterprise)

The term “strategy” was adopted from the military. The “strategic plan” of an army is a broad plan to destroy the enemy’s ability to wage war. This may include the elimination of his factories, ports and transportation as well as his fighting forces. It is an all encompassing plan for accomplishing the mission of winning the war. The “strategic plans” of the divisions would support the broad plan of the army.

Before a business can plan how it will accomplish its mission, it must first define that mission, – the purpose for which it now exists.· Through similar reasoning each division and department has its own mission designed to support the parent organization.

Other strategies are then developed from the mission statement. These strategies identify opportunities that favor accomplishment of the mission…and how those opportunities will be approached.

The Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan is the instrument through which everyone’s attention is focused on those opportunities; enabling the organizations strengths to be exploited while its weaknesses are neutralized. Thus, the first step in the preparation of a strategic plan is to define the mission of the organization – the purpose for which it was created (or now exists).·

While there may be many ways a mission statement could be written, the one presented here, is believed to be the simplest form that will satisfy all of the requirements· It is termed a Primary Objective and is described below.

As a Strategic Objective the Primary Objective takes a different form and serves a different purpose than other objectives typically found in most management processes· Because of its unique roll and the fact it is not quantified it could also be considered a “primary strategy.”· The term objective is used only because it is more commonly used by managers.

Primary Objectives

The Primary Objective is a statement of the mission which an individual, group, or company is organized to accomplish in terms of its essential work, its products, its markets, and its territorial interests.

Your Primary Objective is intended as a continuing guide to all who work under your direction…to this extent it is permissive. Also, to those above you, it provides assurance that efforts are being extended in the right direction…to this extent it is restrictive.

A Primary Objective should be prepared for the organization as a whole and for each division, department and position. While stated as the objective of the position it includes all the work for which the incumbent of that position is accountable…not just the work he (she) does personally.

While the Primary Objective can be changed at any time to reflect changes in the direction of the operation, it should not require change except where that direction has, indeed, been changed. Thus, the Primary Objective could conceivably stand for a period of several, or even many years.

Because it is designed to stand for a long period, its terms are not quantified. It is constructed around the following five Fundamental Obligations:

• Survival Obligation – States the need for (Why?):
• Essential Work Obligation – States the work to be performed (How?):
• Principal Products Obligation – States that which is produced or acted upon (What?)Stated as a “product” or service

1. Principal Markets Obligation – States for whom the “products” or “services” are produced (Who?):

• External markets (customers)
• Internal markets (other dept’s)

1. Principal Territory Obligation – Defines the geographic area in which the work is performed or services offered (Where?)

Structure of the Primary Objective

Survival obligation: Survive, grow and be profitable.
The Survival Obligation specifies why work is to be done. For a profit oriented company, the Survival Obligation will normally declare recognition of the need for survival, growth and profitability.

For the company:In almost any profit oriented company, the Survival Obligation may be adequately expressed with these few words: “To survive, grow and be profitable.” The extent of the profits and the direction and rate of growth will be specified in other objectives that grow out of the Primary Objective.

For a department:The Survival Obligation for a department would be expressed differently· The objective of a department is not to survive, grow and be profitable on its own; hence, the survival obligation of the department might be expressed: “To contribute to the survival, growth and profit.”

Not-For-Profit organizations:In considering the survival obligation of a not-for-profit organization, it helps to view this as an entity that has length, width and breadth…all expressed in terms of survival, profit and growth.The not-for-profit organization would also have three components. One of the components is “survival.” Whatever other purposes this organization might have, it must first survive if it is to perform its assigned function. Thus, the word “survival” will normally be included in the survival obligation of the not-for-profit organization.

Secondly, the organization must remain financially sound. Whether its operating funds come from sales (as in a business) or from a budget allocation, the organization’s continued success, and therefore its survival, depends on getting its work accomplished within its allowable expenses· Thus, the survival obligation of the not-for profit organization will normally include a reference to remaining financially sound …instead of “profit”.Inasmuch as the not-for-profit organization was created to fill some defined need, the survival of this particular organization will depend on how effectively it serves this need. Thus, the third element should contain a reference to fulfilling these needs·

Typical statements of the three components which comprise a survival obligation are shown below:

• Essential Work Obligation – The Essential Work Obligation states HOW the Primary Objective will be accomplished. As the word “work” implies activity, this obligation is always stated as a verb…in just one or two words. Yet, these few words should encompass the work done by all the people under the direction of a given manager (not just the work done personally by the manager).For the manager of a defined “line” department this obligation will reflect the Essential Work of the business as a whole, as in the example of “manufacture” and “sell”.For all other departments the Essential Work Obligation would be to advise and serve in the areas of its work specialty. These words apply for every staff manager.
• Principal Products Obligation – The Principal Products Obligation defines that which is produced or acted upon by the organization…WHAT it is that the organization offers its markets. For example, the product of a steel mill would be steel. The products of an insurance company might be “policies” or “financial protection”.The products of a manufacturing plant would be the products produced by that plant; the products of a producing department in the plant would be those products that are supplied to the next unit in the production process. The products of a sales department would be orders or sales contracts.The products of a staff department are the services that the department supplies to other departments…i.e., “Human Resources”
• Principal Markets Obligation – The Principal Markets Obligation specifies WHO will receive or benefit from the products or services offered. The “market” for a sales group would be its customers. For a production operation that fabricates parts, the “market” might be the “assembly” department; the “market” for maintenance services would be the departments served. One test to help identify the “market” for an internal service would be to determine who has the authority to accept or reject the work performed. The “market” for a staff group would be those departments or positions for which this group provides advice and/ or service as its normal responsibility.
• Principal Territory Obligation – The Principal Territory Obligation states where work is to be performed. For the company as a whole, this statement would be broad enough to cover all activities at all locations. The same would be true of a division or a department. For a plant or factory, this obligation would identify those locations at which products were produced but also may specify those areas where field servicing is provided. For a sales group, this obligation might reflect the area in which customers are located or where salesmen travel . . . for a staff group, it would reflect the location of the departments served.

As we have seen, the Primary Objective may apply to a total entity or to a department or position within that entity. In either case the Primary Objective deals with three elements: survival, growth, and profit. Where the operation has been in existence for some time, the first step is to define the obligations as these exist now. One advantage of this is that a manager at any level can write his own obligations without having to wait for any other member of the organization to write his. Later, as others prepare their Basic Obligations, differences can be rectified.After the present obligations have been defined, the manager can then begin consideration of anticipated changes in each obligation. These may be in response to pressures beyond the manager’s control or they may be the result of his strategic choices for the future. In either case, the Basic Obligations provide a way to define the future of the business in a way that minimizes the impact of turbulent times.

Brice Alvord has over thirty years experience as an internal and external performance improvement consultant and business coach. Mr. Alvord has extensive experience in designing and developing performance based training programs that get results. He holds a BA in Sociology/Psychology from Central Washington University and an MBA degree from City University of Seattle. He is the author of over two dozen books on continuous improvement and training.

For more information, visit our website at: http://www.aleragroup.com

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Dr Jim Collier over at Drjimcollier.com just started a series of articles that you may find enlightening.  How many of us really understand the FDIC and the limits of insurance coverage on our deposits.  Venture on over to the website for more.  Financial Insights

Business Advice for the Asking

Every year people in the U.S. start thousands of businesses and most of them fail. Some of them would probably succeed if they took advantage of a major resource that is available. There are literally major sources of business information and assistance waiting for those who will ask.

The Federal government maintains a huge internet portal called USA.gov and on this site there is a Business and Non Profit gateway. On this site you can find information about how to buy from the Government or how to sell to them. There is also links to statistical information that is invaluable when starting or operating a business. All of the resources on this site are two numerous to mention but three must be included in this article. When you visit the site take notice of the links for launching a business, managing and growing a business, and the one for state programs.

To keep this article a manageable size, I will only look at the last link for state programs. When you click on your state which is listed you will see numerous resources but the one I suggest you click on is the one for SCORE.

Would you like to find a mentor for your business? You can find one at SCORE. Would you like to find seminars about your business? Take a look at the resources that SCORE offers.

Business advice and information is available to you for the asking. Why don’t you start asking today.