A Gift

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.

Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study.

His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat Disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible? and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.

Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages.

His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11, "And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?" As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL.

*******

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? I trust you enjoyed this. Pass it on to others. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for...

IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'S BECAUSE IT IS BETTER PACKED THAT WAY! ALWAYS APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS; THEY USUALLY LEAD YOU TO ATTACHMENTS!

Why Leaders Fail

Huge publicly-traded companies Enron and Worldcom go down in flames under the guidance of capable leaders with highly questionable ethics. Gold medalist Marion Jones, once considered a positive role model, faces criminal charges for doping. The Catholic Church continues to agonize over lapses in leadership that resulted in sexual abuse of children. From the indictment of Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens to the imprisonment of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to the adulterous affair of former Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards, politics is rife with leadership failures.

In the recent past, we've witnessed the public downfall of leaders from almost every arena of society — business, sports, religion and politics. One day they're on top of the heap, the next, shame and infamy are heaped on them.

We are incensed by the catastrophic failures of these leaders. After all, we cheered for them, voted for them, put stock in their companies, and consulted them for spiritual guidance. We trusted them, they let us down, and it hurts.

While our outrage at disgraced leaders may be justified, we fail to realize how quickly "they" become "us." The distance between beloved leader and despised failure is shorter than we think. Like anyone, these fallen leaders never set out to sacrifice their integrity, abandon ethical behavior, or exploit those they led. But it happened anyway. Their failures should be our cautions.

Ken Maupin, a practicing psychotherapist and colleague, has built his practice on working with high-performance personalities, including leaders in business, religion, and sports. Ken and I have often discussed why leaders fail. Our discussions have led to the following "warning signs" of impending failure.

Warning Sign #1: A Shift in Focus

This shift can occur several ways. Oftentimes, leaders simply lose sight of what's important. The laser-like focus that catapulted them to the top begins to wander, and they are seduced by the trappings of leadership, such as wealth and notoriety.

Leaders are usually distinguished by their ability to "think big." But as their focus shifts, their thinking shrinks. They micromanage, get caught up in minutiae, and consume themselves with trivial decisions better left to others. To make matters worse, this tendency can be exacerbated by an unceasing quest for perfection.

A more subtle leadership derailer is an obsession with "doing" rather than "becoming." A leader's greatest influence flows naturally from inner vision and character. It is possible for a leader to become infatuated with action, and, in the process, lose touch with the all-important development of self. However, busier isn't always better.

At the present moment, what is your primary focus? If you can't write it on the back of your business card, then your leadership suffers from a lack of clarity. Take the requisite time to center your focus on what's most important.

Would you describe your thinking as expansive or contractive? You should be willing to roll up your sleeves to do whatever it takes to get the job done. However, don't take the reins from others on tasks they can do as competently as you can. Always strive to think on a higher plane. In doing so, you'll make the transition from doer to developer.

Warning Sign #2: Poor Communication

Lack of focus disorients a leader and sets the stage for poor communication. Followers can't possibly understand a leader's intent when the leader isn't even sure what it is! When leaders are unclear about purpose, they cloak their confusion with uncertainty and ambiguous communication.

Sometimes, leaders fall into the clairvoyance trap. They delude themselves into believing that committed followers can sense their goals and carry out their wishes without being told. When misunderstandings arise, managers blame their people for lack of effort (or commitment) rather than recognizing their own communication negligence.

"Say what you mean, and mean what you say" is timeless advice, but it must be preceded by knowing what you mean! Clarity of purpose is the starting point for all effective communication. The hard work of communication only pays dividends when you're crystal clear about your message.

Warning Sign #3: Risk Aversion

Leaders on the verge of breakdown fear failure rather than desiring success. Past victories create pressure for leaders: "Will I be able to sustain outstanding performance?" "What will I do for an encore?" In fact, the longer a leader is successful, the higher his or her perceived cost of failure will be.

When driven by the fear of failure, leaders are unable to take reasonable risks. They limit themselves to tried and proven pathways. Attempts at innovation — key to their initial success — diminish and eventually disappear.

Which is more important to you: the journey or the destination? Are you still taking reasonable risks? Prudent leadership avoids reckless risk, but neither is it paralyzed by fear. On many occasions, the dance of leadership is two steps forward, one step back.

Warning Sign #4: Ethics Slip

A leader's credibility depends upon two qualities: what he or she does (competency) and who he or she is (character). Deficiencies in either quality create an integrity problem.

The highest principle of leadership is integrity. When ethical compromise is rationalized as necessary for the "greater good," a leader sets foot on the slippery slope of failure.

All too often, leaders see their followers as pawns — mere means to an end. As a result, they confuse manipulation with leadership. Such leaders rapidly lose respect. To save face, they cease to be people "perceivers" and become people "pleasers," using popularity to ease the guilt of lapsed integrity.

As a leader, it's imperative to constantly subject your life and work to the highest scrutiny. Are there areas of conflict between what you believe and how you behave? Has compromise crept into your operational tool kit?

Warning Sign #5: Poor Self-Management

Tragically, if a leader doesn't take care of himself or herself, no one else will. Unless a leader is blessed with unusually perceptive followers, nobody will pick up on signs of fatigue and stress. Leaders are counted on to produce, but they aren't superheroes running on limitless energy.

While leadership is invigorating, it is also tiring. Like anyone else, leaders are susceptible to feeling drained, depressed, and de-motivated. Those who neglect their physical, psychological, emotional, or spiritual needs are headed for disaster. Think of having a gauge for each of these four areas of your life, and check them often! If a gauge's needle dips toward "empty," make time for refreshment and replenishment. Clear your schedule and take care of yourself. Self-preservation isn't selfish�it's vital to the health of those you lead.

Warning Sign #6: Lost Love

Leaders face impending disaster when they abandon their first love. The hard work of leadership should be fulfilling and fun. However, when divorced from their dreams, leaders may find the responsibility of leadership to be frustrating and fruitless. To stay motivated, leaders must stick to what they love and rediscover what compelled them to accept the mantle of leadership in the first place.

To make sure that you stay on the track of following your first love, frequently ask yourself these three questions: Why did I initially pursue leadership? Have those reasons changed? Do I still want to lead?

Heed the Signs

The warning signs in life — from stoplights to prescription labels — are intended for our good. They protect us from disaster, and we would be foolish to ignore them. As you consider the six warning signs of leadership failure, don't be afraid to take an honest look at yourself. If any of the warnings ring true, take action today! By paying attention to these signs and heeding their warnings, you can avoid disaster and sustain the kind of leadership that is healthy and fulfilling both for yourself and your followers.

by Mark Sanborn

Source: http://www.injoy.com/newsletters/leadership/content/issues/11_15/default.htm#1

Being A Leader

There once was a time when the dream of every office assistant was to make it into top management, where one could order people around, reward and punish underlings, and enjoy all the perks of royalty.

Today, the level to aim for is not top management; it's top leadership. The difference is profound: Managers change behavior; leaders change minds.

A manager manages things. A leader leads people.

A manager tries to keep things running smoothly, according to the norm. A leader is constantly looking for ways to stir things up -- to change things for the better. Instead of constantly looking for and correcting deviations from the norm, leaders encourage innovations that improve upon the norm.

Management is something you do. Leadership is something you are. You can learn to be a leader, just as you can learn to be a musician or a lawyer or a physician.

Your company's success depends on the collective effort of everyone who works for it. If individual efforts are anemic or flawed, the collective effort will be anemic or flawed. If individual efforts are exerted toward a variety of different goals, progress -- if there is progress -- will be haphazard.

So the chief task of a business leader is to establish a climate in which individual initiative can flourish and individual efforts can be exerted toward corporate goals. Here are a few characteristics of leaders who apply it:

• They don't tell people what to do; they help people decide for themselves what to do.
• They expect excellence in those around them and make those expectations known.
• They invite people to speak up, and they listen and respond to those who do. They welcome good news and bad news from their associates, knowing that they can't lead wisely unless they're fully informed.

In a truly free society, leadership cannot be exercised without the consent of the led. That means that true leaders must lead in such a way that people will want to follow them. They must, in essence, become heroes to those they would lead.

Those who would be heroes to others must first be heroes to themselves. Those who would have others believe in them must first believe in themselves. Those who would have others follow them must trust in their own sense of direction.

Nobody and no institution can invest you with greatness; they can only recognize the greatness within you when you have found it and recognized it in yourself.

Source: http://www.nidoqubein.com/index.cfm

True Logical Statements

Whenever you find the key to success, someone changes the lock.
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To Err is human, but to forgive is not a COMPANY policy.
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The road to success??.. is always under construction.
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Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does Milk.
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In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you have ability to repay back.
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All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive or fattening.
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Since Light travels faster than Sound, people appear brighter before you hear them speak.
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Everyone has a scheme of getting rich?.. Which never works.
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If at first you don't succeed?. Destroy all evidence that you ever tried.
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You can never determine which side of the bread to butter. If it falls down, it will always land on the buttered side.
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Anything dropped on the floor will roll over to the most inaccessible corner.
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42.7% of all statistics is made on the spot.
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As soon as you mention something?? If it is good, it is taken?. If it is bad, it happens.
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He who has the gold, makes the rules ---- Murphy's golden rule.
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If you come early, the bus is late. If you come late?? The bus is still late.
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Once you have bought something, you will find the same item being sold somewhere else at a cheaper rate.
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When in a queue, the other line always moves faster and the person in front of you will always have the most complex of transactions.
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If you have paper, you don't have a pen. If you have a pen, you don't have paper. If you have both, no one calls.
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You will pick up maximum wrong numbers when on roaming.
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The door bell or your mobile will always ring when you are in the bathroom.
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After a long wait for bus no.20, two 20 number buses will always pull in together and the bus which you get in will be crowded than the other.
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If your exam is tomorrow, there will be a power cut tonight.
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Irrespective of the direction of the wind, the smoke from the cigarette will always tend to go to the non-smoker
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Before borrowing money from a friend, decide whether you need more.
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There are three sides to every argument: your side, my side and the right side.
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An expert is someone who takes a subject you understand and makes it sound confusing.
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Many things can be preserved in alcohol. Dignity is not one of them.
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Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.
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When you're right, no one remembers. When you're wrong, no one forgets.
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Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
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Well done is better than well said .
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Everyone makes mistakes. The trick is to make them when nobody is looking.
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Where there is a WILL, there is a WAY, Where there is MONEY, there are many WAYS.
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Where there is MONEY, there are many FRIENDS and RELATIVES.
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Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.

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