Étiquette : Leadership

Day 565. Leadership can be learned. As there are positive leadership traits, there are deadly mistakes for any aspiring leader. Here are 5 that I consider the deadliest:

1. Over committing, under delivering. A promise given is a promise delivered, or suffer the consequences! Yes, sh*t happens, and if it happens, give the bad news early. Always exceed expectations to build credibility and trust
2. Speaking more than listening. We have two ears and one mouth, it’s to listen twice as much as we speak. Ask question, listen with fascination, and learn from others.
3. Getting too much number focused and too little people focused. Yes, rule number one tells that the achievement of your metrics is important, but to exceed them, you need people. By focusing on people, numbers will take care partially of themselves. Never hide behind Excel, show yourself in front of others.
4. Blaming others. Take your own responsibilities. Yes, a direct report may have f*cked up, but he/she’s your direct report and you are in charge. Take ownership, fix the issue, and ensure this will not happen again. Either we win or we learn, always by standing on our feet, not on others’.
5. Making excuses. I am not sure it’s worse than blaming others or not, but making excuses is to me, like in the song: « It was not me! » You can say sorry, but only to accept the consequences of your mistakes. Excuses are useless and undermine credibility and trust. Ask yourself why you failed, what you learned, and what you’ve done. Once again, sit in the driver’s seat.

Leadership is hard, leadership is rewarding, and leadership is a choice, your choice. And remember, most mistakes are not fatal, you need to learn from them to avoid them. One last piece: if you working environment has leaders that expose those traits, leave! They are toxic. I know it’s easier said than done, however, it’s like drugs: short-term relief, long-term death!

Jour 564. Tiens, un titre en français ! Plusieurs d’entre vous m’ont demandé de réécrire en français. Je vais donc faire un billet de temps en temps en français. Cela va dérouiller ma grammaire. Je pensais aujourd’hui, à quelques milliers de mètres d’altitude, aux moments où d’autres se sont moqués de nous. De notre façon de nous habiller, de notre accent ou de nos idées.

Le fait est que ce sont les nôtres, ce sont le reflet de qui nous sommes ou tout du moins des questions que l’on se pose. Et en ce sens, c’est nous ! Même si cela peut sembler contre intuitif de prime abord, quand autrui se moque, il convient de ne pas réagir négativement, mais d’y voir un signe de la différence de chaque être humain. Comme le disais Oscar Wilde : « Soyez vous-mêmes, tous les autres sont déjà pris. »

Les différences, les idées hétérodoxes et la résistance à l’homogénéité sont un signe d’évolution. Cultivons nos différences !

Day 554. Meditation is making a comeback these days. Nothing surprising in a world described and lived as stressful. Of course, for some, meditation seems to be something for people who have time, for people who are not strong-willed, and for people who are quiet and laidback. Nothing is farther from the truth. Not only everybody can benefit from a 10-minute meditation, but medical studies have proven the positive effects of meditation.

Now, it’s true that meditation can be seen as challenging by many: My mind wanders and won’t keep quiet, I do not feel comfortable my leg crossed sitting on the floor, I feel stupid meditating, are common feedback from people who tried and stopped. However, as Light Watkins explains in this video, effects are visible, may be not by you but by your peers. In his TEDx talk, he debunks simply five common myths about meditation:

Myth 1: I’m a bad meditator if I cannot quiet my mind.

Myth 2: There’s no correct way to meditate.

Myth 3: I don’t have time to meditate.

Myth 4: Meditation will solve all my problems.

Myth 5: Success in meditation is based on stillness on my mind.

Go and watch this TEDx talk, inserted above for convenience, and start meditating daily for 10 minutes. Ask for help to a meditation practitioner if you do not succeed in your first meditations. As Light says, meditation will give your time back on top of other many benefits, one of which is increased productivity, one of my obsession. No negative effects, only positive, still hesitating?