Why are strong effective leaders relatively calm? What secret do they know that others don’t? That “there is a time and a place for everything”? That “there is a season…turn, turn, turn”? How about “if everything is a priority; then nothing is”.
I love watching acrobatic troupes and circus professionals perform – you know, the plate spinners, the fire jugglers who hold a sword on their tongue while they fling flaming batons in the air. What is the difference between them and effective leaders? (pregnant pause) Well, normally these folks work alone…they’re not concerned with leading others…they are concerned with impressing others.
Now, I love a good performance as well as the next person, but let me ask you; what is the end game? Do leaders seek to repeat the same amazing performance day-in and day-out concluding with the same result? And what is the cost of keeping all of the plates, or balls, or flaming batons in the air at once? Can performers perform for days, weeks, or months? Can they stop what they are doing to reassess conditions and not have a problem? Let’s say it together: the performance that they deliver and the pace of the delivery are not sustainable in the long run.
What type of leadership are you committed to? Here’s a clue…”sustainable”. How about leadership that delivers results in the short, medium, and long terms, leadership that adapts to the changing global business environment, leadership that can be counted on for support by those that it serves. Some of you can imagine where I’m going with this…but what about multi-tasking?
Definition check: Multi-tasking – the concurrent or interleaved execution of two or more jobs by a single CPU (computers not people).
Sustain (verb def.)
- To keep in existence; maintain.
- To supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for.
- To support from below; keep from falling or sinking; prop.
- To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage.
Are you a performer or leader?
The most prominent and effective corporate officers for whom I worked displayed a common set of unique qualities. Here’s a couple of them
They made the world revolve around them by exceptional speaking and listening in a context they controled or could access.
They surrounded themselves with loyal, diverse talent aligned to a shared vision.
They found a place for subordinate talent and strengths to show up in organizational performance
By: Rick Dexter on June 17, 2009
at 2:21 pm
Rick,
Thanks for sharing your experience. Two of my favorite terms: talent and aligned. To state the obvious; these are two key ingredients to success…especially when a leader know what to with aligned talent!
By: Sean Clancy on June 18, 2009
at 6:21 pm