Posts from — June 2010

Every problem has a solution, but the best solutions are always mutually beneficial.  Howard Putnam in his book, The Winds of Turbulence, tells this story.  Baylor Hospital in Dallas had a major problem.  They could not get enough nurses who were willing to work over week-ends because they wanted to be with their families.

But the leadership recognized that there were also a number of nurses, particularly those who had young children, who wanted to be with their children during the week so they could spend as much time with them as possible.  In most cases, married nurses had husbands who worked a Monday-through-Friday schedule.  Single mothers had an even greater need to be with their children as much as possible, so the thinking was very simple: Can we meet the needs of all these nurses?

If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself. Leadership is the ability to attract someone to the gifts, skills and opportunities you offer as an owner, as a manager, as a parent. I call leadership the great challenge of life.

What’s important in leadership is refining your skills. All great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective. Here are some specifics:

1) Learn to be strong, but not rude. It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable leader with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It’s not even a good substitute.

Throughout time, great leaders have always had vision. Vision is one of the most important elements to being a champion. The Ancient Writer states it this way, “Where there is no vision, the people perish. Vision keeps us on track. It even shows us where the track is.

So, if vision is so important to success and happiness then where do we get it? That is not an easy question. One way is to ask yourself where you want to be ten years down the road? What will you have accomplished? Where will you live? Who will be with you? Questions like these will help you discover your inner vision for your life.