A Different Kind of Leader - Nu Leadership Series

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Mohandas Gandhi

Too many managers want to carry a big stick and forget they are really on the same team as their employees. Twenty-first century organizations cannot afford managers who don't look at the big picture. For example, downsizing helps many companies in the short-term. However, sooner or later it hurts them if they don't analyze the long term consequences. In light of this reality, how do leaders decide whether to buy in on the newest management fads?

Let's focus on outsourcing as an example. Lisa Robinson Davis, management strategist, argues that before a company outsources, it needs to foster good relationships with workers if they want success. Handy, an organizational strategist, defines this relationship as another paradox. Workers want the most money while organizations want to pay the least. Outsourcing then becomes the management's solution to this matter.

However, without thinking strategically, an organization can be the loser over the long run. When managers initiate outsourcing without the concern of employees, they lose their employees' respect. Although some U.S. companies are concerned about the impact of outsourcing, others are not.

Outsourcing can become a relationship-breaker in the leader-follower relationship.
Clearly, credibility is an issue. Maxwell, author of Today Matters, argues that an individual's core values are the deeply held beliefs that authentically describe a person' soul. Kouzer and Posner, authors of Credibility, note that the majority of individuals admire leaders who are honest, inspiring, and competent.

Conversely, credibility of a leader is what drives employees to do more they than they are required to do for their jobs. In an age where ethics appear to be lowering, managers need to be caught doing the right thing. Therefore, integrity is important if an organization wants to implement a new business approach and convince employees to buy in.

References:

Braun, B. (2004). Offshore Outsourcing: Impact on the American Workplace, Braun Consulting News, 7(5).

Handy, C. (1997). The Age of Paradox. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Kouzes, J. & Posner, B. (2003). Credibility. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Maxwell, J. (2004). Today Matters. New York: Warner Faith.

© 2007 by Daryl D. Green

The Who, What, Why, Where, When and How Of The Impossibly Humble Radish

Radishes.

Those red on the outside, white on the inside, peppery, root come vegetable salad ingredients that go well with brown bread and butter and good cheese.

Can there be anything interesting to say about radishes?

You decide.

Because in Mexico City on 23rd December every year the whole city dresses up like a radish. And you'll find them carved as flowers, animals, buildings, vehicles, people and just about everything else.

And it is a source of constant fascination to me, not so much that these events take place, as strange as they are, but who was the first person who came up with it and why!

I like to think of a guarded, shy little man in a sombrero furtively dressing up as a radish and frolicking around his neighbourhood at midnight because it's 'his thing', a fetish he cant resist and, for reasons best known to themselves, his fellow Mexicans joined in.

And knowing the real reason it started doesn't diminish the possibility that this might actually be true.

It often involves a nativity scene, being Christmas, and has a very loose religious connection. The radish fascination started with, who else, the missionaries who in 'colonial times' taught the interested locals how to cultivate radishes and what to do with them when they were ready.

Whether this involved teaching them to dress up as a giant radish is unclear, but the practice evolved and has been going on ever since.

It is another one of those: What would it be like to walk into an even like this without first knowing it was going to happen?

Oaxaca's central square is where you'll find all the action, and expect tons of great Mexican food to accompany the celebrations, and of course fireworks, donuts and piñatas (those gourds filled with gifts) that you'll be encouraged to smash to pieces to win.

And taking a leaf out of the Greek Festival Book, visitors are expected to smash their dish after eating their donuts, which apparently brings the smasher good luck for the rest of the years.

Not in my kitchen it doesn't.

The West is sadly lacking in these kind of wild, unpredictable celebrations over such things as radishes. I don't know why, except we are a bit more reserved than our Latin, Asian and African counterparts who seem able to drop everything and celebrate without a qualm, day or night, whatever the season and can make up an excuse like 'It's all about the Radishes' with a straight face AND get away with it.

Don't we live in a beautiful world?

Build Your Thoughts And It Will Build Your Life

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new
landscapes but in having new eyes." Marcel Proust.

Are you looking for solutions to your problems and issues?

The answers you are looking for are right within you.

If you are in a status quo in your own mind, you won't travel
very far in the voyage of you life.

I have been looking for answers from the outside most of my life
until I found a mentor who taught me where to look for answers.
Not only to find solutions to my problems, but to recognize
where all my problems were coming from.

It all comes from within your own mind. Whatever is going on
within your own mind will attract either good results or bad
results in just about every facet of your life such as: your
relationships, your work, your marriage, your business, your
investments, your dealings with others and so on…

Everybody would agree that to stay in good physical shape you
must watch what you eat and exercise. For your life to be in
good shape you must feed your mind with good thoughts and
exercise your mind. Your must stay in shape, mentally to be
able to take control of your life.

How do you know if you are in good mental shape? An easy way to
measure your mental state is by your emotions. If you "feel
good" you are in a good mental alignment at that point in time.
If you "feel bad" your are not in a good mental alignment at
that point in time.

What are some examples of "good feelings" and "bad feelings"?
Good feelings are also named: joy, happiness, love,
thankfulness, truthfulness, forgiveness, inner peace, serenity
and the like… Bad feelings are also named: anger, jalousie,
fear, remorse, sadness, pain, grudge, anxiety and the like…

The one thing no one can control but you is your thoughts. That
said, however, it is very difficult to control ALL our thoughts
all day long. As a matter of fact that is basically impossible
to control every thought that are running through our mind every
second of the day. It is possible, however, to make the
decision to feel a certain way. I am not saying that it's easy,
but it is possible.

Start getting up in the morning being grateful for what you
have. Consciously refuse to concentrate on what you do not have
or do not want.

It is not easy to build big muscles to shape and strengthen our
body is it? No, but it's possible with discipline and
consistency.

Our brain works exactly the same way as our body does. With
discipline and consistency we can and will shape our thoughts
guided by our feelings. We will see the results of our
conscious decision to feel a certain way even though it might
not always be easy.

Like physical work out, take it a little at the time on a
regular basis until you are the master of your feelings and
thoughts. Over time you will catch yourself when you start
thinking negative.

Every morning decide to feel good by conscientiously thinking
about positive things that will bring about positive emotions.
Train yourself to catch bad thoughts that are trying to sneak
in. This is the type of exercise that will train your "muscle
brain" to react and switch every time a bad feeling will let you
know that what you are thinking right now is not in alignment
with good mental energy and therefore, not healthy.

If you practice this simple exercise on a daily basis you will
see enormous changes in your life. Not over night, but over
time. Don't give up!

Be Positive!

Positive, For some its hard, for others its easy, being positive throughout your life while doing various activities is and can be a full time job in it's self.

Your attitude around your friends, family and public people really tells them who you are, being positive instead of negative makes an excellent first impression on anybody. Positive means to be absolute, clear-cut, definite, forward-looking and expressively firm with a decision. Having a positive attitude toward something means you are willing to commit and do the work without complaint, which leads to goals. Setting realistic goals that you know you can achieve by staying positive is a great beginning to success. A goal should be set within reach; it should either be short term or long term weather it's in sport, business or even family. A short term goal would mean "I will get up at six o'clock in the morning and go for a walk". Long term is a goal set to be achieved over a certain time and may contain various short term goals in order to reach it, "Over twelve months I will budget for that car I've always wanted". Having goals which are set again and again after each one is achieved will give you a mind set or target to strive for which leads to success, with success becomes natural positive attitude. With all positiveness, goals and success builds a higher potential and belief within yourself. Having a 'win win' thinking mind is the key to a positive attitude.

After now swimming for 10 years I believe that the key to success is to simply believe in what you really want. Telling yourself "I can do this" instead of "ohhh! I hate this, I can't to it, I feel like crap". Your mind and body is dumb when it comes to pressure, all it wants to do is take the easiest way out. In my situation (competitive swimming) any negative comments that come out practically means you've already lost the race and your mind is not set on the job. The only way to win and succeed in any sport is to be positive even when things do go wrong and not the way you want them to knowing that they will only get better, believe in yourself and what you want to achieve, imagine or even dream that you are there, you have already won, an excellent coach that can see your capabilities and hard training which is sometimes difficult but always pays off at the end of the day.

Feeling good about yourself and showing self confidence boosts your skills potential and capabilities in any areas of work and sport. Also keeping in mind that pushing things to the limit and going beyond what you think is possible to get to the "next level" is another key to achieving what you really want in whatever you do. It may even be relationships, if you're finding it difficult to meet someone you are actually interested in, don't wait because it usually doesn't come to you, get help from a professional, "if you really want it, you have to go get it". One of the most important things while doing all of this is to have fun and always be happy about what you're doing, have a successful goal setting lifestyle with a positive attitude.

Positive Attitude - Keeping a Positive Attitude Despite Problems

Are you having trouble keeping a positive attitude because of problems in your life? You are among many people in this world today. Even those with highly positive attitudes struggle at times when faced with adversity.

KEY POINT 1: Your problems shape your character.

While it may sound absurd, it's very true-your problems mold your character. They make you who you are. Character can be defined as, "A complex of attributes that determines a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions."

If you allow your problems to break you down, causing you to give up or throw up your hands in frustration, what does that speak of your character? It says that you will break with every ounce of hardship that comes your way. Alternatively, if you push forward despite adversity, your character is shaped by strength and persistence.

KEY POINT 2: Your problems make you stronger.

In the middle of troubles, it's often difficult to see through the fog that clouds your mind and vision. This is when the true test of your strength and courage comes into play. Will you stand strong, chin forward and keep walking anyway?

Once you make it through to the other side of this wall, you will have gained untold strength. You're flexing and using your muscles through all those dilemmas. So keep up your pace and don't slow down. Victory is ahead!

KEY POINT 3: Your problems strengthen your will.

Not only do problems make your stronger mentally, but they serve the purpose of strengthening your will, too. As you motivate yourself to keep forging ahead, you build great resolve and determination. Your character, in turn, is reinforced and you become stronger than ever before.

No matter how difficult the situation is that you're going through, you can keep a positive attitude, despite it all. Keep your mind focused and stay on the well-beaten path. You will make it through to the other side a better person.

The Secret Behind The Secret

As The Secret streaks across the planet with dizzying speed, this seems like a good time to revisit this thing called 'The Law of Attraction'.

Clever marketing aside, 'The Law of Attraction' is real and is operating in our lives at all times. It only takes paying the slightest bit of attention to see that. Why then, is it such a problem for so many people to achieve what they want in life?

Almost everything written about 'The Law of Attraction' has focused on thoughts as the primary means of attracting or repelling. That's true too, but it's not the whole story.

If it were that easy to create financial abundance, happy relationships, great sex lives, and unlimited creativity, don't you think we'd all be doing it by now?

Yet every book on achieving your goals and attracting what you want continues the story line about thoughts...that's it...change your thoughts…gain a new perspective, and it will all come around, right? I don't think so!

Here's the rub...changing your conscious thoughts is not enough, because what's got you down are your unconscious thoughts, feelings and beliefs. This unconscious part of our psyches plays us like puppets and will sabotage conscious thoughts every time...guaranteed.

The key here is to understand the power of unconscious thought. In Jungian psychology, the shadow refers to all thoughts, feelings and beliefs residing in the unconscious...not just the 'bad' stuff as commonly believed, but whatever has been relegated to the unconscious, for whatever reason.

This is the real secret...it's this stew of unconscious ramblings that are at the root of our ability to attract what we want or not.

Jung also said that something like 95% of the human shadow is pure gold when brought to light. Unfortunately, most of us are still afraid of the dark. We assume what we'll find in any mining expedition into the unconscious, is sludge, so most of us expend vast amounts of energy avoiding the journey when, in fact, that's exactly where we need to go.

It's when we begin to mine the thoughts, feelings and beliefs, lurking below the surface that we can dramatically change our lives. By examining this material, we can decide what to keep and what to toss. We can decide how to make meaning out of our life experience, and we can bring our conscious and unconscious thoughts, feelings and beliefs into alignment instead of playing an ongoing game of tug of war.

By making the unconscious conscious, we diffuse the conflict between the two. The impact is like charging up 'The Law of Attraction' with rocket fuel, allowing us to break free of the gravitational pull of the unconscious beliefs and fears that hold us back.

Are you ready to really get what you want in life? If the answer is yes, then it's time to take a little journey below the surface, so you can fully embrace The Secret.

************

Some useful tools for the journey are...

1. Pay attention to your dreams.

Dreams provide a snapshot of what's really going on in the psyche. Yes, understanding them can be tricky because they use symbols with multiple layers of meaning. Writing down your dreams and writing about what they mean to you can go a long way towards demystifying their meaning. Keep a notebook and pen beside your bed and write them down in the morning. If you don't remember dreams, ask for them to reveal themselves before you go to sleep.

2. Meditate.

Meditation allows us to listen deeply. Frequently intuitive insights emerge in the quiet of meditation. Meditation teaches us to observe without judgment whatever emerges in our consciousness.

3. Write.

The process of writing informs our thoughts. It's not uncommon to begin with a germ of an idea thinking we're going in one direction only to find ourselves landing in a completely different place. This is true whether we're doing stream of consciousness journaling or writing fiction or essays. The process of writing sheds light on many thoughts that are sitting just below the surface.

4. Make art.

Art is the ultimate process to make the unconscious, conscious. To a very large extent, that's its purpose...to inform us about ourselves as individuals, as societies and as a planetary culture. This is true whether you think of yourself as an artist or not. It does not it matter much what medium you use...crayons, paints, pencils, collage, dance, acting...it all serves the same purpose...to bring the unconscious into the light.

5. Use affirmations.

Yes, affirmations are positive thoughts that don't work very well unless there is a feeling connected to the thought, so I'd encourage you to use positive feeling statements as your affirmations.

This use of affirmations is totally consistent with The Secret, but I would suggest you take it a step further. Pay attention to the critical reactions coming up in response to the affirmation. In The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron calls these responses "blurts" and suggests you take the blurts and turn them into positive statements. Using this technique, you're able to drill down deeply into the thoughts, feelings and beliefs that are keeping you stuck.

How To Keep Motivated From A To Z?

A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

B - Believe in your self, and in what you can do.

C - Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D - Do not give up and do not give in. Thomas Edison failed once,twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E - Enjoy. Work as if you do not need money. Dance as if nobody is watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you will live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F - Family and Friends - are life greatest 'F' treasures. Do not loose sight of them.

G - Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

H - Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.

I - Ignore those who try to destroy you. Do not let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people - the kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.

J - Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K - keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self improvement.

L - Learn to love yourself. Now is not that easy?

M - Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.
N - Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O - Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways - how they want things to be, and how they should be.

P - Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.

Q - Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate- are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

R - Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it was not raining when Noah build the ark.

S - Stop procrastinating.

T - Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.

U - Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second.

V - Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.

W - Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self improvement.

X - X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on "extras" on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Y - You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you are just going to spend it once.

Z - Zero in on your dreams and go for it!