13 July 2008
J. K. Rowling - Leader
16/07/08 08:26 Filed in: Leadership
"How do you lead when you’re not in an explicit
leadership position" This is one of the topics
suggested for a future Practical Coaching Tip.
What luck! Barely 12 hours after receiving that suggestion I get a mail from a good friend with whom I graduated years ago who has sent me a link to J. K. Rowling's Commencement speech at Harvard. J. K. Rowling gives a fantastic demonstration of how we can do this - you can view it and download the MP3 here http://harvardmagazine.com/go/jkrowling.html
I would recommend viewing it and not just because I'm a fan! There's a lot to this speech and I want to go back and analyse it some more but she does so many things a good leader does. She connects (and allows us to connect with her), she empathises, she inspires, has vision and uses storytelling to do all of these things - a great leadership tool. She has been given a platform to speak to young people as they are going out into the world and has chosen, not to squander the opportunity, but to make a positive impact - like all good leaders do.
What luck! Barely 12 hours after receiving that suggestion I get a mail from a good friend with whom I graduated years ago who has sent me a link to J. K. Rowling's Commencement speech at Harvard. J. K. Rowling gives a fantastic demonstration of how we can do this - you can view it and download the MP3 here http://harvardmagazine.com/go/jkrowling.html
I would recommend viewing it and not just because I'm a fan! There's a lot to this speech and I want to go back and analyse it some more but she does so many things a good leader does. She connects (and allows us to connect with her), she empathises, she inspires, has vision and uses storytelling to do all of these things - a great leadership tool. She has been given a platform to speak to young people as they are going out into the world and has chosen, not to squander the opportunity, but to make a positive impact - like all good leaders do.
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Psychobabelism Topic No.1 - ‘Open’ Your Eyes
15/07/08 18:17 Filed in: Coaching
Tips
The first in a series of Practical Coaching
Tips
“The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.” Saint Jerome 373-419AD
To have the greatest impact, leaders of any sort benefit greatly from the ability to rapidly connect with people. The larger the teams we lead the more important this becomes. There’s no longer the leeway to take the weeks or months to get to know people ‘properly’ - to establish trusting relationships.
It’s sometimes the little things that make the difference. During one meeting, a client of mine took his glasses off and looked me straight in the eyes. The impact he had was at least tenfold the normal - he was really giving me his full attention, he really meant it, he really connected with me. This was very different from normal, when I felt he wasn’t giving me 100% of his attention - he was busy thinking and problem solving, which in the main he was paid to do. However, leadership isn’t the same as problem solving....... Read More...
“The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.” Saint Jerome 373-419AD
To have the greatest impact, leaders of any sort benefit greatly from the ability to rapidly connect with people. The larger the teams we lead the more important this becomes. There’s no longer the leeway to take the weeks or months to get to know people ‘properly’ - to establish trusting relationships.
It’s sometimes the little things that make the difference. During one meeting, a client of mine took his glasses off and looked me straight in the eyes. The impact he had was at least tenfold the normal - he was really giving me his full attention, he really meant it, he really connected with me. This was very different from normal, when I felt he wasn’t giving me 100% of his attention - he was busy thinking and problem solving, which in the main he was paid to do. However, leadership isn’t the same as problem solving....... Read More...