Have you ever been consumed by volcanic anger? …Or worse yet been an unsuspecting victim?
During our recent vacation we toured the ruins of Pompeii, and looked across the bay at the seemingly peaceful Vesuvius, the volcano that was responsible for the destruction that entire city. As peaceful as Vesuvius appeared, we were reminded that it is still a living volcano that could erupt again at anytime.
People can be just like that volcano….
I was recently cleaning closets and opened a box of paperwork, re-discovering one short story and several quotes that I found so inspiring as a young leader that I shared them with all of our front line employees, supervisors, and managers at our daily meetings.
Then I purchased beautiful paper, typed them up and copied them onto that paper, cut them out, boxed them up and sent them to some of our other locations to share with their teams.
When I re-discovered them, I felt like I ‘d just found buried treasure.
And then I thought of the stories we all hear, about people who climb the ladder of success and sometimes forget where they’ve come from.
So if you have a leadership title of any kind, take a closer look:
Last week’s post: Together You Stand, Divided You Fall is the first part of this “mini series.” If you missed it, click here.
When I was a teenager I watched daytime soap operas. In each of them there was always a manipulative character that consistently pressed invisible buttons, somehow always getting what they wanted.
I remember wondering if anyone could actually be that conniving.
This weekend a news article and a video that covered different stories, were shared on social media.
Both were shared to stir hate and both effectively stirred up some of their intended audience.
Several years ago I worked for an organization that invited several key customers to a meeting that would last several days.
The company invested a great deal of time and resources in the event, flying in the customers, planning the event, and entertaining them.
When the invitation was sent, the company said they wanted to better understand their customers’ needs and brainstorm ways to better meet them.
After the customers arrived, many were frustrated to discover that the company wasn’t really seeking to understand their needs at a higher level. Instead the company was just asking for a rubber stamp on an action plan that had already been created.
A few short months later I began working with someone that consistently emphasized that great leadership is strategy.
At first, I saw this person share a big vision, arm people with the tools and the support they needed and then get out of their way.
However, as time passed I began to realize that this person often worked relationships to avoid dealing with their own weaknesses and to drive a personal agenda.
And I started to wonder…
[Tweet “Is strategy just a politically correct word for manipulation, or is there a difference?”]
It’s nearly July 1st. We have nearly reached the half mark of 2014. So it’s a good time to evaluate.
[Tweet ” How are you measuring your success this year?”]
Is it based on who the world thinks you are?
Or on the things you possess?
Is it measured by lives?
