Leadership: Taking Time to Be Grateful

By Bill Pullen

The holiday season is here. One of the best things about coaching during the holidays, especially at Thanksgiving, is the season's unique opportunity to invite my clients to reflect with gratitude. During the weeks before and after Thanksgiving, I ask my clients to think about the things for which they are grateful. This year, for the first time, I connected this exercise to leadership.

Dave, a manufacturing company vice-president, is a member of his local town council who coaches his son's soccer team. He leads a very busy life. Dave came to a recent coaching session overwhelmed by the effort to manage everything on his plate. He worries about dashing from task to task with no time to catch his breath. His fatigue and frustration increase with each complaint. He has run out of patience with co-workers, fellow council members and the little soccer players. At times, he wants to turn and run away from it all.

This telephone session took place the day before Thanksgiving. After Dave spoke about feeling so overwhelmed, we discussed which of his choices contribute to those feelings. Then I asked Dave what he is grateful for this year on Thanksgiving.

There was dead silence on the other end of the telephone. Then more silence, and then some more silence. I thought I had lost the connection.

Finally, Dave spoke up. Emotion evident in his voice, he responded, "My life." He elaborated, saying that he is grateful for the opportunities life presents to him and for the opportunities he has created for himself. He loves his family, his work, his community. He is grateful for his talents and for the ways in which he is able to express these gifts.

A light had flashed on. Dave now realizes that while he runs around feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, and focusing on feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, he forgets to think about how much he values the things that keep his life full and busy. He really would not want things to be any different.

Dave's new focus on gratitude has energized him. He has started to look for creative ways to do the things that are important to him while allowing time for himself. In a matter of seconds, with a simple refocus away from overload toward gratitude, Dave was able to rediscover his values and to reactivate his creativity as a leader.

Life's myriad details, tasks and to-do lists trap us so easily. We quickly forget why we do what we do. We forget to take time for gratitude. When we forget to be grateful, we lose our connections to our authentic selves and to the things that are genuinely important to us.

We tend to gain more from those things that have our focus and attention. Take time each day to reflect on the things for which you are grateful. Encourage the people you lead to do the same. In so doing you will create a culture of support, growth and creativity.

• What are you grateful for today?

Article Source: http://www.ApprovedArticles.com

Bill Pullen is President of Pullen & Associates, a Washington, DC based consulting firm providing coaching and consulting services to individuals making change as well as corporations, the federal government and private organizations. His work focuses on managing change, developing current and emerging leaders and building leadership capacity within organizations. Some of his past or current clients include Booz Allen Hamilton, Marriot, AOL/Time Warner, Cascade Health Care, Federal General Services Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Canadian Government Fairfax County Public Schools and American Federation of Retried Americans. www.PullenAssociates.com

Leadership Lessons from the Great Pyramids - PART 2 of 2

By Arthur F Carmazzi

...While "attitude" was enough to build the smaller Pyramids (like that of King Sneferu), the largest, grandest, and the only of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world still standing, with a height of 450 feet and 756 feet square: The Great Pyramid of Khufu, needed more than just a great attitude.

True greatness lies in self-actualization through work

When work becomes choice, it no longer manifests itself as work. It is the convergence of personal desire and the actions we gladly take.

As it turned out from the discovery of a Workers Cemetery, building Pyramids was a dangerous business. Even with a great attitude, that's a real bummer. So why would anyone choose to put in their whole hearted effort and risk their lives in the process. Was it Bak, or feeling special, or was it more?

Harvard's George Reisner found workers graffiti created by "Building Teams" that called themselves names like "Friends of Khufu" and "Drunkards of Menkaure".

These findings and ancient Scrolls suggest that these teams were made up of many classes of people on a rotating basis. This means that the managers, architects, and even the priests would take part in building.

Did Pharaoh himself go down and carve bricks? Only Ra would know.

But in today's context when nurturing the psychology of a superior workforce, a Hands-on CEO often commands greater respect.

Why?

Because he/she leads for others and not for a personal ego trip.

The term "Hands on" should be qualified here: a CEO that gets into other peoples job because of frustration or tries to do everything themselves is counterproductive. The hands on type I'm talking about is an individual who takes the time to have assist his personnel by supportively guiding them. And, who lets his subordinates teach him what and how they are doing in order to have a greater understanding of even the least significant function. This would be a Leader who may see a mop and proceed to clean the floor while the janitor's on his break, then ask the janitor if he did it right when he comes back. Or, who may go to the source when a manager is having difficulty with equipment and assist him in solving the problem as the manager takes charge. These of course must be taken in context of time requirements, but a great leader will have more time because they would be more effective in assisting people to achieve greater and faster results.

In these teams people were equals and as equals established unique identities within the masses. Each of these teams was divided into 5 smaller teams where more cohesiveness amongst team members could be formed.

With individual group identities, leaders were able to establish the groups as an essential part of the same vision. They were part of something greater than the individual, they had ownership in it. It was a higher purpose. As a part of these select teams they had strength that no individual could ever have, they were greater than themselves and even Pharaoh.

This became a way for the average person to have real power, to feel an equal to royalty. The Pyramid became the achievement that no one but them could achieve, a part of history that they could tell there children about. A physical manifestation of owning a part of something no one else could do.

This higher purpose bred cooperation and efficiency; there was pride in Daily accomplishments. And each team celebrated with other teams after each completed step of the process. These people didn't work as individuals, not even as groups, but as an extension of the organization.

To achieve self actualization in a workforce, a modern company must ask "Why?"

Why would someone feel powerful working in your organization?

Why would they be proud to be a part it?

What is your "Pyramid", the greater purpose your staff could be a part of?

Each person has their own values they must equate and align with the organizations vision to achieve self actualization. To lead self actualized individuals, a leader doesn't direct or even guide; at this stage a leader collaborates with his people as equals, empowering them as entrepreneurs and not employees. Self actualization stems from personal power. When you feel power in and of your actions, when you feel like YOU matter in the grand plan of those actions, then you reach the pinnacle of your success.

There are 4 steps to achieve this:

1. Create mixed rank teams that maintain equality

2. Allow the teams to develop unique identities that align their own values with those of the organization

3. Assist teams in finding their own greater purpose

4. Measure success on a daily basis to maximize sense of achievement

Secrets of a motivated, dedicated, and well organized Organization
When Pharaoh set out to build the greatest of the great Pyramids, he assembled his greatest and wisest people and encrypted the writings below as a path to greatness:

Secrete writings of the mysterious code hidden in the Pyramids that illuminates the force of superior management.

Source: The Carmazzi Scrolls -

The Pinnacle of greatness comes when individuals see their work as their purpose. To cultivate this, leaders must Collaborate as equals with their people. There must be a greater purpose to the work, something greater than the individual, or the group. When working on the plane of " SELF ACTUALIZATION, people work at the level of "Organization"
The Core of building greatness is formed through Attitude. To develop this attribute for success, leaders must Guide their people, cause emotions of significance that couldn't be inspired alone. Leaders develop reciprocity by creating an environment of personal growth that is far superior to the standard. When working on the plane of "ATTITUDE", people work at the level "Group"

The Foundations of building greatness should be based on skill. Leaders should Direct and teach individuals until those individuals have mastered the required skill. When working on the plane of "SKILL" people work at the level of "Individual"

Article Source: http://www.ApprovedArticles.com

Much of this article is based on the Directive Communication Psychology developed by Arthur F Carmazzi. For more information and articles, visit the Directive Communication website or, Email Arthur at: afc@carmazzi.net