What gives a man or woman the right to lead..? - Part 2

3.     Build positive relationships.

Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.

4.     Work with excellence.

No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.

5.     Rely on discipline, not emotion.

Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.

6.     Make adding value your goal.

When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.

7.     Give your power away.

One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.

Leadership isn't learned or earned in a moment.

Concluded

Wanna Brighten Up Your Love Life ??

Love is supposed to bring sunshine and happiness into one’s life. If your love life is not brightening up your mood and is, it seems, filling you up with a huge amount of grief instead, then it’s time for de-toxifying your relationship. Here are five simple tips to help you clean up the mess in your love life.

Start talking

Negativities don’t emerge in a single day. They generally build up over a long period of time. If your relationship is plagued with bad vibes today, it’s because you never bothered to sort out the mess before. So talk with your partner about issues that are draining away the fun and happiness from your life. Tell your partner what you feel about them and what this relationship means to you. Tell him/her about things you like and you detest. Spend time just talking and bonding with each other. The immediate benefits of effective communication will surely leave you surprised.

Change your habits

Adjusting a little as per your partner’s needs is a must to make any relationship work. If she dislikes your habit of coming late every time or flirting with other women in front of her, you might as well change these to let peace prevail in your life. It’s really not much of a price for a happy relationship, so go for it.

Accept the issues

Look for mutually acceptable solutions. She is not giving you enough space, or you, in your turn, are getting too curious or possessive about her... Well, whatever the issues may be, you need to accept them as real and arrive at solutions to solve the problem. Do it now before the bond gets severed beyond repair.

Respect emotions

It’s very important to have a partner who respects you for what you are, who trusts you and knows how to read between the lines. This may, of course, take some time to master and for a good and healthy relationship to come about, but you can begin by not passing rude comments about their beliefs, looks and mannerisms.

Go on a holiday

Sometimes boredom kills all the excitement that is necessary to keep a relationship alive and kicking. This lack of excitement that gives way to negativity is a sure shot killer. So infuse some passion and excitement in your relationship by taking a quick romantic break. A weekend holiday is the best option, keeping hectic schedules in mind.

Source : TNN

What gives a man or woman the right to lead..? - Part 1

It certainly isn't gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn't qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn't come automatically from age or experience, either.

No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.

The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go.

As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:

1. Let go of your ego.

The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."

2. Become a good follower first.

Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United State Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.

To Be Continued.....

Preparing for Succession Planning… Part 2

6 – Periodically perform a Gap Analysis

As Marshall Goldsmith says “What got you here, won’t get you there”! You may need a different set of skills to perform at the next level. Given the dynamics of the marketplace, you may often have to look way out into the future i.e. beyond the skills that your Boss possesses. These skills may also encompass areas beyond your traditional area of expertise or job function. Remember that ‘soft skills’ become increasingly critical as one moves up the corporate ladder.

7 - Develop an Executive Presence

Executive Presence is often an intangible confluence of attributes such as poise, dress sense, body language, vocabulary, tone, confidence, inspiration, maturity, humility, grace, knowledge, wisdom etc. All your future stakeholders i.e. Board, Clients, Leadership, Team should ‘feel’ that their interests will be ‘safe in your hands’. You can leverage a combination of mentors, coaches and consultants to achieve this ability, over time.

8 – Track Potential Opportunities

The CxO slot ahead of you often opens up on account of retirement / major illness / bereavement / conflicts with stakeholders / market dynamics. Keep track of all such factors that could trigger off ‘succession planning’. Remember to maintain visibility and rapport with key stakeholders at least every quarter, to maintain ‘top of mind recall’, as a potential in-house replacement.

9 – Transform the Orchestra into a Symphony

The Orchestra is your network of supporters amongst Clients, Peers and Team; the score-sheet is your ‘track record’ – you will most likely be able to leverage all of them concurrently only once during your career with this organization – utilize the ‘orchestra’ wisely. Remember, ‘timing’ can make the difference between success and failure in your attempt to move up the ladder.

10 – Wow them all in the ‘First 100 Days’

Quite often, organizations announce that an Exec will play the role of an ‘interim’ CxO until a new recruit comes on board. This is often a 3 month window of opportunity, to turn the ‘interim’ position into a permanent CxO job. Leverage proven strategies such as ‘The First 100 Days’ by Michael Watkins of Harvard.

Source : DSD Email Group

Preparing for Succession Planning… Part 1

1 – Start Dreaming Early

The earlier you start dreaming, the better the chances of success ! Most glass ceilings are meant to keep out Execs, who do not have the ‘requisite’ Credentials or Track Record – criterion that sometimes take years, if not decades, to acquire.

2 – Invest in yourself

Execs aspiring for CxO level positions are often required to possess an MBA from a premier University that specializes in their field e.g. Kellogg for Marketing (CMO), Wharton for Finance (CFO); or other industry certification. IF you really want to be ahead of the pack, never wait for Corporate Sponsorship !

3 - Build a Track Record

IF you want to be a Leader, start with being a good follower. Demonstrate flexibility and commitment by volunteering for (short term) tough assignments in obscure locations. Test and fine-tune your ‘instinct / gut feeling’ along the way – you’ll need lots of it when you get to the top. Remember, it’s not whether you fail that matters, but how soon you recover that always matters. In short, ‘Build your Brand’ !

4 - Nurture your Network

Proactively expand your network across Industries, Divisions, Functions, Geographies… throughout your career. Earn the tag ‘proactive collaborator’, within the organization. Listen, recognize, apologize, be fair and transparent, show respect, be open to ideas from juniors – be the ideal ‘team player’ you want everyone else to be! At the end of the day, you’ll need ALL the references and support from your peers AND Team members, before you get the final nod for the top job.

5 – Rapport with future stakeholders

We often tend to view our current ‘touch-points’ as our only stakeholders. IF first impressions are truly the best impressions, these are often formed when you accompany your boss to a meeting / presentation with his stakeholders. IF you ultimately seek to take your Boss’ place when he moves up / out of the organization, it is never too early to start building a rapport with his stakeholders, to establish name recall, confidence in your abilities etc.

To Be Continued....

Fashion Style Tips and Style Shopping !!

Every woman on the earth is cautious about her looks and appearance. Anyway, fashion is meant mainly for women. You can say that fashion is synonymous to woman. However one has to understand the fact that fashion is not just about dressing, but various things that surround dressing up.

Every woman wants to know the latest fashion trends and styles, and follow them. But before following any trend or style, keep in mind whether it matches all of the following: skin tone, comfort level and personal attitude. So now let us see what trend and style suits your body frame, skin tone and comfort level.

Body frame

If you are on the plumpier side, avoid sleeveless cuts. Wear clothing in dark color than with lighter shades. Dull colors like dull blue or dirty blue also can make a good choice. Wearing small prints or vertical line prints make you look slimmer.

Beige and fawn colors look good on you, if you are of a medium structure. In case of blouses, try on nets because they can disguise your physical flaws.

If you are a thin women, all color ranges and color shades look good on you. Sleeveless, deep cuts and strapped blouses make you look gorgeous.

Skin tone

If you are fair, gold with a blend of copper makes you look cool. If you are of a medium or wheatish color, mix shades of white, bronzy golden and beige. If your skin tone is dark, golden copper shades are the best choice.

Personal attitude and comfort level

Attitude and comfort level are very important in deciding which style and trend works better for you. If you love maintaining a cosmopolitan outlook, but are not comfortable with western wear, you can try Indo Western wear. A blend of Indo Western style makes you look more charming. If you are a shy woman a boat necked saree with squared necked blouse is the best choice for you. But if you are bold and beautiful you can wear sleeveless, deep-necked blouses and also straps.

Shopping Clues

Clever shopping is necessary because it helps in keeping you satisfied not only during shopping but also at the time of wearing the shopped items. The best way for shopping is to first know what you need, know your prices limits, search for the best choices, satisfy yourself about the quality of the clothing and then buy it.Before finalizing on a dress check the seams and edges to make sure they are good. Also, check for holes, detached labels and discoloration.

Never buy any clothing without testing them. The size and cut of clothes is very important. Though the clothing looks good on the shelves it may not look good on you. You have to make sure that the clothing suits the shape and size of your body. So, take it to the fitting room and try out for your shape and size. If everything is OK, then your shopping has been fruitful.


Source : DSD Email Group