In This Issue...
- TIPS: IMAGINATION
- ARTICLE: MAKING A DIFFERENCE in 18 months
- STEP-STRETCH-LEAP: GET OFF THE TREADMILL
- OUR BLOG: LEADERSHIP YET TO BE: Join in the Discussion
IMAGINATION
Comes From Where?
Some people say that the United States is suffering from a failure of imagination. Others say our educational system is so broken and our funding of R&D so minimal that the new ideas to restore ourselves just aren’t coming. In this difficult time maybe we personally feel stuck or like we are treading water or hoping to find a way out of a downward slide.
Tip: Start researching future trends! Perhaps even get a group of like-minded friends or colleagues to research trends together. Trends are out there from nanotechnology to reskilling America and everything in between.
Tip: Challenge what made you successful in the past. While capitalizing on strengths is great, new ideas come from different viewpoints or working on the not so proficient aspects of ourselves.
In 18 months
Holidays are just around the corner and I’m lucky to have a few weeks to stop and catch my breath, read some neglected books and publications, reorganize my office and take stock going forward. On top of mulling over the structural changes in our economy and what it will mean for my business, next year is a milestone birthday year for me. And I’m thinking a lot about how to live my purpose more fully and make a difference in the world. Maybe you are also taking stock as we roll into winter.
Peter Drucker wrote a well-known Harvard Business Review article in 1999 entitled Managing Oneself and as I was culling my office of books and articles I no longer use, I picked the article up and read it again. It is a timely article for me right now and maybe you as well. He talks about the evolution from commodities to being a knowledge economy and knowledge workers. He suggests knowledge workers no longer are paid to do what they are assigned to do but need to ask these questions.
- What should my contribution be?
- What does the situation require?
- Given my strengths, my way of performing, and my values, how can I make the greatest contribution to what needs to be done?
- What results have to be achieved to make a difference? [And given the speed of change that makes it impossible to plan out more than 18 months!]
- Where and how can I achieve results that will make a difference within the next year and a half?
Perspectives on Change
Change comes in many forms and levels of comfort. Sometimes we just need to take a different street or road to work in order to change a perspective. And sometimes we need leave a job or move to another state to get a change we need. Every newsletter will have a STEP – STRETCH – LEAP (SSL) section where we explore an idea as an S, S or L to get us thinking more out of the box. How do I get off the treadmill of my circular thinking about work?
Step – Watch the TV shows with new ideas. For example, Fareed Zakaria just had a special show on CNN entitled Restoring the American Dream (it is available free on iTunes and the GPS show pages) with 4 top CEO’s. It explained the current economy clearly and had interesting ideas about the future.
Stretch – Consider new technology and the learning curve that comes with it! Hand held devices are going to rule the world for the foreseeable future and new software is coming out constantly. The computer games industry is booming. You get the idea!
Leap – Take a leap into volunteering in a non-profit that is as far removed from your work as possible.
Leadership Yet To Be
Our blog, LEADERSHIP YET TO BE , welcomes your ideas. Join in the discussion.
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