Culture fit

"How has it been so far for you?" That was a common question asked to me the past 5 weeks.

Us, 21st century leaders are focused on more than just the bottomline: we have a keen sense of our organisation's values. We align in that direction and build organizational commitment to common goals.

A key element for success, I would think, is out ability to win people over to our side. Selling ideas and getting people on board, employees, customers - is the most important job of a top leader.

Feelings, needs and opinions

"No. 1 is the inability to talk honestly with each other, bare their souls and treat each other as their best friends."That was what one of the leading US family and divorce law attorneys said when he was asked what is the single biggest reason couples spilt up.



Many people develop the habit of putting down their partner's feelings, opinions and desires. We want our feelings, needs and opinions to be heard and considered. So does our partner, I'm sure.

Accept what you are

"Ron loves to run, pass the ball to him. Do you know he's 50+? he puts both of us to shame,"Burt told me as we jogged back to the centre circle.

What will I have to do to run up and down that right flank like Ron? I asked myself.

Get a leg transplant, I answered. For a start

At my age, the hardest thing to do is to accept what you are and not torture yourself with visions of what you used to be.

A team is nothing without morale

"No system of tactics can lead to victory when the morale is bad,"Jomini declared.

Creating a positive sense of morale is one of the most important and difficult tasks a leader faces. Little can be accomplished without a positive attitude.

As a leader, my 1st task is to get an accurate picture of the state of morale of my team. After that, I act, addressing what appears to be the most pressing concern and its causes.

Take the same risks - lead from the front

Undercover Boss is a TV franchise series that is based on a senior executive of a company working undercover in their own firm, doing the job of a subordinate.

When a leader takes over the job of a subordinate, sometimes he learns that he's not as good at the job as the subordinate. Nothing wrong with that! We don't have to be as good as our subordinates. We just have to be willing to take the same risks.

If we are going to lead people who have strong and independent spirits, we can do it only because they have allowed us to be their leader. We must win their hearts and minds.

There is no better way to win their hearts and minds - than by leading from the front. It demonstrates we are ready to give to them everything we ask from them.

Credibility and flexibility as presenters

"Which of the two presenters - Phil or Ed - do you find better?" Marian wanted to know.

My experience tells me that we need credibility to teach. They have to think we know what we're talking about even if we don't!

Teaching presentations are never the same. Audiences always have different levels of understanding. the most important skill for the trainer is to keep the people engaged and this necessitates an element of audience control to maintain the appropriate pace. Audience participation is critical to success in teaching environments.

As the chinese proverb goes ïnvolvement is the key to understanding."We cannot teach by preaching. Therefore teaching presentations must be flexible and we the presenters must be ready to move wherever is required in the material.

Building a winning team

from right: James, Vlad, Kamran

"The Red devils have been busy in the transfer market, piecing together a squad they hope will be competitive at home and abroad in 2011/12. Over GBP50million has been splashed out on Phil Jones, Ashley Young and David de Gea, with Sir Alex Ferguson addressing key areas in his side."reports The New Paper today.

The 1st step in building a winning team is to get the most out of what we have and then add to the roster. In sports this is done through selling and drafting from the reserves; in business it is done through recruiting and selecting productive people.

As a leader, it is important to create an environment that is energizing, optimistic and results-oriented.