Who Needs This?

“Who needs this”?, is stereotypically said in a sarcastic tone, and maybe even with our arms thrown up in the air is frustration.  Can you picture it?

But that’s not what I mean here.  Not today ever.

Today, in these tough economic times, these extraordinarily turbulent world times, we need this.

We need leaders.

Not managers.  Well, we need managers, but not as much as we desire leaders.

We need someone with passion to make a difference.

Most humans are hard-wired to do good – to make a difference.  But most are hard-wired, also, to fear.  Fear keeps good people, who want to make a difference, in the shadows, where it’s safe.

We don’t need any more people in the shadows.  it’s too crowded there. We need people to go out in the sun, and lead the others who want to make a difference, but have no one to follow.

Tip of the Glacier?

Yesterday, we saw this glacier from 15,000 feet.  Today, we see it from the ground.  What’s different about the two views?

Alaskan Glacier

What’s different? There used to be a time when I didn’t understand the difference. And not only that, the difference never even hit my radar screen.  Why?

Because, “Wisdom comes from experience and experience comes from making mistakes”.

So what has become clearer over the years is simply this. We have the choice to look at things from more than one perspective.

Funny thing is, we’ve always had this choice. The difference in the perspectives makes all the difference in the world.

We have this choice today.  And that’s just the “tip of the iceberg glacier”.


Top 10 Web Bookmarking Sites

Click here to see list on Top 10 Social Bookmarking Sites on the Web. Social networking has many tools, and many challenges. There’s an ocean of competition, but technology makes for smoother sailing.

Don’t ya just love technology?  The more we do something, the less fearful we are of it.  That’s one of the key drivers that makes many people want to try something new – to lessen fear.

And that’s one of our key accountabilities as a leader, isn’t it?  To lessen fear.  Carpe diem.

PS. Skyped a friend in South Africa yesterday.   Wasn’t exactly fearful of it, but had never done an International video chat before. Now I wonder why I waited so long.  It was ridiculously easy.

jungle jeff Leadership 101 Tip

jungle jeff Leadership 101 Tip:

“Leadership  – Inspiring others by the courage of your own example”.

This is the essence of what I personally believe is the ultimate leadership definition.

Perhaps the best way to fully understand its meaning is to re-read it, think deeply about it, and ultimately, evaluate our own “daily examples”.  This would lead us to a “personal leadership score”.

We would base our “score” on our daily leadership example.  And our basis should be brutally honest.

It seems, to me, that on days where I don’t need much courage, I’m probably not a very good example.  Hope today is a courage-filled day for all of us.

jungle jeff And Fear

jungle jeff and fear are familiar with each other.  Have been for a long time.  Fear is all around us, isn’t it?

“Good men have the fewest fears”.   — Christian Nestell Bovee

A few years ago it hit me, I have the Faith of Mount Everest – you know, the tallest peak on earth.

And then it struck, I have the fear of K2 – the second tallest peak on earth, a fact most don’t know.

They are roughly 800 feet different in height.  A relatively trivial amount, but enough for Mount Everest to triumph.

In the quest to be a great leader, if we’re successful, we also become a good person.  Good enough to keep most of our fears at bay.  Some refer to it as courage.