Are You an Overly Driven Leader?
- Driven persons often drift away from their inner values. Overly driven people can compromise their integrity.
- Overly driven people have underdeveloped relational skills. They get things done but destroy people in the process.
- Overly driven people are control freaks.
- Overly driven people are ultra competitive. Each situation becomes a win-lose contest.
- Overly driven people often smolder with anger. They too often erupt in anger.
- Overly driven people are overly busy. Busyness is a substitute (as well as an escape) for personal relationships.
- Being driven can be our greatest strength or our greatest weakness.
Great leaders inspire others to dream, risk, believe, and achieve.
Mediocre leaders hold on while great leaders let go.
Great leaders provide the sky that others may soar.
And remember, it’s all about the relationship.
Effective leaders understand that open and honest communication is the lifeblood of trust. There will be low levels of trust without the presence of open and honest communication. Following are a few words to reflect upon…
“We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible. To have real conversation with people may seem like such a simple, obvious suggestion, but it involves courage and risk.” – Thomas Moore
“You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight to our hearts.” – Cochise
And remember, it’s all about the relationship.
Effective leaders understand that leadership is based on the twin pillars of truth and trust. They also understand that trust, once lost, is almost impossible to regain. Following are the five things that authentic leaders do with truth…
- They seek it.
- They speak it.
- They expect it.
- They respect it.
- They live it.
And remember, nothing good happens until a relationship is made.
During the course of their investigation, Government prosecutors discovered the following words that were posted in Enron’s Boardroom…
“I pledge allegiance to the dollar of the United States of America and to the power for which it stands, one nation under man with greed and arrogance for all.”
Lesson: Great organizations understand that humility is one of the greatest virtues of effective leaders and avoid the destructive force of P.G.A. – Power Greed & Arrogance.
Most leaders are so caught up in the daily demands of business – e-mails, meetings, etc – that they forget about the power of relationship building. Following are words for your reflection…
“Nobody sees a flower, really – it is so small – we haven’t time, and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” – Georgia O’Keeffe
“People haven’t time to learn anything. They buy things ready-made in stores. But since there are no stores where you can buy friends, people no longer have friends.” – The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
Great leaders understand the importance of relationship building and have established the daily discipline of escaping from The Hairball of Life long enough to make someone feel special.
And remember, it’s all about the relationship.
As J.K Rowling shows us, great stories provide insights into the narratives of our lives…
- The twin pillars of effective leadership are truth and trust.
- Genuine leadership doesn’t require a title. It is taking the initiative to accomplish whatever needs to be done.
- Courage does not imply a lack of fear, but a determination to do what’s right even in the face of fear.
- The key to motivating others is to ask the right questions, uphold high standards, and show people you care.
- The ability to admit a mistake is a sign of strength, not a signal of weakness.
- As Dumbledore suggests, it is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
Source: If Harry Potter Ran General Electric – Leadership Wisdom From The World of The Wizards by Tom Morris
Tom Morris is the author of many books, including: True Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence, If Aristotle Ran General Motors and the big yellow book often seen in college dorms nationwide the night before final exams, Philosophy for Dummies. Other recent books include The Art of Achievement, The Stoic Art of Living, Superheroes and Philosophy, and If Harry Potter Ran General Electric: Leadership Wisdom from the World of the Wizards.
Jeffrey Gitomer, author of 
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