5 Things Leaders MUST Do

According to leadership experts James Kouzes and Barry Posner, there are 5 things that every leader must do in all times…especially these times.

1. Model the Way: be what you say, walk your talk, demonstrate that you can be trusted

2. Inspire a Shared Vision: give people a sense of direction, of hope, of a better future that they can buy into

3. Challenge the Process: always press the edge, live continuous improvement, refuse to accept the status quo, encourage others to do the same

4. Enable Action: train, let others decide, support their ideas, provide equipment and coaching

5. Encourage the Heart: demonstrate frequent, creative, personalized appreciation and celebration

The “New” GM?

The "new GM" emerged Friday from bankruptcy. Government Motors is now owned by the federal government (60.8%), the UAW (16.6%), the Canadian and Ontario governments (11%) and the balance by bondholders. QUESTION: will GM make the governments more business like OR will the government-owners make GM more government like?

A New Minority

When those who don’t produce but leach off the government (including politicians and their bloated staff) outnumber those of us who actually work and produce, will we then get special treatment from the government?

No Time for Lost Focus

There is no time for anyone to lose focus on the MAIN THING. That’s true in the best of times and especially in these times. Leaders are diligent to determine what the MAIN THING is and then to KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING.

Beware of distractions—trivial activities, bad attitudes, needless conflict, technology glitches. There are 2 or 3 critical items for every branch and every team member. Identify them. Post them on the wall. Talk about them. Come back to them. Live them.

Success in battle belongs to those who know what the vital objective is and resolutely drive toward that ONE thing.

Why Does the Media Hate Sarah?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying Sarah Palin is or is not qualified to stand on the national leadership stage. But I am amazed at the persistence of the media in trying to defame her when I see people like Barney Frank, Christopher Dodd, Al Gore, Timothy Geitner, and others whose corruption or failures are monumental getting a passing mention and then a free pass.

Government Jobs Aren’t Real Jobs

I’m not saying that government employees don’t work hard—some do and some don’t; that’s a topic for another blog another time. What I am saying is that when the government increases its employee base by 10 or 10,000 nothing is produced. Work may be done but no products are produced, no profits are generated, no innovations are created, no wealth is increased. These are activities not jobs. Only jobs in the private sector do what jobs are meant to and that is increase the overall GDP and thus the overall economic well being of the population. That is why Keynesian economics doesn’t work and that is why I am so adamantly opposed to large government—as were the founding fathers!

When Liberty Mattered

In the days leading up to July 4, 1776, a nervous but courageous gathering of colonial statesmen met in Philadelphia and debated the idea that the time had come to break with England and set up a new nation based on the concept that power came from the people not the government. This was a radical idea in the 18th century (and still is). They knew that their “declaration” would put their lives and fortunes at risk but in their minds liberty mattered more—not just theirs but all of their countrymen and those who would come after them.

Today, America stands as a standard of personal liberty and individual responsibility—a shining example of what a people may achieve if left alone. The freedoms you and I have and the prosperity we enjoy is a fragile thing. It was when Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. It was during the Civil War. It was during World War II. Every great period of history has tested the fragility of our liberty and discovered the truth that “the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”

As we celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, let us celebrate those who overcame the dangers of their age to birth and preserve the United States and pledge to do the same in our day!