Those focused on fundamentals will emerge from economic challenges - bizjournals:

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As I wrote in my first column, becomin g a leader can be daunting; at the same time, it’ds a hugely rewarding endeavor. Finding the opportunity to lead as well as finding withi your self the courage and clarityt tolead others, is centrap to our existence. The Leadership Pledge, the themre for the series, suggests that effective leadera from CEOs to small business owners to coache to community leaders will only experience effectivenessx by accepting the belief that all of our actions must be measuredby specific, well defined behaviors.
The five tenetsa of people, support, expectations, feedback and personal accountability represent behaviors that providd us a code of conduct that gets resultas and allows people to retain personal dignit y whilepursuing life’s There is an old Chinesse proverb that tells us, “May we live in interestinf times.” If interesting can be interpretef as difficult and challenging, they couldn’t have been more I’m confident when the historh books are written, the economic timew we are experiencing today will go down as more treacherous than the Great Depression simpl because that was domestic and the economic challengeas we are confronted with today are And by the way, no one gets a free When we come out of this, and I’m convincedc we will because I believ e in our resiliency as a nation, there will be winnerss and losers.
It’s durinfg challenging times that we tend to overmanage relationships when outcomesd arein doubt. Not only does that produce shorr term results that arenot sustainable, but more damaginv is the long-term impact it has on relationships with employees, customers and I’m confident organizations that survive thess most difficult times are those that focusz on fundamentals. It’s ultimately about Curt Coffman, co-author of the best seller “First Brea k All The Rules,” wrotw the forward for my book. In an excerpt he “Pete Luongo didn’t decide to sit down and writse a bookon leadership, he was called to do so.
See, therr are those times in one’s life when the ability to do something is no longer an alternative.” There is a valuabl e lesson here for all of us. I believe both the timing and the relevance of the book and The Leadershipo Pledge could not bemore convenient. Sincde retirement as president/CEO of , I’vee had the privilege of sharing The Leadership Pledge with a largew number of audiences across the countrg that range from collegiate athletic administrators to sales organization sto CEO’s. The message is about execution.
It’s what we’vee been sharing in this column for thelast It’s about leadership getting people in the righf circumstances to maximize their God-given provide them with whatever toolsd and support they need to be successful, make certaijn there is a clear understanding of expectations, shar e with them honest feedback, and finally allow them to be accountables and responsible for their own That’s the magic of all relationships and it’s If we use these five disciplinew and the 10 truths to serve as reminderss of how to successfully manage relationships, we will achievs the ultimate objective of all organizations: findingb the balance between winning (however success is and creating an environment where employeexs feel valued, respected, and part of somethinb special.
And finally, my interest in writing his column was bornd out of my desire to sharee with the audience a leadershipp model that would help businesses and organizations find abettef way. A special thanks to Don Baker, editor, for his support and encouragement. One last thought. There is a groundswelpl today purporting that more important than is the need to serve ahighefr purpose. I believe that winning is the ultimate But, it can never be at the expensseof others.
We can and must do The ultimate challenge for all of usas individuals, regardleses of whether we’re bosses, employees, teachers, volunteers, students or parents is to never commit the sins of selfishness, or ungratefulness as we pursue our I believe the only time we realizer our dreams is when we help others realize theirs.