Last week I spent a few days in the state of Florida...specifically Weston just north of Ft. Lauderdale. I was down there for work with one of the folks on my team. I make these trips in an effort to spend quality face to face time providing them with some guidance and perspective on how to do the job. I find that as I travel with these folks I am becoming more and more obsolete. My job these days is to provide these people with the tools and opportunity to do the job and then get the hell out of the way...all the while trying my best to follow the principles of Level 5 Leadership as they were taught to me by my predecessor. Give the people what they need, empower them to do what they need to do, and they get the hell outta the way. If something tanks look in the mirror and take the ownership, if something goes well look out the window and recognize the people for the success. Wise words from a wise man that I couldn't begin to think about replacing if my life depended on it.
I have read all the quotes about leadership like, "don't take the trail commonly traveled, instead blaze a trail over untraveled land", and "live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever", and "every challenge is an opportunity", and the list goes on and on and on. My approach is simple...in the spirit of Built to Last, "Fish for a man..feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime". Speaking of fishing, I am looking for to teaching my son how to fish, play catch, drink beer, smoke stogies, hit on women, kick people in the shins, etc. HA..caught you sleeping!!!! Anyway...on second thought you probably should disregard this entry in the blog as it has no real purpose or direction as I have been suffering from a wicked case of writer's block.
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1 comment:
I prefer the saying, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Give him a bicycle and you don't."
For some reason it hasn't caught on in the business world.
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