In last week’s post, The Zulu Principle, I said that focus is crucial if you want to become an expert instead of a Jack {or Jackie} of all trades. It occurred to me that apart from focus, successful people rely on something else to excel in their field.
There was an interesting question posted in response to last week’s post – Practising Kaizen. A good friend asked “how can one avoid falling into the trap of becoming ‘Jack/Jackie of all trades, master of none?’ She is keen not to fall into the trap of being a ‘Jackie of all trades’ while growing in the Learning Zone. If you have not yet read last week’s post then you will need to read it to have a better context for this post. The only way to avoid the trap of becoming a Jack/Jackie of all trades is focus.
Benjamin Disraeli said that the secret of success is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes. The only way to be ready for your time when it comes is to be prepared for it. This is because the time to prepare is not after you have been given the opportunity but before the opportunity ever arises. If you wait to prepare only when you get the opportunity, then it’ll usually be too late. To be ready and prepared, you have to make ‘kaizen’ a priority.
(c) Aussiegall
Most leaders are future oriented individuals. However, in the haste to actualize their visions, it is very easy for them to focus on the future to the detriment of the present. This is because the present is seen as the ‘passage’ to the vision (destination). A vision can be defined as a preferred future and it’s always all about getting there. Yet you can’t have a ‘there’ without a ‘here’ because we all live in the here and now. Thomas Monson admonishes us to remember that the past is behind us so we should learn from it, the future is ahead, so prepare for it but the present is here and we need to live it.
I received comments from some readers, regarding last week’s post, that they have not set any New Year’s resolutions. This is as a result of setting them and not attaining them in previous years. I believe the term ‘New Year resolutions’ sometimes has negative connotations. The pressure to accomplish them can be overwhelming. What are New Year resolutions? Strip away the fancy name, New Year resolutions are simply your goals and targets for the year.
(c) Kevin Spencer
You may have made some New Year’s resolutions for 2011 which you are keen to achieve. I have some listed in my notebook as well. In the past, I have written up New Year’s resolutions only to discover by the end of January that I am struggling to keep them. I am pretty sure that a number of you have faced similar challenges in the past. Is it a question of a lack of will power or simply a lack of motivation that hinders us from successfully sticking to our New Year’s resolutions?
I believe these 3 keys will help you have a productive 2011.
At the end of the year, there is usually a review of the highlights of that year. I started this blog in February with the intention of posting at least one leadership article per week. It has been both an interesting and challenging task, but I am very proud that I have been able to accomplish this target. The feedback from readers has been great and encouraging and I must admit that this helped sustain me during periods when I struggled to come up with something worthy of posting.
Courage is a quality that leaders are expected to possess. There is the common but wrong assumption that courageous leaders are simply fearless individuals. The Oxford Dictionary defines courage as the ability to do something that frightens you. I agree with this and believe that courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to take positive action in spite of it.
Leaders come in different sizes, shapes, types, personalities, races and temperaments. Leadership is not about mindlessly copying the tactics, mannerisms, behaviours and actions of other good leaders but learning from them and incorporating these in a way that works for you. There is an ancient mantra which states ‘know thyself’. Knowing thyself helps clarify your priorities and decisions. People rarely make key decisions that don’t line up with who they believe they are. Everything we are meant to be and do is contained in the DNA of who we are.
Moses is regarded as one of the greatest leaders in Jewish history. I did a post on him a few months ago titled Reframing Responsibility. It proved to be quite popular and I’d recommend you read it. The Bible documents three individuals who helped shape and define Moses’ leadership legacy. I believe you need these three types of generational influences in your life to be a successful leader as well.