Earlier this week, I have started reading the book: Training the Samurai Mind. Although there is a lot to be said about the Wisdom of Samurais, I was inspired by a passage from Shiba Yoshimasa (1349–1410):
¨One should be objective in regards to all things. These days there are few people who are that discriminating or determined. ¨
This is particularly true when it relates to leadership and as for people management: ¨People should be employed in roles where you can see they’re suited. If the curved are made into wheels while the straight are made into axles, there will be no useless people. Event someone you don’t like may well be useful for something, and even if you like someone, what good is that if he is useless to you? ¨
This article is all about leadership and how we, as leaders, can inspire and provide practical advice to our workforce.
It is an important point because it raises the question: From a strategic standpoint, are attitude shift and relationship skills development viable solutions for upstaging the competition in a globalized economy?
Carl Jung observed that individuals have a tendency to find their energy and boost their performance depending on whether they have an extrovert or introvert personality.
- Extraversion: ¨the act, state, or habit of being predominantly concerned with and obtaining gratification from what is outside the self¨
- Introversion: ¨the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one’s own mental life¨
The Huffington Post wrote in its article: 23 Sings You’re Secretly an Introvert:
“Introversion is a basic temperament, so the social aspect — which is what people focus on — is really a small part of being an introvert,” Dr. Marti Olsen Laney, psychotherapist and author of “The Introvert Advantage,” said in a Mensa discussion. “It affects everything in your life.”
The good news is that relationship skills development is equally beneficial to introverts and extraverts; since human interactions is part of our personal and professional life. It is up to the each individual to take full responsibility in developing and nurturing healthy relationships with colleagues, managers and, business partners. A plethora of leadership training programs is readily available to organizations, teams and individuals that are looking to improve their human skills. Regardless of their field of expertise and work experience; relationship building is key to a successful personal and professional life.
As paradoxical as it may seem, it is not the combination of knowledge and technical competencies that are the basis for success. To succeed in business; this important this is the foresight of corporate leaders to bring on board employees that have a winning attitude combined with a high level of emotional intelligence. Wisdom taught me that it is cost effective to recruit employees that are naturally inclined to accomplish the task that are assigned to them, within a multidisciplinary team.
¨Everybody is a genius: however, if you judge a fish by its capacity to climb a tree, he will spend his whole life thinking that he is stupid. ¨ A. Einstein
Lenient, ferocious and strategic – this is how an exceptional leader will lead his troops to success
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