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Leadership Skills, Techniques and Tools from MindTools

Leadership Skills, Techniques and Tools from MindTools

Leadership Ubuntu is about showing humanity to one another: the word itself captures the spirit of being human. We want a productive, happy and agile community that can welcome new ideas in a complex field, improve every process every year, and foster collaboration between groups with very different needs, interests and skills. We gain strength from diversity, and actively seek participation from those who enhance it. This code of conduct exists to ensure that diverse groups collaborate to mutual advantage and enjoyment. We will challenge prejudice that could jeopardise the participation of any person in the project. The Code of Conduct governs how we behave in public or in private whenever the project will be judged by our actions. We strive to: Be considerate Our work will be used by other people, and we in turn will depend on the work of others. Leadership, authority and responsibility We all lead by example, in debate and in action. Delegation from the top Support for delegation is measured Teamwork

3 Things Every Great Leader Gets Wrong Every great leader possesses a degree of what Walter Isaacson (in his biography of Steve Jobs) describes as "an ability to distort reality." What Isaacson meant is that Jobs forced his will on Apple, often pushing people to create things they never thought possible--a powerful asset in any leader. But that reality distortion effect works both ways. It also means that every leader, to a greater or lesser degree, distorts the reality around themselves, leading to tensions, inconsistency, and bad decisions. There are two reasons why leaders who live in a bubble become so dangerous to themselves and those they lead. First, the most insidious aspect of this is that it happens in seemingly mundane ways which are hard to spot, but which have far-from mundane consequences to the group, team or organization. Second, the bubble effect is directly proportional to the ability of the leader. 1. 2. 3. Weirdly enough, this works on two almost contradictory levels.

leadership training, leadership tips, theory, skills, for leadership training and development home » leadership/management » leadership leadership development methods and tips This leadership tips webpage is a general guide to modern ethical progressive leadership. See also the leadership theories article for explanations and summaries of the main leadership theories. Explaining and understanding the nature of good leadership is probably easier than practising it. In the modern age good leaders are an enabling force, helping people and organizations to perform and develop, which implies that a sophisticated alignment be achieved - of people's needs, and the aims of the organization. The traditional concept of a leader being the directing chief at the top of a hierachy is nowadays a very incomplete appreciation of what true leadership must be. Effective leadership does not necessarily require great technical or intellectual capacity. Good leadership in the modern age more importantly requires attitudes and behaviours which characterise and relate to humanity. allegiance and leadership

Learning “With” vs. Learning “About” cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Tawheed Manzoor “You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” I sometimes get these secret emails or direct messages from some pretty amazing thinkers in education, talking about how they feel really constrained by the leadership in their schools. The misconception for many is that if you start using social media, you are focusing on “technology” and not really what is important in schools. Stepping Back About four yeas ago, I did not blog, read blogs, or really read much anything other than “From Good to Great”; I only looked into the really popular books and felt that this was enough for me in my leadership pursuits. Then I jumped into Twitter. Then I ignored it for a year. Then I tried again. Then it stuck for good. Present Day Our people have great intentions. This is a problem. Moving Forward

Leadership Development - News and Issues @ LeadershipNow.com The Character-Based Leader Book Project: My 10 Leadership Lessons Aside “Let’s write a book.” Often we don’t see significant turning points in our life. Or we don’t realize their significance when they happen. Have you made any of those commitments? The end result of that comment above, paraphrased from a Lead Change conference call in May 2011 has just been published. I learned several lessons about leadership and life. Ideas create possibility and possibility creates hope. Do you consider yourself a leader? If you’d like to decide to move forward on your vision, check out The Character-Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution… One Person at a Time at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble or on our website.

11 ways of staying focused Each of us have our busy lives and in this world of constant distractions, how can we stay focused on our goals? This article discusses several techniques I have found to work. For me, there are always several things constantly competing for my time – articles to write, business opportunities to explore, links to follow up, my daily work, personal commitments etc. In my experience whenever I try to work on many things at the same time, none of them actually gets done. In response, I’ve incorporated the following techniques for staying focused into my work patterns: Having well defined goals. Here are some examples of how I have applied these techniques to my blogging: These 11 techniques can be applied to any aspect of your personal and professional lives. Update: I have posted a follow up to this article entitled 18 ways to stay focused at work. Related Posts

4 Reasons Why Questions are a Leader's Best Friend The best leaders I know wield questions like a surgeon wields a scalpel…carefully, precisely, respectfully and always with an objective in mind. 4 Reasons Why Questions are a Leader’s Best Friend: 1. 2. 3. 4. The Bottom-Line for Now: Learn the art of asking questions, but remember to wield them like a surgeon: carefully, precisely and respectfully.

18 Ways to Stay Focused at Work Over the years I have worked at many client sites and a variety of office layouts. On one project in particular, we had as many as 80 people in a project team, seated via an open plan arrangement. It was pretty difficult trying to stay focused in an environment like this. These days, the projects I’m on are typically smaller, but there are still a number of distractions which frequently interrupt my working groove. So what are some of the things we can do to minimise such interruptions and distractions? Here’s my list of 18 ways to stay focused at work: Write out a daily task list and plan your day. I hope these tips will take you closer to more focused and productive work days. Ok, good luck! Hey, what are you still doing here? Related Posts

7 signs you’ve been promoted but not prepared Promotions are about more than the Peter Principle — the concept that one can be promoted beyond one’s competence. Those who promote others have a responsibility to ensure they’re prepared to actually do the job, not just hold the title. Athletes train to win medals; actors hone their craft to win Emmys and Oscars, but managers can be given a title without a minute of practice or an ounce of instruction. They’re supposed to be the “best of the best” and the best at what they do. But are they? Here are seven signs that you — or your manager — have been promoted, but are not prepared. Trial and error is tried. Monica Wofford, CSP, is a leadership-development expert who works with managers who’ve been promoted but not prepared.

Top 7 Ways To Remain Focused Single-minded determination is not something that many of us can honestly say that we have on a regular basis. There might be the odd moments of concentrated "will-power" or flashes of inspired effort, but for most of us, lack of confidence, confusion or simply information overload causes us to be easily distracted from our path. When faced with two equally attractive opportunities, have you ever lost energy pursuing both at the same time with the inevitable consequence of neither of them panning out? Do you remember doing your homework in front of the TV or listening to the radio? Your focus and attention may not have been at its highest level, a fact born out the next day when you panicked to correct all the mistakes or to complete the assignment. Focus is a discipline that most of us find hard to maintain for any length of time, yet it is a vital ingredient in the journey to success. So, how can we ensure that we remain focused on one thing at a time?

Who’s Writing Your Song? “I write the songs that make the whole world sing!”… OK, so maybe Barry Manilow didn’t write “the songs”… he just wrote ONE song, and chopped off parts of it to release as a new hit! HA! Whether you’re a Manilow fan or not, one thing is certain–you are most likely a fan of someone’s music. Whether it’s an Iron Maiden anthem, or Michael Buble swing, a Faith Hill love song or an Eagles classic tune, just about everyone has a favorite song. Our lives are a lot like a song. When you look back at the end of your life, will you be able to say with pride, “I wrote that… that’s the song of my life, and it’s amazing!” 1. I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment’s gone. Ever feel like life is passing you by, wondering if the world really is any better because you’re here? Seriously, what are you waiting for? 2. “Because of you, I never stray too far from the sidewalk. Not only is the world a stage, but we’re ALL on it! 3. “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

Leadership Welcome to the Art and Science of Leadership, a comprehensive collection of articles and activities for developing leadership skills and knowledge. Becoming a good leader is not easy, but by learning the correct leadership skills and knowledge, putting them into practice through quality learning activities, and then adapting them to different situations, will put you well on your way to becoming a leader. Leadership Manual This guide is divided into five sections: You can also use the Leadership Mind Map to select an article, or use the search bar at the top of the page. For a list of learning activities that help to develop leadership skills, see the Leadership Development Outline. Basics of Leadership Click image for a larger diagram Leadership Philosophies Team Leadership Advanced Leadership Skills Supporting Skills There is no such thing as a perfect leader, either in the past or present, in China or elsewhere. Learning Activities Let's work together to solve this. . . Related Pages

Leadership lessons from real, live leaders In leadership and management, we love to look at best practices. In leadership literature, we love to look at the people themselves for insights into what makes a great leader. People are so interesting! Here are my top-line take-aways from some interviews I’ve done recently with a diverse group of leaders including a newly minted chief operating officer, the president of a boutique ad agency, an Air Force lieutenant general and the chief of security for Microsoft. Leaders are problem solvers. Leaders master many styles. Leaders care, genuinely and passionately, for others. Leaders are on an inner journey. I’m very grateful to these four amazing people for sharing their wisdom so I could pass it on to you.

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