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Articles by Wayne Kehl
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Think Before You Speak
"Wise men talk because they have something to say... fools, because they have to say something."rn- Plato
What Is Leadership?
With a title like that you might think I bit off a little more than I can chew. You might be right, but because there are literally thousands of articles, blogs and websites dedicated to discussions of leadership, I wanted to offer a logical definition of it in a thousand words or less. Here goes... Despite the multiplicity of interpretations we read every day, leadership can be defined simply as: “Organizing a group of people to achieve a common goal”
Understanding the Generations
“Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known.” Ronald Reagan President, Ronald Reagan might have been stating the obvious with that statement.
Lead By Example
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let every New Year find you a better man or woman. Benjamin Franklin Oh, if we could all just follow Benjamin Franklin’s advice, what a wonderful world it would be. Why must we all find fault with each other while carrying anger and hatred into the world? Why do so many of us want to see others fail so that we can succeed and why do we defend our lies as if they are truths? Why are human beings so flawed, and why is each one of us so tragically human?
Electronic Hit and Run
If you are alive and breathing, you have probably noticed that a lot of folks seem to think it is okay to criticize other people for their actions. They criticize them behind their backs and they criticize them in public. The boldest people criticize other people to their faces in an effort to embarrass and hurt them. They believe that somehow, their criticism will bring about a positive change. They think that their negative opinions of others will make a positive difference in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth.
If Babies Ruled The World
On April 2, 2011 my daughter gave birth to a bouncing baby girl. I put a photo of the little darling on my Facebook page with the caption, “This is my new granddaughter. Cute Huh?” Within seconds the comments and “likes” started coming in. Within 24 hours I received dozens of complimentary messages from old friends and people I don’t really know all over the world. People who had never corresponded with me in any way, shape or form in the past suddenly found me interesting and felt the need to comment on my granddaughter.
Leadership can be an unpopular business
“Leadership can be an unpopular business. The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.” Tony Blair (former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) The above quote from Tony Blair led me to the theme for this week’s edition. Throughout my career in leadership I have had to accept this one inescapable truth: I will not always make decisions that will make me universally popular. However, make them I must!
Lighten Up Or Heavy Up...The Choice Is Yours
Have you ever noticed that a lot of people tend to take themselves too seriously? You know who I mean: • Those folks who huff and puff with righteous indignation whenever they are challenged. • Those people who glare and stare whenever someone says something they believe is inappropriate. • Those individuals who seem to believe that it is okay for them to say things to others that should never be directed at them.
We should all live for others
"Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier.” Albert Schweitzer Albert Schweitzer was perhaps, one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century. He lived from 1875 to 1965. During the course of his long life he was a doctor, an academic, a philosopher, a musician, and a humanitarian. In 1952 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of “Reverence for Life” which is is a translation of the German phrase: "Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben" (more accurately translated as: "to be in awe of the mystery of life").
Take Your Business Back!
I often hear from managers that employees have more power than their bosses. Studies have shown that the majority of workers in North America do not want to move into a management role. The current trend toward servant leadership and participative management has created a lot of very good results, but in many cases it has also created chaos, poor morale and reduced performance.
Never work a day in your life!
“Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” Confucius...551 to 479 BC Famed Chinese philosopher, Confucius wrote those words over 2000 years ago but never have they been more meaningful than they are today. The world has changed dramatically since the days of Confucius, to the point that nobody should accept a job they do not enjoy. If we simply review the events of the twentieth century it is easy to see that mankind has grown and evolved to allow human beings to enjoy the best of everything.
How To Be A Bad Leader
My articles usually focus on how to be a good leader or a better leader. In fact, most leadership articles available on the inte et or elsewhere focus on the positive elements of leading. Many leadership writers prefer to write about completely positive things and focus on what leaders should do to be recognized as the best leaders. In reality, the main reason we need to learn about leadership is so that we can avoid being bad leaders!
Let's Start a Leadership Revolution!
I have dedicated the last decade of my life to the proposition that there are no bad employees...just bad leaders. Because my words have fallen on a number of deaf ears in the world of executive boardrooms, I have decided to start a Leadership Revolution.
Is your boss doing his job?
Does it ever seem like your boss isn’t doing his job? Do you feel that your immediate supervisor is shirking her responsibilities? Do you ever think that without you, nothing would get done at work? If you are a manager or supervisor, do you ever wonder what your employees think of you? Do you care? You should! If you don’t know what your boss does, or you don’t know what your employees think of you, the environment in your workplace lacks leadership and communication. But, you already knew that!
Leaders Need Followers To Be Successful!
Have you ever noticed that some employees will stay in jobs that they do not really enjoy, or are not really suited to for long periods of time? Have you met people who stay in a lower paying job even though they have been offered more money somewhere else? A business needs long-term employees in order to be successful and competitive over the long run. So why aren’t all employees loyal to one employer for their entire careers?
It's A Dog's Life
As I travel through my life, I have often noticed that dogs have some interesting effects on people. In the presence of a dog, even the gruffest, most hardened human beings can become soft and caring. I also notice that in the past few decades, more and more people are adopting dogs than ever before. In fact, I believe it safe to say that human beings harbour much more generalized affection for the entire canine species than they do for the human race. As a lifelong dog lover, my observations caused me to ask myself some very important questions about our puppy friends...
You Never Miss The Water Until The Well Runs Dry
This old proverb shines a very bright light on the theory that you never know what you have until it is gone. If everything in your life is going well right now, think about the dynamics around you that help to make it great. If your life is challenging at this moment because you have recently lost someone important from it, ask yourself these questions: Do I take the people around me for granted? Do I ever acknowledge the great things the people in my life do every day? Do I ever thank those around me for helping me get through my days?r
The Value of Honesty
As children, most of us had parents who tried to convince us that cheaters never prosper and liars will not go to heaven. The theory is of course a great one, but almost every day in the news I hear about business leaders being charged and convicted for a variety of commercial crimes.
You Are Not Who You Think You Are!
We all wake up each morning with a personal vision of ourselves. We look in the mirror and see ourselves staring back, with bleary eyes and messy hair. When we see the way we look, we immediately set about improving our appearance. We shower, shave, wash, comb our hair, put on makeup if we are women, and make ourselves smell good. Before we leave the house we put on some appropriate clothing and head out to face the day. Because we have done all the right things for our physical being, we believe all is well with the world... But what about our emotional and psychological beings?
Are You A Servant Leader Or A Leadership Warrior?
I have called upon the leaders of the world to start a LEADERSHIP REVOLUTION. In order to make my dream become a reality, we need to employ some proactive, aggressive action right away.
Have fun and live longer!
“We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” George Bernard Shaw
We cherish kindess but we struggle to practice it.
Here is one of my favourite quotes: “That best portion of a good man’s life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love” ...William Wordsworth This quote was written in 1798 by Wordsworth as part of his work, “Lines composed a few miles above Tinte Abbey.” The significance of it to me is its timing and the sheer simplicity of the message.
Harrassment...A Leadership Dilemma
The world of business and industry has improved dramatically for women over the past two decades but we are still hearing a lot about male chauvinism, glass ceilings and gender discrimination. Despite the positive efforts of business leaders, I personally believe that there is a diminished but definite level of unfair and unfounded gender discrimination still alive and well in North America today. We are evolving to a better world, but evolution is a slow process.
MOTIVATIONAL MOMENTS
Did you ever wonder where the expression, “ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END” came from? I did, and I decided to check it out. It turns out that the saying is approximately 635 years old. Here is the original version: “There is an end to everything, to good things as well.” This proverb dates back to about 1374… Geoffrey Chaucer Chaucer, the author of the famed ‘Canterbury tales’, drew upon his relationships with real people to create his many literary characters. They say that art imitates life and life imitates art… no one knew that better than Chaucer.
Generation "Y" will soon rule the world!
GENERATION "WHY" The world is strangely conce ed about generation “Y” these days. I don’t understand it! Generation “Y” is just the current crop of kids that will eventually rule the world. They are the children of Boomers and Generation “X” parents and they were born between 1980 and 1994. Currently they are aged 16 to 30.
You only have one life to live!
“Good Times; Bad Times; You know I had my share...” Led Zeppelin 1968
Christmas All Year Long
I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."rn ~ Charles Dickens (1812-1870), English author. From 'A Christmas Carol'. I was quite taken by this quote from Charles Dickens. This line from “A Christmas Carol” reminds us of the fact that for most people, the true spirit of kindness and giving is with us for only one day of each year. As much as we might like to honour the spirit of Christmas throughout the year, it is not long after December 25th that we return to our old habits and vices...we return to being normal, flawed human beings.
We are all created equal
If you put yourself ahead of me, I might not follow; If you ignore me, I will have no one to follow; If you put yourself above me, I will not look up while you are looking down; If you put yourself beside me, we will walk as one with the strength of two. Wayne Kehl This quote is a reminder to everyone on earth that we are all created equal and that we perform better when we go through life on an equal footing with everyone we meet. We are all leaders in our own way and we all follow others from time to time.
If you fall, get up!
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do. - Confucius Confucius was a very wise man indeed. Consider the quote above and then think about your own life. Have you ever failed at anything? I hope you answered YES because surely we have all failed at something from time to time. Now think about something that you failed to succeed at or simply could not excel in ten years ago. Did your life come to an end? Are you still suffering from embarrassment or lost of status because of it? Does it keep you from going to sleep at night?
Are you a team player?
Are you a team player? "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision…the ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results" Andrew Carnegie The quote above, applies to every member of every team. Everyone on your team must listen to everyone else with an open mind and a positive attitude if the team is to be successful. There is no room on great teams for people who will not listen to alte ative points of view.
Getting Along With People is EASY!
This is an excerpt from my book: “Getting Along With People Is Easy!” EIGHTH COMMANDMENT: DO NOT BE SELFISH • If you want to get along with people think about someone other than yourself. If you are not getting along with people it is probably largely to do with your own actions and the fact that you are thinking more about yourself than the person you are not getting along with.
Who Needs Wisdom?
This is my favourite definition of wisdom: “Good sense; the ability to make sensible decisions and judgments based on personal knowledge and experience." Note that good sense requires personal knowledge and experience in order to be effective. Wisdom cannot grow and flourish in isolation. When one operates with poor or potentially harmful personal knowledge or under the influence of a wealth of negative or destructive prior experience, the concept of good sense generally goes right out the window.
Anger is a killer but happiness can save your life!
Something I have been saying most of my adult life is, “Anger is wasted energy.” As much as that is true, it is only part of the story. Anger can actually bring poor health and shortened life spans. We all know that anger can bring on lengthy bouts of distress and strained relationships with those closest to us; and I think we would all agree that the feeling of being out of control that often accompanies anger is almost always regretted after the fact. Yet, despite our universal understanding of the futility of anger, most of us still allow it to consume us from time to time.
How to Lead Generation "Y"
The members of the demographic, commonly known as Generation “Y” were born between the years 1981 and 1994, which makes them ages 17 to 30 in year 2011. They are the young up-and-coming leaders of society. There are a lot of them, and since they will soon fill most of the jobs being given up by the aging Boomers, we need to modify our methodology in order to lead them.
Fear and Public Speaking
Everyone on earth, except perhaps those who have completely taken leave of their senses, have fears of one kind or another. Fear is as much a part of the human emotional system as joy, anger and love. Many times, our fears add value to our lives because they prevent us from doing dangerous things but on other occasions our fears detract from our lives because they prevent us from doing the things we truly want to do. Everyone has different fears.
Do Not Fear!
“Do not fear. Only believe. All things are possible to him who believes.” The above noted quote is for every human being on earth. Do you find yourself hesitating while on verge of making a decision or before doing something wonderful? Do you put things off because you are afraid to take a chance? Do you avoid asking for something that you know you should have because you are afraid of rejection. Most importantly, do you simply not do the things you want to do because your mind is filled with fear? Fear is the worst limiter of success known to mankind.
Ego and Success
Winners, losers and survivors exist all around us. The world is full of people who become famous through excellent results alongside those who gain notoriety because of poor performance. Interestingly, mediocrity is much more common than success or failure in most areas of human endeavour. Most people get by, but seldom excel despite the fact that almost everyone is good at something. The majority of people on the planet never have the opportunity to soar because they never have the opportunity to utilize the natural talents they are born with.
Every Leadership Revolution Needs A Cause
How to start a Leadership Revolution In a previous post, I called on the leaders of the world to start a leadership revolution. My goal is to have leadership move en masse into the twenty first century.
The Human Butterfly Effect
The Butterfly Effect is a scientific theory that essentially says that a small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere. Originally part of the Chaos Theory, numerous scientists throughout modern history have concluded that this happens even though these systems are deterministic, meaning that their future behavior is fully determined by their initial conditions, with no random elements involved.
Easter Is For Leaders
Easter is a holiday celebrated each spring in many countries throughout the world. It is essentially a Christian religious celebration based on the scriptures which indicate that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Each year we celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Interestingly, Easter can be considered a moveable feast since the date of it is not fixed in relation to our calendar. It is in fact, celebrated on the first Sunday after the northern hemisphere’s full moon or vernal equinox. Hence the date can vary between March 22 and April 25.
What Makes A Superstar Employee?
The secret to success that all great employers have discovered is as simple as, “right person-right job.” When people are placed into jobs they can excel in every time, miracles can happen. Think about the following questions: 1.Have you ever noticed how managers, supervisors and leaders of all kinds often expect everyone to perform at the same level? 2. Do you ever wonder why some people become superstars in their jobs, outperforming all others in the same field? 3. Do you wish you could be acknowledged as the very best at what you do?
Positive Passion Leads To Success
“Genuine leaders never pursue or expect adulation or “star” status. When they receive it, they accept it graciously and move on to the next challenge. Leadership is not about personal victory. It is about winning through teamwork and positive energy by and for every member of the team.”rn~Wayne Kehl
Are willing to risk your life?
On Remembrance Day and Veteran’s Day it is important for us all to reflect on the sacrifice and devotion to duty shown by so many of our brave men and women all over the world. But, what does the observation of past and present wars mean to you?
Pessimism Is The Enemy Of Ambition And The Killer Of Dreams!
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.rn- Helen Keller