IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES “The human being is the only animal that thinks about the future” (italics in the original), writes Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychol- ogy at Harvard University. “The greatest achievement of the human brain is its ability to imagine objects and episodes that do not exist in the realm of the real, and […]
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INSPIRE A SHARED VISION 101 JADE LUI ALWAYS HAD A PASSION for books, and fol- lowed that passion to pursue a career in publishing. At her first job with a large international publisher in Hong Kong, Jade was given responsibilities for business development throughout the East Asia region. She was particularly excited by the prospect
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Set the Example One of the toughest aspects of being a leader is that you’re always onstage. People are always watching you, always talking about you, always testing your credibility. That’s why setting the right example is so important, and why it’s essential to make use of all the tools you have available to set
Reinforce Through Systems and Processes While attending a leadership course on Mount Fuji in Japan, Bert Wong, president and managing director of Fuji Xerox Singapore, was asked to reflect on the behaviors a great leader would demonstrate. He realized he didn’t have the answers. That prompted Bert to seri- ously reflect on his own leadership
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Confront Critical Incidents You can’t plan everything about your day. Even the most disciplined leaders can’t stop the intrusion of the unexpected. Stuff happens. Critical incidents—chance occurrences, particularly at a time of stress and challenge—are a part of the life of every leader. They also offer significant moments of learning for leaders and constituents. 89
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Tips for Receiving Feedback 87 S E T T H E E X A M P L E Chapter Ten. The more frequently people ask for and accept feed- back, the easier it will be to deliver and to hear, especially when both parties share similar values and aspirations. The more accustomed people become to
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Ask Purposeful Questions Daily Teamwork: What did you do today to lend a hand to a colleague? Respect: What did you do today to acknowledge the work of one of your colleagues? Learning: What’s one mistake you made in the last week, and what did you learn from it? Continuous improvement: What have you done
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Ask Purposeful Questions The questions you ask are also quite powerful in focusing attention. When leaders ask questions, they send constituents on mental 82 T H E L E A D E R S H IP C H A L L E N G E journeys—“quests”—in search of answers. The questions that a leader asks
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LIVE THE SHARED VALUES Leaders are their organizations’ ambassadors of shared values. Their mission is to represent the values and standards to the rest of the world, and it’s their solemn duty to serve the values to the best of their ability. People watch your every action, and they’re trying to determine if you’re serious
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Clarify Values The very first step on the journey to credible leadership is clari- fying your values—discovering those fundamental beliefs that will guide your decisions and actions along the path to success and significance. That involves an exploration of the inner ter- ritory where your true voice resides. It’s essential that you take yourself on