Introduction
This page is created solely for the readers.
The objectives of the topic are the following:
1. To help the reader be empowered to deliver positive output that will leave a mark in the organization.
2. to make the readers motivated to empower others.
3. identify leadership traits and power.
4. recognize traits of a leader.
May I present here the outline of the discussion:
I. WHAT DRIVES YOU?
- Vision
- Goal-setting
II. COMMITMENT
- Commitment
- perseverance
III. YOUR INNER CHAMPION
- Visualization
- self-esteem
- reality check
- preparation
- excellence
- coachability
IV. QUALITY LEADERSHIP
- Character
- Empowerment
- Legacy
Task
WHAT DRIVES YOU?
Reflection Exercise: Have the participants ponder on these questions before proceeding to the discussion.
Can be shared to their small groups (facilitator to instruct participants to be in groups of 3-4). Ask 2-3 volunteers to share their answers in front.
1. what keeps you doing what you are doing right now?
2. what moves you to action?
3. what inspires you?
VISION
A picture of a future you would like to create.
It is the ability to perceive something not actually visible, as through mental acuteness or keen foresight.
The power of vision: it aligns the things you are doing now to your desired outcome.
A vision serves as a guide for instruction and as constant hope for inspiration.
Ex. The story of two stone masons:
When asked what it is he is doing, the first one said that he was just cutting stone. The second stone mason, however, answered differently. “I’m building a cathedral,” he replied.
The Lesson of the Story: Knowing the bigger picture of the things you are doing draws something out of a person besides raw output.
"Without vision, People will Perish."
-Proverbs 29:18
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know which road to take?
Vision is rooted in a set of guiding principles.
Without vision, people cast off restraint… = they do what they do for no reason, thus, leading to no definite outcome. When people cast off restraint, disciplines are abandoned and morals are forgotten.
When Helen Keller was asked, "What is worse than being born Blind?"
she answered, "To have sight but not vision".
At nineteen months, Keller was already been blind and deaf. But this did not stop her from her vision to communicate to people. During her lifetime, awareness for the blind and the deaf increased rapidly. Her lack of the senses of sight and hearing didn’t stop her from her vision to be educated. She successfully completed courses in Latin, Greek, and Roman history. She also earned honors in English and German. She eventually attended Radcliffe College.
GOAL-SETTING
- Concrete and specific
- realistic
- measurable
- deadline-targeted
- value-anchored
- written
Set lower-level goals (measurable & easier to reach); successes are experienced more often, provide feedback and reinforcement necessary for achieving any big goal.
Concrete & specific: should be focused; use an action verb
Realistic: don’t go overboard; it should be something you can do
Measurable: either we can count them or feel their accomplishment
Deadline-targeted: put a timeline to it; puts an extra push or challenge to achieve it when you know that time is a factor
Value anchored: Goals are for the future, values are for the now. Goals are set, values are lived. Goals change, values are rocks you can count on.
Written: If it is isn’t written, it’s only a wish.
Process
COMMITMENT
- A pledge or a process to do something
- dedication to a long-term course of action
- engaement or involvement
It’s like saying: I will go on, I will persevere, I won’t give up – no matter what.
Roadblocks or detour signs may come, but that wouldn’t put me to a stop.
The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how you use them.
•Build with the right foundation to ensure that you can carry the weight of the whole building."Doing what it takes to get to your destination."
When you are merely interested in doing something, you only do it when it’s convenient; but when you are committed, you follow through no matter what – no excuses… even in times of difficulties or challenges.
"What's stopping you?"
THE FOUR GREAT FEARS
1. Fear of catastrophic dange
2. fear of change
3. ferar of succewss
4. fear of failure
•Fear of Catastrophic Danger
- Causes us to react to what we consider life-threatening confrontations (fight or flight)
- The best way to overcome this fear is through knowledge; get the facts of the situation and act accordingly; fear often disappears with knowledge and action
•Fear of Change
- For some, change represents a threat to status quo. For you, let it represent unlimited opportunity.
- The key is to embrace change.
•Fear of Success
- Expression of guilt associated with our natural desire for self-gratification
- Thinking that you have to justify yourself why you really deserve all this
- ex. being terrified that if he achieved his goals and dreams, he’d have to meet the expectations of others for the rest of his life
- To overcome this fear, remember past achievements to boost self-confidence and self-esteem.
•Fear of Failure
- Fear of rejection; we all have a natural aversion to being embarrassed or made a fool in the presence of others
- We permit ourselves to fail by default rather than face the risks of success
- The only way to get through this fear is to take risks.
COMMITMENT is tedted in times of adversity.
Challenges are inevitable. There is no perfect, flawless, storm-free way to get to your goals.
It will not always be a sunny day. The question is, are you ready when the rain comes?
You may not have a choice when it will hit you, but you have a choice how to handle it.
Don’t let it get the best of you, but rather, let it get the best out of you.
Reminder: this is why goals should be anchored on values. When things get tough and you have not anchored your goals on values, you may easily be swayed to do the wrong thing just to get to you goal. Decide now on your convictions.
PERSEVERANCE
- A course of action inspite of difficulties or opposition
- determination/ firm on purpose
- to be steadfast
-To continue with effort amidst negativities-Steadfast = firm, fixed, settled, established; not changing, fickle or wavering; constant-A picture of being steadfast: imagine being by the shore with your legs buried in the sand from your knees down. The waves may be hard but it would not knock you down.-Can also be connected to resilience-Resilience = the ability to bounce or spring back into shape/ position; the ability to recover strengths, spirit, good humor-Ex. surviving Ondoy, heartbreak, loss of a loved one-Ex. Jessica Cox, Walt Disney, Henry Sy,Sr.ACTIVITY>>>>-Tell the story about the Brooklyn Bridge; how one man’s determination led to this landmark that is continuously being used today (Washington Roebling)-He was fully convinced that his father’s vision of this bridge was worth the pursuit.-
ACTVITY: My Goals, Our Goal
1. Arrange the chair in U position. Chair facing inward
2. Ask participants to sit on each chair in no particular order
3. Distribute papers and ask the participants to list down 3 goals in life (any goal: may it be personal, career or family related)
4. Place a folded white paper at the center. Make sure that the foot of all the participant can fit and covered it when the step on it.
5. Counterclockwise, each participant will go to the center and step on the folded white paper (folded white paper should all be covered) with the right foot
6. Participant will mention his name and those who are seated must greet the person in the center simultaneously and in a clear and audible manner.
Evaluation
YOUR INNER CHAMPION
Do you see yourself a champion? A winner? Or do you see yourself as the one defeated at the other side of the ring? Bruised, wounded, tired, hopeless… a loser?
Activity: Divide the whiteboard into 2 columns: Now & Future. Write the participants’ answers on the board.
VISUALIZATION
Internalizing who you are and who you could be.
Seeing leads to believing, believing leads to achieving.
Ex. a child who believes that he is a superhero acts like one (even dresses like one)
Ex. actors and actresses who get “lost” in the character they are portraying (Meryl Streep, Vilma Santos)
Show video: scene from “Anak” (optional)
-You may see yourself only as a caterpillar at this moment, but don’t lose heart – remember that one day you can be a butterfly.-If a caterpillar fails to realize this, he will not go out of that cocoon (afraid of the change that is about to happen).-Another good story to share is that of an eagle who was born among chickens. All his life, the eagle thought that he couldn’t fly because he saw himself only as a chicken. -How are you seeing yourself right now? Do you see only the lack and not the potential?
ACTIVITY: Create Your Own Vision Board
-Give participants art materials (magazines, paper, pen, crayons, etc.)-Ask them to draw the things they visualize for themselves. They can also write key words that represent these thingsSELF-ESTEEM
- How you value yorself
- supported by sense of competence, self-respect, and self-worth.
If you don’t like yourself, it will be difficult to trust yourself.
How can you expect others to value you if you don’t value yourself?
"You become what you think".
"See yourself the way you want to be, not the way you don't want to be.
Focus on the positive rather than the negative.
Don’t set your thoughts on what you don’t have or on what’s not happening. Concentrate on what is present, on what is now.
Ex. NOT: I am not a millionaire.
BUT: I have what I need right now.
NOT: I still don’t have a spouse.
BUT: I have my family and friends to spend time with.
REALITY CHECK
- identify strenghts and weaknesses
- showcase your strenghts, inprove on your weaknesses
Just like in a medical diagnosis, weaknesses can be identified through its symptoms.
Focus on possibilities, not limitations
Ex. Jessica (Filipino-American), first woman to ever fly a plane without arms
Ex. Scott Hamilton, figure skater
You can’t use a chess piece that you don’t have, look at the pieces you still have and think how you may use them
It’s not about downplaying your weaknesses, it’s using them to your advantage (ex. Chess, war tactics)
Ex. When Ptolemy was about to conquer more lands, he was faced with the challenge of defeating an army twice their size.
What he doesn’t have: a large number of soldiers and horses
What he has: lots and lots of donkeys from Egypt
What he did: he attached palm leaves to his donkeys and had them running; this created dessert fog that made it look like he had numerous horses and soldiers. The plan worked– the commander from the other side saw the dessert fog and had declared a retreat
PREPARATION
- Turn reality to productivity
- the readiness that comes with attitude to handle future successes
Transform ability to tangible results. It’s not enough to know that you can do something or that you are good at something, you need to act on it.
Ex. taking individual ingredients together to form a meal (like adobo)
- You can’t eat raw chicken or soy sauce alone. But once you cook them and mix them with other ingredients, they make a fine and delicious adobo.
Champions don’t become champions in the ring. They are merely recognized there. – John Maxwell
The truth is not usually that we couldn’t, but that we didn’t.
Preparation is actually owning your vision. It’s like saying: because I know that this is what I was made to do, I will ensure that the path to get there is prepared and well set.
Ex. running a marathon: you don’t just wake up one day and run a 10k marathon, it takes training and practice that builds you up for that day
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. –Benjamin Franklin
"See what a person is doing everyday, day after day, and you'll know who that person is and what that person is becoming.
Film-showing: Become Legendary (Michael Jordan)
- Sometimes when we see successful people, we think they got it easy… that maybe it was pure luck. But as the video shows, you have to work for it day after day. Let us stop making excuses today and focus on what we can do to achieve our goals.
Film-showing: Karate Kid
What can you see when you look at your personal agenda?
Priorities, passion, abilities, relationships, attitude, personal disciplines, vision, and influence.
It goes back to vision. Does your day lead you closer to it?
EXCELLENCE
- To do a common thing in an uncommon way.
Definition by Booker Washington
It’s the little things that make the big things impossible. – JW Marriott
Excellence is the gradual result of always wanting to do better.
True excellence does not equate to recognition. It is merely its fruit.
COACHABILITY
- Accepting teaching moments from superiors and someting from peers.
-
ACTIVITY: Dragon Chase
-Have the participants group themselves (4-5 members/group)-Choose a leader-The group must form a line, with the members’ hands on the shoulders of the one in front of them.-The leader must be in front, but should stand opposite the first member and hold his hand.-A handkerchief will be tied to the last member (the tail).-The goal for each group is the catch the handkerchief of their opponent.
-Having the humility to grasp the fact that you do not yet understand everything. It is accepting the truth that there is something they know that you don’t. Make use of teachable moments.-Story of two marbles. The one was used in the floor (being stepped on) because he was unwilling to be chiseled by the stone master. The other was turned into a statue (admired by many) because he allowed the master’s chisel to chip off unnecessary parts and polish him. The process may have been hurtful but it was what he needed.
Conclusion
At 211 degrees, water is hot.
At 212 degress, it boils.
With boiling water comes steam.
And steam can power a locomotive.
It's that one extra degree
that makes all the difference.
It separates the good from the Great.
True Leaders know that they are also under Authority.
QUALITY LEADERSHIP
•Quality leadership demands more than just a fancy title, it demands character. Stripped of a title, a leader is still a leader.•Though leadership is open to all, its quality will set others apart from the rest.•Quality leadership starts from within. It involves the person’s deepest roots and strongest foundations.•“He who thinks he leads but has no followers is only taking a walk.” – John Maxwell•Vision, courage, character"Great men are Meteors designed to burn so that Earth may be lighted."-Napoleon Bonaparte
Credits
Reference,
http://www.amle.org/ServicesEvents/InstituteforMiddleLevelLeadership.as…
- Blake, R.; Mouton, J. (1964). The Managerial Grid: The Key to Leadership Excellence. Houston: Gulf Publishing Co.
- Carlyle, Thomas (1841). On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic History. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 1-4069-4419-X.
- Fiedler, Fred E. (1967). A theory of leadership effectiveness. McGraw-Hill: Harper and Row Publishers Inc.
- Heifetz, Ronald (1994). Leadership without Easy Answers. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-51858-6.
- Hemphill, John K. (1949). Situational Factors in Leadership. Columbus: Ohio State University Bureau of Educational Research.
- Hersey, Paul; Blanchard, Ken; Johnson, D. (2008). Management of Organizational Behavior: Leading Human Resources (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. ISBN 0-13-017598-6.