The Ambiguity of Right Answers

Our educational system is geared toward teaching us to find the “Right Answer.” By the time a student finishes college, they have taken over 2,500 tests, quizzes, and exams all fixated upon finding out if they know the right answer: the one and only possible answer. But, when we get out into the business world, we find there could be several different answers to solving a problem.

Setbacks

Most of us seldom get to hear a great Pep Talk. The great coaches, company presidents, generals, business icons … don’t happen to be at our “beckoning” to fire-us-up. No, we are all pretty much left on our own when it comes to preparing ourselves for the … encounters, surprises, conflicts, setbacks, struggles, and tasks we face every day. Some people start their day with one or more of the following things on their mind:

Personal Pep Talk

Most of us seldom get to hear a great Pep Talk. The great coaches, company presidents, generals, business icons … don’t happen to be at our “beckoning” to fire-us-up. No, we are all pretty much left on our own when it comes to preparing ourselves for the … encounters, surprises, conflicts, setbacks, struggles, and tasks we face every day. Some people start their day with one or more of the following things on their mind:

Hardheaded Humanism

I am a fan of L.S. Barksdale. He has been described by those who personally knew him as a man of superb intelligence, deep insight, and sincere compassion for his fellow human beings. Upon retiring after a very successful business career, he decided to become an expert in the field of self-esteem. His beliefs and writings were not wishful thinking, but more direct and to the point. One colleague described his writings as "hardheaded humanism."

Put Down the Glass

I want to discuss one aspect on leadership that I feel gets overlooked far too often; pushing yourself and your employees too far. Years ago, a speaker gave a great example on stress management (the author of the example is unknown). He held up a glass of water and then told the audience…

Vainglorious

So, you’re the boss, the head person in charge. Have you ever thought about how you got there? Have you ever considered all the people who helped to push your career along, until you finally made it? Have you ever given any consideration to the support personnel you have on staff who make you look good, make you look efficient, make you look smart, every day? The folks who handle the little, tedious, or sometimes annoying things that need to be handled, so you can concentrate on the big stuff … have you ever thought about them?