Strategic Leadership
I have wtitten before about the importance of Leadership Philosophy. It is the statement of what you believe in and the principles that guide how you make your decisions in life.
Yes more rules to live by
Be passionate:
If you are to be passionate about actualizing your dreams, be prepared to face failures and disappointments. These are the pre-requisite to winning the battle of complacency and normalcy. Living in a comfort zone buffered by routines of predictable tasks will not stretch your capacity to attain greater success.
While you seek ways to breathe passion into every aspect of your life, resist the temptation to compete your progress with others. Our ancient forefathers have passed down the "survival of the fittest" strategy from generations to generations, with the aim to make us survive strong in the growing competitive world. This so-called survival tactic, adapted to our modern version, is known as "rivalry competition". It happens when we see someone as a threat to us and we begin to take a series of actions to ensure we are always "better off" than them. Be cautious not to be caught by this modern day catastrophe. Achieving your dreams passionately is a personal venture, never to be competed, and compared with, another individual, who is as unique as you are, but was never created to sabotage your destiny.
Don’t be afraid of taking risks:
What are you so afraid of? Why are so many of us afraid to take risks including myself? In order for our dreams to come true, we must take chances. There is no way you can fail if you truly follow your heart. Sometimes it may take a very long time for success, sometimes you may fall down off the ladder, sometimes there may be blocks; but if you truly believe in yourself then you Will have a happy ending.
I have had many ups and downs these past couple of years but I had to teach myself to always be happy no matter what. I can choose to be happy, even in the darkest of times, and so can you. My faith has been tested but I never gave up or stopped believing. I don't want anyone else ever to stop believing in themselves either. If you're at a point in your life where you need to make a life changing decision, go with what your heart and your dreams tell you. Don't be afraid to take risks; if you truly feel in your heart that you're following your life's path, and then you Will succeed in the end.
After I made the vow to "always be happy", I found myself being able to face negativity a lot better. There will always be downfalls, but if we choose to be happy and believe in ourselves during those times, we will wind up back on our feet before we know it. I know in my heart that even though there is set backs at times, they are only temporary. In the end after all is said and done my dreams will come true. And so will yours if you follow your heart.
Remember, situations and incidences that go against your dreams are only temporary and will go away in time. It is only what is in our hearts that lasts forever.
Always have a curiosity for learning:
"Be curious always! For knowledge will not acquire you; you must acquire it. "--Sudie Back
Intelligence is proportional to curiosity. Highly intelligent people tend to have a great deal of curiosity about things in general and also tend to spend a lot of time learning, starting from an early age. Even if they don't do a lot of formal studying, they are still observant and thoughtful about the world around them. In that way they are always thinking and learning. Also, intelligent people enjoy thinking and using their brains.
Conversely, stupid people are the opposite. They have a great LACK of curiosity and they hate to learn anything. They spend as little time as possible learning. They also dislike thinking. I've known some stupid people and I've observed this about them. They prefer not to learn how to do things. If something requires the least bit of mental effort, they prefer to have someone else do it for them, rather than working on increasing their own knowledge, skills, and mental abilities.
Perhaps being more curious and thoughtful contributes to making you more intelligent. I can't imagine someone with a 200 IQ who dislikes thinking and has no curiosity. It seems like people with extremely high IQ's also have an extreme amount of curiosity. Perhaps nurturing your own curiosity is one way of raising your intelligence.
Respect others:
It is something everyone wants, not many have, and few want to give. Most people would appreciate "just a little bit," and most should give just that. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, this does not happen. Perhaps this is because the concept of respect is not understood. What exactly is respect? To esteem anything is to evaluate it positively and hold it in high regard, but evaluation gets us into trouble because while we sometimes win, we also sometimes lose. To respect something, on the other hand, is to accept it. The dictionary defines it as an act of giving particular attention or high or special regard. This does not explain what it is; it only outlines what it may .
Be upfront with each other:
It is always best to get things out in the open instead of letting them simmer unsaid. Along those lines, be open about your personality and ask your team to help you overcome your weaknesses. For instance, I know I can be a little too strong willed at times and need my close friends to call me out when it happens! None of us are perfect and we need the help of friends/dojo brothers and sisters to help us get better.
Be decisive – If your gut tells you it is the right thing to do, then make the call and be decisive. There is nothing worse than debating for the sake of debating when someone in the room has the problem already nailed. And keep in the mind, that person in the room with the best gut isn’t necessarily the highest ranked person either.
Be each other’s best advocates – Our organization needs to advocate for each other at all time. Sansei is a place when a strong reputation can snowball into better things and if we have each other’s backs, our organization will come out on top every time. Another part of this is always supporting each other to the outside world. We can disagree all we want in our Dojos, but when it comes to outsiders, we should appear to be one team supporting each other.
DON'T MANIPULATE