Leadership Tip #4: Make Decisions and Take Responsibility

The iPhone has changed the mobile world tremendously since it first came into the world in 2007. While it may not be the best smartphone in the world, Apple sure has changed the world of mobile communications, mobile entertainment and created a mobile lifestyle surrounding this one gadget.

I wonder what Steve Jobs thought as he was about to launch the first iPhone into the world. This was a first of its kind. I am sure there were many naysayers then as it is now. Did he let opposition sway him? I am glad he didn't.

A great leader makes decisions and take responsibility for them and while Steve may have taken a risk then, he took a stand for what he believed in. And regardless of the results, he stood firm.

And I respected him for it.

Oh ya, I was an Apple naysayer then, got converted in 2008 and am a loyal fan today.

Go Apple!

Leadership Tips #3: Be Proactive

When I hear the term proactive, I always think of brushing my teeth. Waking up in the morning and going to brush my teeth is always the first thing I do every morning. You can say it is the first proactive thing I do every day.

The good thing about being proactive is that once you do it often enough, it becomes habitual, you are set. Proactive ness as a habit is definitely a good trait to have. It makes one stand out of the crowd of achievers around you

Leadership Tip #2: Think of the Big Picture

The big picture: the TV from the hotel I recently stayed in came to mind. With a bigger screen you can see more of an area than a smaller screen will provide.

A leader, too should focus on the high level view, to be able to understand a project or an event as a whole. Not merely focusing on the nitty gritty of daily tasks, but to know the ultimate destination.

To be able to see the journey from a higher elevation with fill a leader with confidence. A leader who is able to describe what he sees to his team will offer hope.

And hope helps a team carry on.

Leadership Tip #1 - Solve Problems

Solving problems is one trade mark of a leader (according to the newspaper article I saw).

My favorite method of solving problems is pondering solutions to obstacles while horizontally postured. Haha, the best time for me to think happens to be at night as well.

The hotel bed as illustrated was an excellent place for me to calmly arrange my thoughts for the few nights I was in Singapore. The quiet allowed me to spend some time in reflection. Helped me to make a few important decisions.

One thing I encourage, take time off once in a while to reflect and relax. It will clear your mind for future decision making.

Newspaper resources

Caught this in a local paper. Some tips for leaders ...
1. Solve problems
2. Think of the big picture
3. Be proactive
4. Make decisions and take responsibility
5. Share your vision
6. Remember it's not all about you.

Pondering about them now. My thoughts on them later.

Have a great day ahead!

Condiments: The small things count, sometimes

While having breakfast at the airport, I glanced over at the condiments counter. I realize that the only items I take from it are creamers for my coffee and the stirrer.

Then I continued to look as I see others take huge globs of ketchup and chilli sauce. Then they come back to take packets of sugar, creamer and basically anything else in the counter. Wow, that's a lot of condiments.

Each of us have a need to complete our meals in our own ways, I guess. Some need more some need less some need none.

This reminds me of a time when I was conducting a training session with a few friends. As trainers, we all had our own styles and use our own variety of props and presentation styles.

One was heavily using PowerPoint presentations, flip charts and markers to draw diagrams. Another was purely verbal and uses his superior language and oratory skills to get his point across. Another lady trainer very wisely used games, videos, audio interviews to highlight learnings. The whole seminar was a great example of many meals put together to suit different styles of learning and therefore brought out the best of the group.

So it does not matter what are your choice of condiments. As long as the meal is appropriately appreciated, that counts.

Burgers and Fries

Having lunch on Friday was nice. Not many people around, so with 3 colleagues went to Morganfields for a huge burger. Nice!

Most burger meals nowadays come with fries and a drink. Bundling of products not only happens for food. It is happening across many different industries. The leaders of the pack started the practice and many followed as it was a good practice for companies, profitable.

Therefore as an aspiring leader, I was also recommended to read deeply, about great leaders today and in the past. Find out what they did, how they did it and why they did it.

That's one of many good ways to learn.