For citizens of a major economic and political power it is surprising how naïve we can be.
Spying has and will always be part of the landscape as long as human competition exists. Creative minds share ideas, exchange information & invent stuff, while others pilfer the results.

Just think how often people (ourselves included) steal from websites, copy designs and download material/information, all identified, researched, analyzed and produced by others … At no cost to ourselves…and certainly with no pangs of conscience!

Yet even at government level, it is startling to notice that people happily assume they are somehow inviolate as intelligence targets! Just as we North Americans stole and copied so diligently from the Europeans, so too, emerging economies are hell bent on gaining the competitive edge at any cost. We make/made it easy with outsourcing, by inviting foreign teams to spend times in our operational environments and by talking too much to close deals. The notion of being somehow in total control of our destinies is perhaps the culprit?

Are we truly aware of what information walks out the door? The solution does not lie in legislation, process, security checks alone; nor in assuming the validity of our own moral code, but rather in the ongoing awareness/vigilance of individuals, teams, organizations and governments as to the economic danger posed by exposure to prying eyes.

In my regular courses on Corporate Intelligence Awareness, I encounter many individuals who persist in equating vigilance with paranoia!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tory-mp-who-flirted-with-chinese-reporter-passed-security-check/article2162968/ 

In a world of bottom lines, targets, organizational process & hectic schedules few have time for perceived romantic, magic or eccentric notions. Instead most of us don masks in the workplace that hide all but the nitty gritty business of meeting expectations and getting ahead.

I have watched the metaphorical movie Don Juan Demarco more times than I care to remember… to remind myself of the fact that dreams, wonder, awe and an honest sense of beauty/love underpin the real passion that can push business to magically competitive heights.

Seeing and accommodating people for who they really are, surely is vital to accessing full team/individual contribution. Feeling able to be oneself in safety releases the creative and leadership spirit – The fact that caring (as opposed to mere compliance) and willingness to serve matters, creates a climate of confidence and trust. 

For me, this is especially true if the full professional contribution of women is to be secured! Does our current business value system/model and ideas of political correctness not override the very essence of what women bring to the workplace? Do we regard women as women … Appreciating them as women? Are we guilty of pretending that gender difference/gender intelligence has no corporate advantage?

My work with so many women over the years has proved, to me anyway, that if women are allowed… and indeed give themselves permission to be women, the accommodations of dreams and supposedly far fetched aspirations can become reality. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuusbK09xg8&feature=related

“where has the magic gone? why are there only minds at work plotting their next move? what happened to the heart? Has it been cast aside and left asunder? Why do we give in to the logic of expediency, creating more walking dead? Must we transform ourselves to break the curse of mediocrity? YES!!!!” – eyeLuvTheOutsiders – YouTube

''Bushmen refer to Tapping within themselves - A physical manifestation of a profound gift for intuitive apprehension of the future … Only a fool would go on ignoring his tapping…if he does not sit and listen to his tapping it could utterly leave him" - Laurens van der Post  (A Far-Off  Place)

Creative or visionary leaders need time to reflect - To listen to an inner voice that interprets countless bits of information that have set off alarm bells in the sub-conscious mind...!

Just as a computer has hidden files, cookies, meta-tags, temporary files etc. so the human brain has the capacity to search, filter and analyze its own data base while consciously engaged in other activity. Just as the computer contains a large amount of unused or underutilized functions, the human capacity for research and solution providing may remain untapped. Circumstance may provide an adrenaline rush that will necessitate blind reliance on intuition. Consider the advantage of being able to confidently and consciously engage this resource through taking the time to regularly reflect on diverse items of stimulating information !

"Creativity is about finding, discovery, and making the link between what you've seen and are trying to achieve…you can’t find if you're looking - It's a process of osmosis that is dependent on being in a relaxed state of mind…
Creatives need time to stroll and come upon things. We're idea merchants…If you are not fascinated, you simply do not find things … It's about finding visual stimuli and translating them into stunning creative concepts." Sean Harrison, Creative Director, Code

Somehow, despite the plethora of client relationship management technology/training in most operational areas, is common civility disappearing?

Generally, it seems an increasingly accepted fact that we are not required to respond to calls, messages, inquiries etc. unless we have a direct/immediate agenda item … ?

“I am busy” “My calendar is full” “I have too many calls to manage” might all be valid for any of us at some point in time…. But can we expect others to consistently respond/perform when we have not afforded basic acknowledgement of who they are… their time… their agendas… their priorities…?

Similarly whatever happened to please and thank you? How long does it take to type thank you… and hit Send? Again: “Too busy”… but not too busy it seems to ask for something?

I am told I am decidedly uncool to worry about this sort of thing … As an acquaintance, index fingers energetically raised, said this week:  “We are moving to a place where please and thank you will no longer be necessary … It will be understood!”

Maybe I should offer a Mind-Reading program?

Effective leaders set the tone as to organizational values... Giving true meaning to sustainable relationship building?  

Watching a TV sitcom recently, I was jolted by an expert’s response to an impatient crime investigator: “If you haven’t time for me to consider all the facts… All you can expect is sh_t!” I thought of how many top executives I have worked for/encountered who pride themselves on wanting answer “yesterday”. It seems almost a virtue to insist that all questions, briefings & backgrounders be provided with impossible speed and brevity.

The advance of Information Technology, while providing amazing & valuable tools/platforms, has added to the notion that brevity/speed is perhaps more important than context/depth. A distinction should ideally be made between lack of focus, waffle/padding & verbosity and the very real need for detail and big-picture background.

Efficient Time Management will ideally factor in goal achievement via the strategic balance of time, budget, quality, resource & team realities.

For Time Management training:  (416) 962-6700

Empathy seems more often than not to be considered a warm and fuzzy word in corporate circles. Certainly most training mandates indicate an unspoken aversion to the notion of empathy when discussing leadership requirements. It seems rather that absolutism, rigidity & strict adherence to rules/process are usually considered hallmarks of strong leadership.

Experience has taught me however that empathetic leaders have decided strengths in strategically identifying/spotting what might remain unseen, hiring the right team, reaching audiences/target markets, concluding successful negotiations and effectively resolving problems.

Certainly on a management level the ability to understand and accept humanity, imperfection and failure, in themselves and others, goes a long way in building a climate of team trust. Similarly empathy is the foundation upon which risk, change, crisis & chaos are managed!

It is perhaps useful to consider the core-competencies/qualities that underpin empathy: Listening; Observing; Analysis; Courage; Instinct; Dedication; Consideration; Forward thinking;

Beyond the business world, think of the value of empathetic teachers, doctors, cops, lawyers, builders etc. who are prepared to subjectively & objectively consider the circumstance of others, before applying a one size fits all solution/approach!

Surely the very notion of societal fairness depends upon a preparedness to empathize with the plight/requirement of those around us? 

To discuss customized Leadership Training:  (416) 962-6700   

The notion of “it is lonely at the top” is sometimes belied by the illusion that leadership is about Power & Influence… the attainment of absolute control and ensuing subordinate obedience. As we know from history, in stories great and small, this is the pursuit of the impossible.

Trusted support/stakeholder loyalty is the keystone to effective and sustainable leadership. Relationship building, for me, is the thread that links the key elements of forward thinking leadership - identifying operational requirement, proactively evolving a realistic vision, selling workable solutions, running collaborative projects & problem solving.

Trust & loyalty are not that easily earned. Consider the words of a former presidential aide: “Giving an order does not end the matter... nothing gets done except by endless follow up, endless kissing and coaxing, endless threatening and compelling… Everyone is watching you, waiting, trying to guess what you mean –Trying to get your number. Can they fool you? Can they outwait you? Will you be mad when you hear it isn’t done yet?  … And they are all testing you. How much can they get away with? How much authority can they take? How much authority do you want them to have? Once you choose men you have to keep them; which means endless attrition of your will against their will…” (White, aide to President Truman 1965; cited from article by George H. Litwin/Robert A. Stringer JR.)  

Relationship-building requires hard work on the part of any leader - Intense collaboration and persuasion/negotiation, involving a fine balance between strength & vulnerability. The stronger the team caliber, the fiercer the ambition...The harder the leader’s task! 

For more information about customized Leadership Training/Coaching: (416) 962-6700

If a true leader is someone who has the ability to identify requirement, the courage to proactively engage & the smarts to formulate a workable solution, logically this person would automatically be, to varying degrees, at odds with the status quo and those who are content to go with the flow.

The key to meeting this challenge, as we know, is the ability to persuade, sell, influence and negotiate in order to overcome inherent resistance to change. Yet in the course of almost 2 decades of Leadership Training, Coaching & Consulting, I find it is this particular attribute that oftentimes frustrates real leadership deployment.  Innovative, different or exceptional thinking is, in the nature of things, in direct conflict with the beliefs, expectations, hopes and even the morality of the majority. How often are brilliant ideas ignored in favour of more digestible “what we know works” solutions? More...

Our Student Leadership training program explores and makes conscious existing, but untapped individual leadership expertise.

Practical techniques enable the understanding and full investment of core competencies, personality & experience. Strong attention is given to measuring individual impact and preparedness to consider what is involved in living out personal dreams.

The program is particularly directed at youth who have the irrepressible notion that there must be something more!  (see article: Our personal impact... Acknowledging youth wanting more) 

Should you require further information: (416) 962-6700 

♦ 

Rodger has a proud record of assisting students setting realistic goals and living out their destiny. His work received special recognition in 2009 for his:

 "Exceptional commitment and contribution to numerous students in the Learning Disabilities Progam and for Outstanding Involvement in York University's Career Mentorship Program"