Although, historically, politics, has been somewhat, partisan, in nature, we have never, in recent memory, observed, such a degree of unwillingness, to even consider, bipartisan cooperation, even when it is the need of the American public. This behavior, which might be referred to, as, politics, over policy / people, is bad leadership, because it, unfairly favors, one's political supporters, over the rest of the public. Wouldn't we better served, if, once elected, politicians transformed into statesmen, and focused on the common good, rather than personal political agenda, and / or self – interest? With that in mind, this article will attempt to briefly consider, review, and discuss, 5 reasons, this is, both, bad policy and a lack of genuine leadership.
1. Not relevant: Empty rhetoric and promises, might garner votes, and be popular, but it's not genuine leadership, nor in the best interests of the public! America, especially with the many challenges, the world and nation, faces, today, needs relevant solutions, rather than polarization, or pitting one segment against another! Whether this is because of the unique persona, and nature, of President Donald Trump, or an undesirable trend, it does not achieve, what is best, for most Americans!
2. Unsustainable: President Trump, in an attempt to be popular, and honor his campaign promise, to change the tax system, and lower taxes, endorsed the legislation, passed towards the end of 2017, which was portrayed, as focused on the middle – class, while actually, favoring the wealthiest individuals and corporations. Claiming this would create economic growth, is based, on the often – unproven, claim, of Trickle – Down Economics. In the, less than half – year, since enacted, we have observed a huge expansion of the federal deficit, with forecasts, for ever – expanding deficits, into the future, and corporations, which Trump and his supporters, claimed, would use the additional revenue, to hire more people, and pay more, have actually, used most of this windfall, to grow their corporate gains!
3. Change should be, for the better, not just, for change – sake: When political rhetoric becomes empty promises, the change is, rarely, beneficial, to the overall good, of most Americans. Measure the results, not, by the level of rhetoric and promises, but, rather, whether it creates added benefits, for most Americans!
4. Common good, not personal agenda: Be certain, the plans and policies, are not based on personal or political agendas, or someone's self – interests! Unless / until, the focus, consistently, focuses on service to the public, for the common good, rather to a politician's supporters, and / or delegated, elected officials are not representing us!
5. Make America Greater !: When Donald Trump was a candidate, his campaign slogan was, Make America Great Again. While, this meant different things to different individuals, I resented the word, again, because it implied, we weren't already, a quality nation, and urged us, to look back, to the past, rather than, to the future. As Paul Simon wrote, in his song, Kodachrome, "Everything looks worse, in black, and white." We should, rather seek, to improve how government serves its people, rather than elected officials, and / or special interest!
Public policy should be the top priority, for our elected officials. Unfortunately, as we are presently witnessing and observing, politics and self – interest, seem to be prioritized!
This article is brought to you by Kokula Krishna Hari Kunasekaran! Visit Website or Follow back at @kkkhari
There was an interesting article in PR Week last week, on the subject of leadership communication. Entitled ‘Get the best out of your boss’ it outlines six of the most common leadership styles and suggests how communicators can best play to the personalities of their leaders. It’s a nice reminder of the breadth of styles we have to work with and provides some useful pointers on how to play to your boss’s particular strengths.
The six leadership styles – and the supporting descriptions (I’ve paraphrased) are:
1. Visionary leader – the classic rock star CEO who sets the big-picture and excels at moving people towards a shared vision. These leaders are superb public speakers and enjoy life in the spotlight. Barack Obama is a good example.
2. Affiliative leader – this type of leader wants to be your friend. A collaborative figure, the affiliative leader focuses on emotional needs and is most likely to ask ‘how are you?’. Angela Merkel is held up as an example.
3. Coaching leader – holds long conversations that often extend beyond the work place. Good at helping employees identify their strengths and weaknesses and linking these to career goals. Step forward Dr Who.
4. Democratic leader -these are the great listening leaders, though this is sometimes at the expense of decisive action. Favorite catchphrases include ‘what do you think?’. They like to show the way without pushing people in a particular direction. Lord Sebastian Coe is a good example.
5. Pacesetter leader – most likely to say ‘copy me’, these hard working leaders never shirk a challenge and lead by example. One downside is that they often expect employees to automatically get the picture. Step forward Margaret Thatcher…
6. Commanding leader – an old-school taskmaster who brings the dynamics of the playground into the boardroom. Very command and control in style they stick to one clear direction and refuse to consider an alternative routes or messages. Montgomery Burns is a good example.
The communicators quoted in the article, among them David Ferrabee and James Harkness, provide lots of useful advice on working with these types, including:
o Providing visionary leaders the right platform and sufficient time to explain their vision to others and gather feedback. High profile tactics like webcasts and regular publication profiles go down well with these types, but they may sometimes lack an eye for detail and require specific IC support in this area.
o Identifying opportunities for affiliative leaders to show their steel. Tactics like back to the floor are useful here, as are structured team meetings which focus on sharing constructive feedback. One classic issue with these types is their desire to communicate only the positive messages.
o Playing to the strengths of coaching leaders by encouraging them to host small, intimate sessions and focus on helping people turn strategy into action. These types are not great at big picture, but excel at one-to-one.
o Creating high-involvement forums for democratic leaders – workshops, online forums and blogs are particularly powerful. Clear, decisions communications help overcome this leader’s tendency towards indecision. Arm them with insights and intelligence about the workforce and they should respond well.
o Encouraging the pacesetting leader to be more inclusive, more considerate of the feelings of others and creating plenty of listening opportunities. Inclusivity is key here and tactics like recognition programmes and use of social media channels can be useful.
o Context is critical for the commanding leader. Rather than just explaining what to people, they need to focus on building understanding around the why. Big picture strategy is important here – and tactics like learning maps and visuals and strategy toolkits can be very handy. Listening channels are important too – and employees may require anonymity as commanding leaders can breed distrust and fear. Coaching in body language is also useful.
This article is brought to you by Kokula Krishna Hari Kunasekaran! Visit Website or Follow back at @kkkhari
There was an interesting article in PR Week last week, on the subject of leadership communication. Entitled 'Get the best out of your boss' it outlines six of the most common leadership styles and suggests how communicators can best play to the personalities of their leaders. It's a nice reminder of the breadth of styles we have to work with and provides some useful pointers on how to play to your boss's particular strengths.
The six leadership styles – and the supporting descriptions (I've paraphrased) are:
1. Visionary leader – the classic rock star CEO who sets the big-picture and excels at moving people towards a shared vision. These leaders are superb public speakers and enjoy life in the spotlight. Barack Obama is a good example.
2. Affiliative leader – this type of leader wants to be your friend. A collaborative figure, the affiliative leader focuses on emotional needs and is most likely to ask 'how are you?'. Angela Merkel is held up as an example.
3. Coaching leader – holds long conversations that often extend beyond the work place. Good at helping employees identify their strengths and weaknesses and linking these to career goals. Step forward Dr Who.
4. Democratic leader -these are the great listening leaders, though this is sometimes at the expense of decisive action. Favorite catchphrases include 'what do you think?'. They like to show the way without pushing people in a particular direction. Lord Sebastian Coe is a good example.
5. Pacesetter leader – most likely to say 'copy me', these hard working leaders never shirk a challenge and lead by example. One downside is that they often expect employees to automatically get the picture. Step forward Margaret Thatcher …
6. Commanding leader – an old-school taskmaster who brings the dynamics of the playground into the boardroom. Very command and control in style they stick to one clear direction and refuse to consider an alternative routes or messages. Montgomery Burns is a good example.
The communicators quoted in the article, among them David Ferrabee and James Harkness, provide lots of useful advice on working with these types, including:
o Providing visionary leaders the right platform and sufficient time to explain their vision to others and gather feedback. High profile tactics like webcasts and regular publication profiles go down well with these types, but they may sometimes lack an eye for detail and require specific IC support in this area.
o Identifying opportunities for affiliative leaders to show their steel. Tactics like back to the floor are useful here, as are structured team meetings which focus on sharing constructive feedback. One classic issue with these types is their desire to communicate only the positive messages.
o Playing to the strengths of coaching leaders by encouraging them to host small, intimate sessions and focus on helping people turn strategy into action. These types are not great at big picture, but excel at one-to-one.
o Creating high-involvement forums for democratic leaders – workshops, online forums and blogs are particularly powerful. Clear, decisions communications help overcome this leader's tendency towards indecision. Arm them with insights and intelligence about the workforce and they should respond well.
o Encouraging the pacesetting leader to be more inclusive, more considerate of the feelings of others and creating plenty of listening opportunities. Inclusivity is key here and tactics like recognition programs and use of social media channels can be useful.
o Context is critical for the commanding leader. Rather than just explaining what to people, they need to focus on building understanding around the why. Big picture strategy is important here – and tactics like learning maps and visuals and strategy toolkits can be very handy. Listening channels are important too – and employees may require anonymity as commanding leaders can breed distrust and fear. Coaching in body language is also useful.
This article is brought to you by Kokula Krishna Hari Kunasekaran! Visit Website or Follow back at @kkkhari
Although, historically, politics, has been somewhat, partisan, in nature, we have never, in recent memory, observed, such a degree of unwillingness, to even consider, bipartisan cooperation, even when it is the need of the American public. This behavior, which might be referred to, as, politics, over policy/ people, is bad leadership, because it, unfairly favors, one’s political supporters, over the rest of the public. Wouldn’t we better served, if, once elected, politicians transformed into statesmen, and focused on the common good, rather than personal political agenda, and/ or self – interest? With that in mind, this article will attempt to briefly consider, review, and discuss, 5 reasons, this is, both, bad policy and a lack of genuine leadership.
1. Not relevant: Empty rhetoric and promises, might garner votes, and be popular, but it’s not genuine leadership, nor in the best interests of the public! America, especially with the many challenges, the world and nation, faces, today, needs relevant solutions, rather than polarization, or pitting one segment against another! Whether this is because of the unique persona, and nature, of President Donald Trump, or an undesirable trend, it does not achieve, what is best, for most Americans!
2. Unsustainable: President Trump, in an attempt to be popular, and honor his campaign promise, to change the tax system, and lower taxes, endorsed the legislation, passed towards the end of 2017, which was portrayed, as focused on the middle – class, while actually, favoring the wealthiest individuals and corporations. Claiming this would create economic growth, is based, on the often – unproven, claim, of Trickle – Down Economics. In the, less than half – year, since enacted, we have observed a huge expansion of the federal deficit, with forecasts, for ever – expanding deficits, into the future, and corporations, which Trump and his supporters, claimed, would use the additional revenues, to hire more people, and pay more, have actually, used most of this windfall, to grow their corporate gains!
3. Change should be, for the better, not just, for change – sake: When political rhetoric becomes empty promises, the change is, rarely, beneficial, to the overall good, of most Americans. Measure the results, not, by the level of rhetoric and promises, but, rather, whether it creates added benefits, for most Americans!
4. Common good, not personal agenda: Be certain, the plans and policies, are not based on personal or political agendas, or someone’s self – interests! Unless/ until, the focus, consistently, focuses on service to the public, for the common good, rather to a politician’s supporters, and/ or donors, elected officials are not representing us!
5. Make America Greater!: When Donald Trump was a candidate, his campaign slogan was, Make America Great Again. While, this meant different things to different individuals, I resented the word, again, because it implied, we weren’t already, a quality nation, and urged us, to look back, to the past, rather than, to the future. As Paul Simon wrote, in his song, Kodachrome, “Everything looks worse, in black, and white.” We should, rather seek, to improve how government serves its people, rather than elected officials, and/ or special interest!
Public policy should be the top priority, for our elected officials. Unfortunately, as we are presently witnessing and observing, politics and self – interest, seem to be prioritized!
This article is brought to you by Kokula Krishna Hari Kunasekaran! Visit Website or Follow back at @kkkhari
“Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily. If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented. So, to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise.” – Maya Angelou
Where does leadership originate? What makes a good leader? There are a multitude of perspectives and definitions on the subject. What about the followers? Who are the followers of a leader? Are the followers obeying blindly out of fear or laziness when taking the easy road? Or are the followers being self-leaders within the circles in which they participate?
These questions are normally outside of mainstream conversations. The majority of people don’t identify with being a leader or a follower. Regardless of status whether you are a parent, executive, professional, spouse, group member, caregiver, etc. you have unlimited leadership potential. Powerful self-leadership is when you answer your call to what is important to you and makes a difference.
Leading from within is based on your truth. It is answering the call to your vision, not someone else’s future. Following a compelling passion is usually followed by mastery.
Take the rags to riches story of J. K. Rowling. J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter fantasy series, is an excellent example of a self-leadership story. Rather than letting circumstances define her, she took proactive steps to develop the possibility of having a book published. In 1990, while she was waiting for a train from Manchester to London, she came up with an idea for a story about a young boy attending a wizardry school. The train she was waiting for was delayed four hours, but within that span of time the characters and plots came flooding into her head. When she arrived at home she immediately began putting the story to paper.
Between 1990 and 1995, while she worked on her manuscript for Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone on an old manual typewriter, her mother passed away, she moved to Portugal, got married, gave birth to a daughter, got divorced, moved to Scotland with her daughter, was diagnosed with clinical depression, contemplated suicide, was unemployed and lived on state benefits. Rather than succumb to life altering transitions, she wrote every chance she could. Her experiences were instrumental in developing the Harry Potter characters. For example, her illness gave her the idea of the soulless creatures, Dementors.
The death of her mother influenced her writing when describing the emotions Harry Potter felt with the death of his parents. J. K. Rowling submitted her manuscript to 12 publishing houses. She received rejections from each of them. It was a small British publishing house in London that finally accepted the book due to the persuasion of the editor’s eight-year old daughter. Barry Cunningham gave the first chapter to his daughter. After reading it the little girl insisted on reading the next chapter. The Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997 followed by six more Harry Potter stories.
“It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – J. K. Rowling
Forbes ranked her as the 48th most powerful celebrity of 2007; the Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling’s fortune in 2008 at $768 million; and she has become a prominent philanthropist. She took charge of her life in following through with an idea she was passionate in fulfilling. She took the high road in spite of what was thrown at her that could have easily swayed her to be a follower. Her self-leadership led her into leadership roles helping others develop self-leadership.
History and present day events are plentiful with persons who have made a difference in all walks of life and practices. They started out as self-leaders. Self-leaders are purposely stretching their possibility potential effecting their internal and external environments. They are visionaries and see beyond circumstances. They are creative inventors, scientists, cooks, interior designers, truck drivers, entrepreneurs, authors. In other words, they show up in all walks of life. They grow in their personal evolution by waking up their potential, daring to move toward a new possibility through self-leadership.
Questions to Ponder:
What is it that you are passionate about in becoming and doing? Where are you now professionally/personally? Is this where you want to stay? If you don’t take action now, when will you? Why wait?
Tips to Activate Self-Leadership:
Read biographies on people who followed their vision and not someone else’s. In many cases, they failed often in reaching their goals, or experienced major transitions beyond their control. However, what was in their control was what road they chose to follow. If you aren’t failing, you are doing the same things over and over again. When taking on something new there are inherent components.
One big one is failure. Make friends with failure and allow yourself to be vulnerable. Stop being invisible and answer your call. At first you may ask, “What is my calling?” That is a great question and that is where you begin. Asking the question activates opportunities to get the answer.
Remember: Anything Is Possible
“Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” – J. K. Rowling
This article is brought to you by Kokula Krishna Hari Kunasekaran! Visit Website or Follow back at @kkkhari