Maximise Potential

Leadership books come by the dozen and everywhere we look there is a new leadership book coming out. However the fundamentals never change irrespective of time. Becoming your best by Steven R. Shallenberger is a nice book on the fundamentals of leadership. There are 12 key principles of leadership identified. Here they are with my take on each. Be True to Character  – This is a really simple principle but essential to becoming a great leader. Leadership requires a high self-awareness and when you are true to your character people follow you. Say what you will do and do what you say. This is really as simple as it gets. The best principle is to under promise and over deliver. Lead with a Vision  – The foremost responsibility of a leader is to paint a picture of a wonderful future vision which excites followers to take action. This is the key because if a vision doesn’t lead to action it won’t be of any use. Of course the best vision is the one to go to the moon by John ...

Career planning is something everyone wants to do some time. But if we have our necks full with work there is no way we can allocate the time to plan this out. There are a lot of career books and the latest one I came across is “Born for This” by Chris Guillebeau. This is a good read and has some good actionable steps as outlined below.  Flip the Script – The main thesis is there is not one way to manage your career. If you follow the crowd you won’t find what you really want to do. There are some non-traditional ways to get your dream career.  Joy/Money/Flow – This is the crux of the book and basically you need to have a job you love, you should be able to make money doing it and you should lose yourself when you do it. While this seems like a pipe dream if we do love our job we will do better. I would suggest is to love what you have as that would result in greater joy. This is not easy but can be done. Always Bet on Yourself - In order to win the career lottery ...

The number one skill required to succeed in the current job environment is communication. All things being equal communication is what will distinguish you from others. The reason is with the explosion of outsourcing and project teams being in diverse locations the ability to communicate and collaborate are essential skills to have. The key to better collaboration is communication. Here are 12 guidelines to communicate better. Be Clear  - The first step in communication is to make your message short and crisp. Simplify your message. Clarity is an absolute must. Use Simple Words  - Be wary of using bombastic words and use simple words instead which relate with the audience or person. Simplicity connects people. Be other centered  - Make your interactions with people more about them and take the focus off yourself. A key to effective communication is having a genuine interest in other people. Pay attention to where you focus when you communicate. Think about other...

Marcus Aurelius the  Roman Emperor wrote the Meditations which was an excellent primer on Stoicism. Ryan Holiday wrote “The Obstacle is the Way” based on his quote which says “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” This is an excellent book on how to overcome obstacles. The books draws examples from history like John D. Rockefeller who had cool headedness and self-discipline, Demosthenes the great orator had a relentless drive to improve himself through action and practice. Abraham Lincoln displayed humility, endurance, and compassionate will. The first principle is perception which is how we see and understand what occurs around us. Basically it is the meaning we give to every event that determines how we will deal with it. For example the greater the chaos the calmer Rockefeller would become. His quote on this is awesome "Oh how blessed young men are who have to struggle for a foundation and beginning in life." We should l...

Michael Phelps is one of the most decorated sports stars of all time. His performance in the Rio Olympics was a revelation and showed his resilience in action. While he deserves all the credit for what he has achieved there is a coach in the background who deserves a lot of credit for bringing the best out of him. Of course his coach is Bob Bowman and he is considered as one of the best coaches in Olympic history. How would it be if he shared all his insight on what it takes to be a champion. That’s what he has done with the book titled “The Golden Rules” he has coauthored with Charles Butler. Here are the 10 steps to World-class excellence in your life and work with my take on each. Set a Big Vision – It all starts with having an audacious vision for your life. Here are some questions that can start the journey toward defining your vision. What you want to achieve by the time you retire? What do you want other people to say when you are not there? How much do you want to earn o...

We all want to live to be 100. As I have mentioned in my earlier posts Mandy Oaklander is one of my favorite columnists of Time Magazine. She provides simple strategies that are very effective. Her latest article is on how outlook and social ties affect the way you age. Here are her tips to live on and on till age 100 which should be our aim. Here are her 6 tips with my take on each. Embrace Technology – However old we are there is no escaping the fact that we have to embrace technology. We need to be tech savvy whether we like it or not. The fact is it is easier than ever to understand how the world works and information is in our finger tips. Anything we want is available and the only missing ingredient is how we use technology to further our aspirations. Being in touch with technology can make you feel younger. Social media is a great means to stay vibrant in our later years. Lean on family – The research shows that when people were able to list five of their close connectio...