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Hugh Ballou on December 30th, 2011

You must have control of the authorship of your own destiny. The pen that writes your life story must be held in your own hand.  - Irene C. Kassorla

One of the most common problems I encounter when working with leaders to build results and create effective teams, is described in the statement, “My people just don’t do what I need them to do.” I suggest that this problem comes from the leader and not from the team.

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Hugh Ballou on December 29th, 2011

Failing is Not an Option

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. ~Henry Ford In looking at expensive rings with a variety of brilliant gems that sparkle in the light. They sparkle because they are highly polished and engraved for excellence. Gems cannot be polished without friction. I remembered at that moment that there were times in my life with friction. At the time, I did not appreciate the value of that friction to the ultimate value it created for my in my leadership skills. People would say encouraging things to me to help me deal with the disappointment and to help me get refocused. At the time of the stress, I could not fully embrace those helpful comments. After that stress is gone and I am in a better place emotionally, it’s easier to understand that I have grown in my skills. The experience is valuable looking in the rear view mirror. The value of evaluation can be powerful in developing leadership skills. Perspective provides wisdom that we otherwise would not have. Failure is a welcome experience in the right perspective. Those who succeed get up one more time than they fall down. Failure is a step toward growth. Growth is a journey and not an event. Henry Ford also said, “Obstacles are thing you see when you take your eyes off your goals.” The wisdom here is that having specific goals is a key element for success. Your goals may be bold. Actually, that’s good. It’s better to have high goals and fail rather than have mediocre goals and succeed. Bold goals stretch skills and empower personal growth. Skilled leaders can share stories of how those skills were strengthened over time. Usually, the journey to excellence is punctuated with challenges. Welcome challenges as teachers. Embrace the teaching moments and look for the value those teaching moments bring to you. You and only you are in charge of your attitude. You will not grow without trials. Learn to discipline your disappointment. Keeping a positive mental attitude is one of the definitions of true wealth as listed by Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow RichThe book is full of examples of great leaders who overcame what some would classify as insurmountable obstacles. You are in charge of you. What attitude will you choose today?

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Hugh Ballou on December 28th, 2011

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Hugh Ballou on November 4th, 2011

We might all agree that leadership is a skill. We may not all agree that leadership is a learned skill. We might all be correct. It I had to work with the skill I was born with, I might not be teaching leadership. No matter where you are on the spectrum believing that leadership can or cannot be taught, we might all agree that leadership skills continue to develop as along as we are willing to learn. I have learned that leadership is not only a skill, but a system as well.

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Hugh Ballou on October 28th, 2011

“I’m sorry this letter is so long, I didn’t have time to make it shorter.” — George Bernard Shaw

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Hugh Ballou on October 27th, 2011

 

 

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Hugh Ballou on October 26th, 2011

Meetings provide a forum …

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Hugh Ballou on October 25th, 2011

 

Conflict exists…

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Hugh Ballou on August 9th, 2010

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin on Fox News Sunday

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Hugh Ballou on June 9th, 2010

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