News Flash!

The evening news of 9 November led with the story that General Petraeus, the Director of CIA, had resigned.  The cause was said to be an "affair" with a journalist, Paula Broadwell, who has written a book and articles (see below) about the General.  This stains the General's reputation, ends his career as a Leader and sadly, limits his opportunities to make further contributions to the nation. Indeed, the general is said to have stated that his actions were "...unacceptable as a husband and as a leader of an organization...."

Aspiring Leaders should again look again at the first of "Petraeus's Rules for Living" and take it to heart if they desire to be aspire to succeed in life and leadership.  Hopefully, as a husband, the general will heed his fifth rule.

This situation is not unusual in the lives of much-admired national Leaders, although in the more transparent and politiclally correct atmosphere today it is more damaging to the Leader and the organization.   To read more about why and how this happens, go here____ and read about "Charismatic Leaders".

Military Leadership for the Rest of Us

Newsweek magazine has just published “Petraeus’s Rules for Living” .  They are worth consideration in full and in detail by all aspiring Leaders.  To encourage that, in condensed form they are:

“1. Lead by example….

2. A leader must provide a vision…and communicate those ideas….

3. A leader needs to give energy….

4. There is an exception to every rule…it is up to leaders to explain…them.

5. We all will make mistakes…recognize them…admit them…learn from them.

6. Be humble….’Listen and learn.’

7. Be a team player.

8. Don’t rely on rank…rather than the persuasiveness of your logic….

9. Leaders should be thoughtful but decisive….

10. Stay fit….

11. The only thing better than a little competition is a lot of competition.

12. Everyone on the team is mission critical….”

Source: Paula Broadwell, “Petraeus’s Rules for Living: Lessons on leadership from General David Patraeus,” Newsweek, 12 November 2012, p. 64.

Sounds Encouraging….But?

In a “60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll, in response to the question “Which one of the following would you say most prevents you from behaving badly?” 70% chose “Morals and Principles” over 18% for “Religion” and 7% for “Fear of Getting Caught”.  That certainly is an encouraging sign of high moral and ethical standards among the presumed well-to-do, New York, cosmopolitan, politically and socially liberal readers of the magazine in the circumstances commonly encountered in their privileged lives.

But, what about the rest of us?  Do you know what your morals and principles are, as a person, as a Leader, as a professional?  Have you considered whether they are the right ones for your personal virtue, for the people you Lead, for the organization in which you work ?  Are you sure that you are prepared to follow them when put to the test?

Source: Vanity Fair, September 2012

To think about those things, go here____.

An Olympic Reminder for Leaders

On the ABC Network Evening News on 31 July, anchor Diane Sawyer reported that the parents of Olympic athletes generally sacrificed $500,000 of their hard-earned money and 20 hours of their limited time to help their child could become a competitor for the gold. That brings to mind the adage that “No one succeeds without the help of others.”

Leaders need to remind themselves that others---seniors and mentors---have helped them achieve their leadership position.  In return, they should give some of their hard-earned experience and some of their limited time to help others achieve success.

To read about the need for mentoring and the Leader’s role in mentoring, go here____.

Stephen Covey and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People