Develop your hearts!!

One of my great privileges of my work is that i get to meet, observe and know leaders at a wide variety of organizations, including businesses, governments, universities etc.

I've met a quite a few who exercise to keep their hearts and bodies fit for the long hours and no small number of them are also motivated by the desire to impress others with their presence, energy and competitiveness.

Regular physical exercise is certainly of value. What many leaders miss, however, is the need to develop their hearts in other ways beyond exercise that are even more important: ways that produce the character strengths of love, kindness, compassion, gentleness and empathy.

A leader whose character is missing these strengths may have power over others but will lead from influence that moves people to give their best efforts and align their behaviour with the leader's goals. This truth is expressed in sayings such as you have to "EARN THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD" and "People don't care what you know until they know that you care".

If you are a leader, you can develop the heart of the people you lead by bringing them together to serve at a local charitable organizations in your community that helps the less fortunate. By getting to know and serving the people in your life, your community and the world at large, you will develop the heart of a person others will want to follow.

Remember your Victory Dance

BE brilliant at the basics. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be the first one. Be the only one. Be unforgettable. Be interesting. Be a sleeper. Be That Guy. Be That Girl. Be the world’s expert on yourself. Be better than yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow. Be confident enough to be humble. But be somebody who reminds everybody of nobody else in the world.

AND DON’T wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t sell, enable people to buy. Don’t let the bastards get you down. Don’t be weary in well doing, for in due season you will reap a great harvest if you faint not. And don’t wait for the mainstream to validate your voice. Don’t despise the day of small beginnings. Don’t be selfish with your knowledge. Don’t complain if you haven’t earned the right. And don’t be different, be unique.

BECAUSE YOU are what you charge. You are what you believe. You are the books you’ve read and the people you’ve met. And you are an empty sheet of paper in the minds of every person you encounter.

AFTER ALL, the world cannot resist a man on a mission. The best swimmers are always in the pool. The sculpture is inside the stone. And the two greatest days in your life are the day you’re born, and the day you realize why you were born.

AND if you are successful you will always have too much to do and too little time. If you aren’t being criticized, you aren’t doing much. And if everyone says you’re out of your mind, you just might be onto something.

EVEN THOUGH, it’s not easy being yourself. It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you. And it’s not the years, it’s the mileage.

SO, WORK hard, work long and work smart. Work like you don’t need the money. And work from technique, because you never know how you will feel.

AND DON’T FORGET THAT success leaves clues. That confidence is king. That credibility comes from specificity. That listening is not waiting to talk. And that a nice person who is mean to a waiter is not a nice person.

OR, TO tell the truth, to tell it all and to tell it now. To give value first. To paint yourself into a good corner. To allow customers to participate in your brand. To do the work once and benefit many times. To give yourself away. To respect people’s no’s. To take massive action. And to act as if you already were the person you’re trying to become.

THEREFORE, ALWAYS stand up, stand out or be counted out. Discover your Personal Differential Advantage. Learn to love your zone of discomfort. Greet each day with love in your heart. Show, don’t tell. Make daily appointments with yourself. Never apologize for your art. Remember your Victory Dance. Work harder on yourself than your job. Find your one big idea. And always validate your existence, be yourself and do something cool – every single day.

Source: http://curtrosengren.typepad.com/collectivegenius/2006/06/life_isnt_about.html