Archive for December, 2007

About a month or so ago, I finally got around to watching “We were Soldiers” The epic story of the first major battle of the Vietnam war that the United States engaged in. The main character was Lt. Colonel Hal Moore (played brilliantly by Mel Gibson) and he is the leader that takes a group of 450 soldiers into battle and he exhorts his men to be all they can be. The movie is based on a true story and is recounted in a book by Lt. Colonel Hal Moore. From the start, they are facing an uphill battle given the fact that they are 450 strong and are up against a Vietnamese force of 2000 plus.

The one thing that Lt. Colonel Hal Moore tells his troops is that he will always be the first one on the battle field, and he will be the last one to step foot off the battlefield. He goes on to say that not only will he be the last one off, he will not leave any of his soldiers behind. This is a testament to his character as a man of war, but more importantly to his strength as a leader.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to take the brunt of whatever comes at your organization, and disseminate the appropriate information down to you people so they can get done what they need to do and not be bothered by all the other noise that is swirling around you. Being the leader of an organization means that you are going to have people coming at you from every angle, they are going to either want to give you something (ex: sell you something) or they are going to want something from you. You need to stay focused and weed out the important from the unimportant, and pass along the important to those that need it to perform their jobs. By allowing them to stay focused on their task at hand, the net result is that the overall team will be able to accomplish the team goal (whatever that may be).

Equally important is the fact that as a leader it is your responsibility to be the last to leave the battlefield. You never want to give the impression that your time or you interests are more valuable than those that are on your team, therefore you should be the last one off the battlefield (or maybe in your case, you should be the last one standing putting all the final touches on things). You employees look up to you as their leader, they put their complete trust in you so it is your responsibility to ensure them that you will do whatever it takes to protect them and to make the team succeed. Trust goes a long way with a team, it takes time to build that trust up, but it could take one small slip up and that trust is gone.

Leading by example will build that trust and it will go along way, so try to set the example of being the first one on the battlefield and the last one of.

I thought I would change things up a little today and go with a post that is a little on the lighter side (well, I guess that depends on whether or not you consider me complaining about other people’s actions as light, but I do so there). For the record, if you have committed any of these faux paus in my presence, I forgive you this time, but take this as fair warning that if you do it again, you are off the friend list ;-).

Without further delay, here are the top 10 things that people do (or don’t do) that grate my nerves (according to Will)

1. Not saying thank you if I hold the door open for you. Oh, are you too good for that? Guess what, next time I will let it slam in your face, then you will think twice before doing it again.
2. Not washing your hands after you go to the bathroom. All I have to say is YUCK. Please don’t extend your hand to shake mine, I will have to say no thanks! I actually witnessed this today, which prompted me to write this blog post.
3. Feeding people lip service. If you say you are going to do something, then just follow through with it. If you never intended on doing it in the first place, then just stay quiet and don’t mention it.
4. Cutting someone off in traffic just to get one car ahead. I mean really, does it save you that much time? Come on, Karma is going to come back and bite you eventually if you keep this up.
5. Passing me in the hallway and saying “Hey, how is it going” and keep on moving. Did you really want to know how I was doing? Guess not or you would have stopped to hear my response. Next time a simple Hello would be sufficient.
6. Talking for the sake of talking. Sometimes it is better to listen to the conversation rather than trying to be the conversation. There is a great old saying that goes like this “In order to be understood, first you must understand.” You are never going to understand, let alone be understood if you do not keep your yapper quiet sometimes and listen.
7. Assume their situation is the worst situation in the world right now. Trust me, no matter how bad you have it right now, there are plenty of other people out there who have it worse. Be thankful for what you have and be thankful you are not in their position.
8. Being late. Oh, this one really gets me. I am usually either on time or ahead of schedule. I respect other peoples time, therefore I give them the respect they deserve and show up on time. Try to do the same, your time is no more valuable than mine, and if it is, then why are we meeting in the first place?
9. Trying to be everything to everyone. I am actually guilty of this on occasion, so perhaps I should take some of my own medicine. There is a little thing called delegation, try it sometime, you may find that it makes your life a little easier. Some things are just better left to be done by someone else.
10. Last, but not least, keeping up with the Jones. Who are the Jones anyway? I do not know them, nor do I think I want to, but it seems a lot of peeps out there do know them and want to one up them. Be happy with who you are, you are unique and that is what makes this world a special place. Otherwise we would all be living in Pleasantville and what kind of fun would that be. Diversity is a good thing, embrace it and spread it.

There you have it, that is my list and I am sticking with it. Feel free to add to it as you please, I am sure there are countless other things out there that people do that rub you the wrong way. Say it loud and say it proud!