Ten Major Causes of Failure in Leadership

As John C. Maxwell said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” If leadership is  the ability to empower others, then does it mean that a Leader who constantly need to remind his subordinates what not to do and to do has not attain the full status of effective leadership? In this post today, I share with you ten major causes of failure in leadership as culled from the all the time best seller “THINK AND GROW RICH” Enjoy!

So what are the Major Causes of Failure in leadership? They are listed below:

• Inability to organize details: Efficient leadership calls for ability to organize and to master details. No genuine leader is ever “too busy” to do anything which may be required of him in his capacity as leader. When a man, whether he is a leader or follower admits that he is “too busy” to change his plans or to give attention to any emergency, he admits his inefficiency, the successful leader must be the master of all details connected with his position.

• Unwillingness to render humble service: Truly great leaders are willing, when occasion demands to perform any sort of labor which they would ask another to perform.”The greatest among ye shall be the servant of all” is a truth which all able leaders observe and respect.

• Expectation of pay for what they “know” instead of what they do with that which they know: The world does not pay men for that which they “know,” it pays them for what they do, or induce others to do.

competition from followers

• Fear of competition from followers: The leader who fears that one of his followers may take his position is practically sure to realize that fear sooner or later

• Lack of imagination:Without imagination, the leader is incapable of meeting emergencies and of creating plans by which to guide his followers efficiently.

• Selfishness: the leader who claims the entire honor for the work of his followers is sure to be met by resentment. The really great leader claims none of the honors. He is contented to see the honors, when they are any, go to his followers because he knows that most men will work harder for commendation and recognition than they will for money alone.

• Intemperence: Followers do not respect an intemperate leader. Moreover, intemperance in any of its various forms destroy the endurance and the vitality of all who indulge in it

• Disloyalty: The leader who is not loyal to his trust, and to his associates, those above him and those below him, cannot  long maintain  his leadership.Disloyality  marks on  as being the less than the dust of the earth and brings down on one’s head the contempt he deserves

• Emphasis of the “authority “of leadership: The efficient leader leads by encouraging and not by trying to instill fear in the hearts of his followers. The leader who tries to impress his followers with his “authority” falls within the category of leadership through force. If a leader is a real leader, he will have no need to advertise that fact except by his conduct his sympathy, understanding, fairness, and demonstration that he knows his job

• Emphasis of title: The competent leader requires no “title” to give him the respect of his followers. The man who makes too much over his title generally has little else to emphasize. The doors to the office of the real leader are open to all who wish to enter and his working quarters are free from formality or ostentation.

WHAT NEXT?

Hope you learnt some vital lessons? Please drop me your comment below
 

What Does it Take to be Enterprising?

What does it take to be Enterprising? Well, read this interesting article by Jim Rohn, an Entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker and you are sure to get the answer.

• An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture.

• An enterprising person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.

• To be enterprising is to keep your eyes open and your mind active. It’s to be skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough and disciplined enough to seize opportunities that present themselves… regardless of the economy.

• A person with an enterprising attitude says, “Find out what you can before action is taken.” Do your homework. Do the research. Be prepared. Be resourceful. Do all you can in preparation of what’s to come.

• Enterprising people always see the future in the present. Enterprising people always find a way to take advantage of a situation, not be burdened by it. And enterprising people aren’t lazy. They don’t wait for opportunities to come to them, they go after the opportunities. Enterprise means always finding a way to keep yourself actively working toward your ambition.

• Enterprise is two things. The first is creativity. You need creativity to see what’s out there and to shape it to your advantage. You need creativity to look at the world a little differently. You need creativity to take a different approach, to be different.

• What goes hand-in-hand with the creativity of enterprise is the second requirement: the courage to be creative. You need courage to see things differently, courage to go against the crowd, courage to take a different approach, courage to stand alone if you have to, courage to choose activity over inactivity.

• And lastly, being enterprising doesn’t just relate to the ability to make money. Being enterprising also means feeling good enough about yourself, having enough self worth to want to seek advantages and opportunities that will make a difference in your future.

• And by doing so you will increase your confidence, your courage, your creativity and your self-worth, your enterprising nature. 

WHAT NEXT?

Tell me what you think  about this article.

TOP 5 Things You Would Never Be Taught in School

Many wonder why there are so many colleges and universities in Ghana, yet the products from these institutions cannot make significant impact in the society. Whilst others blame it on the Government, some manage to shift the blame to the educational system and a few think the individual is to blame. For instance, the question of why there is a high level of graduate unemployment in Ghana is being debated in every corner of the country. Some say, the Government should provide more jobs, others think the average graduate does not prepare himself adequately for the job market and some are of the view that, the courses taught in schools have do not have direct link with the job market as it is too theoretical . What do you think? Well, today, I am not going to talk about graduate unemployment. But I believe our educational system especially the universities need massive upgrade to help students cope with real world experience. During my High school days, we were being taught to memorize information and to regurgitate it back to our teacher, only to completely erase the information from our mind the moment we walk out after taking the test. We used to call it “CHEW BABA” At the universities, we follow this trend of chewing lecture notes alongside developing our analytical and problem solving skills; even with that graduates learn so much from the real world compared to all the years spent in class rooms. As I look back, I can capture five things I was never taught in school, which are very essential for life after the school. Hope you would identify with me on these things so let’s get started:

• Personal finance

personalfinance

One important subset regarding personal finance that you would never be taught in school are the  “intangible” things, such as learning to differentiate between  assets and  liabilities ,need and want, knowing how to delay gratification, and having an inner sense of value. You would never be taught how to invest the little money you have so could have something to rely on when you get out of school. Our teachers encourage us to learn hard to get high paying jobs but never teach us how to save the money we would get from these supposedly high paying jobs. So we earn more, spend all and get more and more in debt at a young age.

• Effective Communication

I’m not necessarily talking about giving speeches and presentations (which we only do getting to the last year of our studies).I'm mainly talking about being able to clearly take what’s in your head and to put it into words so the other person clearly understands what you’re saying the first time.At school the teacher does all the talking and all we have to do is to give him our ears, jot some few notes and hurriedly get out of class? We never get the opportunity to ask questions, even if we do, it is nonsensical.

• Social Skills

Closely related to communicating effectively are social skills in general. It is important to note that after you graduate, you’re not going to be dealing with your high school or college buddies anymore.

You’ll be dealing with many people from different backgrounds, countries, and top corporate executives, so it would be wise to learn how to socialize and cut off the slang. I once had a conversation with a young graduate who kept referring to me as “DUDE”, should I be surprised if he calls his Boss “dude” when he enters the corporate world?

Learn the art of networking – that’s key. Networking is a big skill that’s not taught in schools but is the sure way to land your dream job after school, learn how to approach people and how to start a conversation. For you would never be taught in school.

• Values

The last time I learnt about moral values was in my primary school days. Schools do not put much emphasis on values no wonder there is so much corruption in our world today. The average graduate does not know how to distinguish between right and wrong and everything is normal to him. The principle of integrity is lost in our world; people say one thing and do the exact opposite. They would go any length to get what they want even if it demands knocking others off the road.Our school is killing our innocent world. What a pity!

• Practical real life situations

We are all thrown into the schools of hard knocks, were we find what works and what doesn’t after so many years of trial and error. Vital things that makes the world worth living like marriage and family, finding your passion  in life, starting a business, money management  and adding value to the life of others is thrown into space. 

WHAT NEXT?

If all these are not taught in school, why then did I spend all these years in school? Please help me

5 EFFECTIVE STEPS TO INCREASE EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY

Are you a Boss or a C.E.O and wondering how to make your employees more productive? You see, the cost involved in hiring and training new employees is so expensive and time consuming that managers of organizations need to ensure that they bring onboard innovative ways that would increase the productivity of employees. It is not enough for employees to have an office to work in and get a cheque at the end of the month. Less productive inputs and lower efficiency levels are bound to affect the business and jeopardize its sustainability and survival. In this post, i share with you one of the plethora of articles i have written for How to Plaza. I hope it helps you boost the moral of your employees

 Below are some techniques you can take to increase employee productivity in your organization.

• Give out achievement awards:  Employees are motivated by the need for social recognition; hence, giving achievement awards to outstanding employees is an excellent way to improve productivity. These achievement awards can take the form of plaques, certificates, prizes, or even special parking spaces, and are handed out to employees who meet certain performance standards.

• Encourage and Motivate: Employers must make it a habit to always have words of encouragement for his employees. Encouraging employees helps them move forward and do even better, and makes the worker feel happy. Innovative ways of motivating them spurs them even more. For example, offer holidays or paid conferences to staff that prove to be outstanding in their field; these motivate them immensely and encourage others to give off their very best.

• Operate an Open Door policy: Keep communication with employees open. Listen to their complaints and pay attention to the problems going on in the workplace. To increase productivity, you should spend time listening to their suggestions and add comments if necessary 

• Use a Monetary reward system: Use money to keep employees from looking elsewhere. Regularly offer small bonuses or raises to loyal employees. Set up a raise schedule, so that employees can see what awaits them if they choose to stay.

•  Courses and improvement options: Employees are delighted when they can enhance their skills and get additional learning opportunities sponsored by the employer. This helps them learn, feel indebted for the money being spent on them, which also adds to their resume, and are obliged to perform better by applying all the knowledge gained in these courses.

WHAT NEXT?

Well, these are not all the steps you can take to increase the productivity of your employees, if you have more ways;kindly share it with us. And remember, if you are an unproductive employee;you just have two options, either YOU LOVE THE WORK OR YOU QUIT!

ROBERT KIYOSAKI’S CASH FLOW QUADRANT

Robert Kiyosaki is undoubtedly one of this era’s best known authors on personal finance. His Rich Dad series have released the mental shackles most people were through. From Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Cash Flow Quadrants, Retire Young, Retire Rich etc. You find timeless wealth creation principles and information that would challenge your mindset. I gave my book, Retire Young ,Retire Rich to a friend last week and just two days ago, she called me and begun quoting some portions of the book to moi.Isn’t it impressive? Today, I share with you some of the many gems gleaned from this book, Cash flow Quadrant. Enjoy

• It does not take money nor a good formal education to achieve financial freedom Most of these wealthy men do not have college degrees or are perhaps college drop outs: Thomas Edison founder of General Electric, Henry Ford founder of Ford Motors, Bill Gate of Microsoft, Ted Turner of CNN, Michael Dell of Dell Computer, Steve Jobs founder of Apple and Ralph Lauren founder of polo. 

• It takes a dream a lot of determination, a willingness to learn quickly, and the ability to use your God-given assets properly and to know which sector of the cash flow quadrant to generate your income from.

• More than anything, it is the internal difference of our core values, strengths, weaknesses and interest that affect which quadrant we decide to generate our income from. Some people love being employees while others hate it. Certain people love investing, while others only see the risk of losing money. Most of us are a little of each of these characters being successful in the four quadrants often means redirection some internal core values.

• Money is important; yet do not spend your life working for it.

• Rich dad thought that it is foolish to spend your life working for money and to pretend that money was not important.

• Learn to have money and people work hard for you, and you can be free to do the things that are important.

• There is a difference between being rich and being wealthy. The definition of wealth is the number of day you can survive, without physically working and still maintain your standard of loving, wealth is measured it time not dollars or cedis.

• Ultimately it is not how much money you make that matters, but how much money you keep and how long that money works for you. Every day I meet many people who make a lot of money, but all of their money goes out the expense column.

• The idea of go to school and get a safe secure job was a good idea for people born before 1930 today everyone needs to go to school to learn to get a good job, but we also need to know how to invest ,and investing is not a subject taught in school.

• People who take risks change the world. Few people ever get rich without taking risks.

• Financial freedom might be free, but it does not come cheap. Freedom has a price; freedom’s price is measured in dreams, desires and the ability to overcome.

• Even if you do not have much money it is important to invest in your education for when the changes come, you will be better prepared for them. The game and rules are different for each of the quadrants … which is why I recommend education over ego.

• Knowledge is power all you have to do is wait for the opportunity to use the knowledge and then you will have the money.

WHAT NEXT?

Share with me any of the lessons you have picked out from Rich Dad's Book, would love to learn from you.