Great Leadership article I read from Entrepreneur.com. Check it out Here, or read on below.

1. The successful leader has a vision:
   Think things through and know where you want to go and how you want to
   get there. Work with others to ensure a vision is followed through.
   Direct the actions and resources toward making it a reality.
2. The successful leader communicates well:
   Articulate a vision clearly to others. Encourage two-way communication
   between managers and non-managers and always be available to others.
   Strive to be succinct and specific about directions and instructions.
   Above all, a good leader avoids generalizations and ambiguities that
   can lead to misunderstanding, conflict and poor performance.
3. The successful leader supports and guides the employees:
   Start by helping others clarify and achieve goals by identifying and
   removing any obstacles. Provide the resources (time, money, people,
   information and equipment) needed to complete the task. Don’t reprimand
   others who make mistakes when taking a well-calculated risk. Instead,
   critique and analyze what went wrong and what went right. Next, work with
   the employee to correct the error. Decide whether another attempt at a
   previous goal is necessary, and offer encouragement if it is. During
   the entire process, provide appropriate feedback to ensure positive
   attitudes and actions. Serve as a model of good attitude and use
   approaches that others can emulate.
4. The successful leader believes in his/herself:
   A good leader possesses a strong sense of confidence, built upon years
   of learning, experimenting and at times failing–but always growing. Be
   aware of personal strengths and limitations, and demonstrate those
   skills and talents without boasting. Assume responsibility for faults
   and personal errors without hiding them or blaming others, and know
   that if a mistake occurs, it does not equate inadequacy. A successful
   leader believes that he or she can turn around a negative situation by
   re-examining the variables and other circumstances–with input from
   others, when necessary.
5. The successful leader creates the atmosphere that encourages others to grow and thrive:
   Know that no one individual possesses all of the answers. By
   appreciating the role that motivational techniques can play in
   improving employee performance, you can work with others to increase
   organizational productivity and improve individual job satisfaction.
   Here are some tips on how to create a motivational atmosphere:

   • Ask people their opinion rather than telling them yours.

   •
   When people ask you for solutions, have them come up with answers or
   options rather than telling them the best way to resolve a situation.
   Discuss the merits of their views and how to make them successful.

   •
   Provide positive feedback when employees voice their opinions. Offer
   suggestions or try to resolve challenges. Reinforcing behavior on your
   part will encourage more spontaneity, thinking and innovation on their part.

   •
   Ask questions, even when you don’t know the answer. Ask employees
   challenging questions that encourage them to think, plan and react.
   Above all, encourage employees to challenge themselves.

   •
   Encourage employees to take appropriate risks. Support them when they
   do and also when the outcome of risk-taking isn’t positive. In those
   cases, evaluate what went wrong and encourage other, more appropriate
   risks.

6. The successful leader manages by walking around: By getting out of the office and
   walking around the department, plant or building to interact with other
   employees, you get an opportunity to see people on the line doing daily
   tasks. Create an opportunity to informally chat with employees and
   learn something more about their work challenges and lives.
7. The successful leader acts and reacts in an honest manner: Authors and creators of The Leadership Challenge program
   Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner report that honesty is the No. 1
   characteristic of superior leaders. Honest leaders easily build trust
   and confidence. Their employees are more apt to work harder, ask
   questions and respect leaders who come across as honest. Employees will
   also accept critiques, whether positive or negative, from leaders they
   trust and believe.
8. The successful leader creates and fosters a learning environment:
   Recognize that increased knowledge, more job experience and challenging
   different mind-sets increases worker satisfaction, motivation and
   productivity. Frequently encourage others to think outside-the-box and
   see issues from alternate perspectives.
9. The successful leader perseveres:
   Don’t deflect from achieving goals simply because obstacles exist or no
   answer is readily available. Continue in your pursuit of excellence
   despite barriers and criticism, and encourage the same attitude in
   others.
10. The successful leader shares successes: Know that positive outcomes are rarely the result of only one person’s attempts or input. A self-confident entrepreneur shares the limelight and accolades with others who contributed to the final product or service.

Full article Here.

Don’t ask me why, but I came across this article at lunch.  Think it’s a pretty good read… 

http://www.inspiredliving.com/business/easy-decisions.htm

Have you ever struggled to make a decision? Do
you sometimes base your decisions solely on what you think you will get as a result of a
given choice? For instance, if you thought “If I take that job, I will have more
money, and when I get more money then I can stop worrying about my bills,” your
decision would be based on being able to pay your bills, not on being excited about the
job.

The problem with a “If I do this then I will
have that, and when I get that, I will have or be. . .” approach is that if this
doesn’t turn out to give you that, which frequently happens, you end up in a state
of worry, anxiety or fear.

Of course, when first making the decision you are
filled with enthusiasm and expectation of a fabulous outcome. I call this stage the
honeymoon period: the “in love” stage when everything is rosy and you couldn’t
see a blemish with a microscope. However, the decision was made because of an expectation
to get something, so it is inevitable that you will start monitoring whether or not it has
arrived.

If what is wanted comes quickly, the “in
love” state continues to flourish. But when it doesn’t. . .well, there’s just too
much negative chatter, doubt and lack found in that state.

There is another, far better place from which to
make decisions: the heart. The heart’s filter wants to know:

• Do I feel inspired about this option?
• Does it feel like the “right” thing to
  do?
• Will I grow and expand from this experience?
• Will everyone involved be uplifted by this choice?
• Can I feel good about my choice regardless of the
  outcome?
• Does it cause my heart to sing?

Instead of laboring over decisions, give yourself
time to notice how you feel about each option under consideration, then pick the one that
resonates the most with your heart. By doing so, you will naturally pursue the best
option. After all, your inner knowing – the heart center – is the wisest one of
all.

Was asked this question at my Bachelor & Bachelorettes
Toastmasters meeting yesterday for the ‘Bedroom Topics’ portion.  Essentially, a question/topic is raised, and
a member is randomly chosen to fire off an impromptu speech whereas they should
sound intelligent, organized, collected etc. Ideally, you’re supposed to sound as if you’ve thought about the topic at great
length.   It was my first night in
attendance, and I was chosen to answer the British/American girlfriend question…   Here we go!

* Dana blacks out for a second - kinda like Will Ferrel’s debate in Old School.*

I ended up winning the impromptu speech / ‘Bedroom Topics’
award.  Couldn’t really tell you exactly
what I said, but had the crowd laughing and giving me constant attention as I strolled aound the room.  I was acting on pure instinct, quick-thought and moxie.  (Highlights of my improv speech included my myspace top 8,
pirates and a mud-wrestling contest between my make-believe British/American
girlfriend.)  Somehow I pulled it together, made it valid and won a sexy little award baby!  Plus made a TON of new professional friends/connections.  I’ll easily be back next week to defend my title haha.  

I’ve noticed something about me, I do much better when I don’t
think about stuff and just fire from the hip. 
Whether it’s speeches, projects, life, love, business/whatever - don’t
think, just do it.  Don’t over analyze, just tackle the issue.  Go with your
instincts, don’t think, don’t let emotion or the ‘power of good’ in.  Oh, and don’t be afraid to wow a crowd.  :) 
 
Impromptu Your Face Off,

–D

Read an article the other day about how Tech Celeb Guy Kawaski was able to launch a web 2.0 site for under $14 grand.  At first I got excited thinking it may have some genius tips on how to market the site, content mangement, traffic etc.  I was way wrong and very disappointed.  Guy is a great writer, and a pretty smart dude however this article struck me like a kick in the nuts. 

After the burning sensation left my pants - I digested the article.   I had to remember one very important factor about business - Guy is a brand celeb.  Guy Kawaski’s new, dare I say ‘risky,’ web 2.0 venture received almost 300,000 page views ON THE FIRST DAY.  Was it a huge success, genius idea or just great marketing?  Nope.  It was Guy. 

Remember this folks - if P-Diddy released a P-Diddy tampon, no matter what he did or invested, it would sell.  Likewise, if Guy Kawaski, Kevin Rose, or Steve Jobs start a new site, it’s going to do much better than anything any of us up-and-comers could dream of doing without a huge budget.  Granted, on a long enough time line a better idea, better implementation will kick the snot out of a poor idea conceived by Jesus himself, sticking out that great idea is a hard, daunting task. 

10 Things Your Boss Hates About You. 

Great article over at guardian.ca.  Here’s the exec’ summary.

1. Lateness
2. Lack of Initiative
3. Too much initiative
4. Bitching & Whining
5. Disloyalty
6. Lack of Passion, or interest
7. Trying to be their best friend
8. Petty lying
9. Childishness
10. Wanting their job

Read the entire article Here!!