Inspiring Leaders
...was standing on the flat rock shelf and peering over the edge. There was less than a foot of rock between his feet and the 700-foot drop to the ocean below. I wondered how his confident posture might change had he seen what was below him, as I saw it. As leaders, we must realize that our opinions of decisions may change as we change our vantage points. Effective leaders are on the move. They regularly meet with customers, clients, and constituents to seek their opinions. They visit with employees and volunteers at their places of work to better understand their needs. This allows them to constantly see things differently. Think about what you can do differently to see things from new vantage points. By endeavouring each day to seek new vantage points, you will begin to dream the way things could, rather than only seeing them from your usual position "the way they are." 2. Bounce back. When my son was starting to walk, he would stumble and fall many times a day. My wife and I encouraged him to get right back up. One year later, not only did our son walk with confidence, he was almost an unstoppable force. One day my wife and I were in a shopping mall and, while I was looking at some books, my son darted off into a women's clothing store. I soon spotted him peering out from behind a rack of ladies' lingerie. I lunged to catch him, but he changed directions, and I found myself lying under the lingerie rack. I gathered myself and left the store in the path I believed my son had taken. Once outside I noticed a crowd gathering in front of the store window. There, I saw my son dancing in the store window among three lingerie-clad mannequins. Embarrassed, I retrieved him. As adults, how we react to failure can have a dramatic effect on our lives and our dreams. If we allow discouragement to prey upon us when we fall short, we will not succeed in reaching our long-term goals. If we waste our time talking of failures, hard luck, or troubles, and if we dwell upon errors and mistakes, we will lose precious time we can use to begin our next project. Confucius said, "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." But it is not just rising when you fall but how you rise that makes the difference. Those who take falling down in stride and move on quickly with the same boundless determination they had before are the ones who achieve the greatest successes. Move on quickly to your next task when you fall. Rise from each failure with new enthusiasm rather than cry over what did not go right. Show your true character and put yourself in a better posi...