What's your favorite disguise? [/meta]

posted by letter shredder @ 11:59 a.m. on 1/20/2006

"Great art is about conflict and pain and guilt and longing and love disguised as sex and sex disguised as love..."
                                          -- Lester Bangs, Almost Famous



Friday, May 19, 2006

Picking Potential Leaders by Dr. John C. Maxwell

posted by letter shredder at 11:56 AM

I promised to post about the trip I just had. Through this blog, I would want to share the experience and relive every single detail that made it complete. But I thought that this one is something more important that I must share with everyone.


This was e-mailed to me by one of my business mentors. I hope you get a lot from it and be able to apply them as well (emphasis mine).


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PICKING POTENTIAL LEADERS
by Dr. John C. Maxwell


The Law of the Inner Circle: Those who are closest to me will determine the level of my success.


The year was 1864. The battle for America's future had been raging for over two and a half years. Brother fought brother and neighbor fought neighbor to determine the destiny of a nation.


Despite having a superior economy, an enormous edge in resources, and a far greater population, the North had been unable to gain the upper hand in the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln was frustrated at the North's inability to achieve victory.


Lincoln was forced to confront the reality of the Law of the Inner Circle. Although a brilliant leader, Lincoln was not a military man. As such, his success overseeing the Civil War depended upon finding a skillful field general to translate material advantages into actual victories.


Lincoln's two prior military commanders, George McClellan and Henry Halleck, had failed miserably. Each had repeatedly squandered opportunities to crush the Southern Army. With the war's outcome hanging in the balance, Lincoln's next selection would be one of the biggest decisions of his Presidency.


Noting the indecisiveness of previous army generals, Lincoln chose tough-minded Ulysses S. Grant to lead the army. Grant's willingness to pay the price of a total war depleted the South's scant resources, and led to the North's eventual victory.


Identifying Potential Leaders


Good leaders realize the significance of surrounding themselves with talented people. That's why leaders repeatedly ask me, "How can I be sure to hire the right person?"


I have never discovered a foolproof hiring practice, but I do know finding a great hire goes hand in hand with identifying potential leaders.


Over the course of the next two editions of Leadership Wired, I'll explore eleven questions I use to spot a potential leader. Before I begin, I'd like to give credit to my mentor and friend Fred Smith. Several of these questions were developed from my conversations with him.


1. When looking for a leader, do I see a constructive spirit of discontent?


Constructive discontent is a leader's unscratchable itch. It's the trait making a leader averse to average and opposed to the status quo.


Potential leaders possessing constructive discontent will question existing systems and push for improvements. They perceive problems and come up with solutions.


As Kouzes and Posner say, leaders have a pioneering instinct. They are not afraid to step out into the unknown. They are willing to take risks, innovate, and experiment in order to find new and better ways to operate.


2. Do they offer practical ideas?


Highly original thinkers can have problems leading when they are unable to judge their ideas realistically. Brainstorming is not a helpful practice in leadership unless useful ideas are generated.


In the words of John Galsworthy, "Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem." Potential leaders have the rare ability to translate idealistic goals into realistic and workable actions. Leaders are not frozen when obstacles disrupt the perfect plan. They have the flexibility and fortitude to account for resistance to the ideal.


3. When they speak, who listens?


Potential leaders have a "holding court" quality about them. Their words carry weight. What they say is valuable and inspires action.


When watching groups of people interact, in a matter of five minutes, I can pick the leader every time. When it comes time for the group to make a decision, all eyes focus upon the person with the greatest influence.


The extent of a person's influence speaks volumes about their potential in leadership. Here are seven key areas to evaluate the level of influence in a possible hire:


Character - who they are.


Relationships - who they know.


Knowledge - what they know.


Passion - how strongly they feel.


Experience - where they've been.


Past successes - what they've done.


Ability - what they can do.


4. Do others respect them?


Respect is vital for leadership, yet it can be difficult to discern in young leaders who have not fully developed. Peer respect doesn't reveal ability, but it shows character. I'll conclude this edition with the following acronym on respect. I have found it to be a helpful device to evaluate the respectability of emerging leaders.


R - Respects their coworkers and exhibits self-respect. Instead of asking for respect, they give it and earn it.


E - Exceeds the expectations of others. Naturally sets the bar higher than anybody else sets it for them.


S - Stands firm on convictions and values.


P - Possesses maturity well beyond their years and shows self-confidence.


E - Experiences a healthy family life.


C - Contributes to the success of others.


T - Thinks ahead of others. Potential leaders are marked by their ability to outpace the thinking of those around them.


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This seems incomplete, but as soon as I get the other questions and their respective answers, I'll post them.


Comments are always welcome.

2 revealed their disguise



Thursday, May 18, 2006

I'm Baaaack!!!

posted by letter shredder at 4:28 PM

The trip was fun and I am still overwhelmed by the experience. I have a lot of stories but I still have some catching up to do at work (coz the convention I attended is not in any way connected to the work I have, hence, not a company-sponsored trip).


And with the previous trip, I realized many things and promised myself it wouldn't be the last.


And I have my next goal in mind...

2 revealed their disguise



Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Been Busy Playing Dead... Now, Let Me Haunt You

posted by letter shredder at 12:16 PM

It's been a while since I've last posted. I was acting on some things that must have been done for a long time and I'm seeing some results already. Hard work is paying off but I'm still raising the bar.


Also, I'll be out of the country for a while next week and booking has gone crazy for a while. Now, I'm done with it too. The fact that this time of the year is a peak season for trips and that I am attending a Greater China and SEA convention made the scenario worse, but the adrenaline rush that came with the challenge to get past the hurdle was worth it.


It would be my first trip. To have it at the age of 22 is not something to be proud of (I mean, it could have been earlier), but I'm happy that I made it happen and not by asking money from my parents.


Well, my strong suits surely worked. However, they drive me nuts at the same time.


I have so much to post, including the scary (but turned out funny) incident that could have led me blinding a guy under the Ortigas flyover last week.


Just for a short talk, I went home this weekend and, as requested, slept beside my little brother. My mom told me my dad was laughing because I slept in my parents's bedroom.


Well, they didn't mind actually. I just didn't expect they'd notice that both their eldest and their youngest are sleeping beside them. My dad just realized they still have two kids in the house: a 4 year old and a 22 year old.


=====


And I was tagged by Ice...


Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. marketing assistant in an advertising company
2. freelance writer
3. legal transcipt editor
4. election beat reporter

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Almost Famous (hence, the theme of this blog)
2. Lord of the Rings (all three)
3. Ice Age
4. An Officer and a Gentleman

Four places you have lived in:
1. Makati
2. QC
3. Mendez, Cavite (town next to Tagaytay)
4. Tanza, Cavite

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Friends (can survive with the reruns)
2. As Told by Ginger
3. Team Explorer
4. Joey

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Romblon
2. Bicol
3. Tagaytay
4. Cavite City

Four websites I visit daily:
1. this blog
2. crimelibrary.com
3. videocure.com
4. answers.com

Four of my favorite foods:
1. pasta
2. milkfish (got fish?)
3. prawns
4. crabs

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. beach!!!
2. europe (i'd live in each city for at least a month)
3. my bed (I am good in bed; I can SLEEP all day!)
4. in front of the TV playing any video game

Seven friends who I have tagged that I think will respond:
1. well, I'm tagging everyone!
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

2 revealed their disguise