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August 2, 2012 by Greg

Navigator Newsletter #145

The Navigator Newsletter

Personal Note from the “Captain of the Ship”

Help Wanted: Optimistic Leadership Need Only Apply

Fear and anxiety dominate the workplace. People are feeling depressed and scared. Those who have jobs are waiting anxiously for the other shoe to fall. Millions of people feel victimized by the economy. Others have given up hope. The effect is lowering motivation and job productivity the world over.

Well–it is a good thing I don’t feel that way! I refuse to be a pessimist.

Whether you are the President of the United States or the President of the local PTA, you have a tremendous opportunity to make difference in the lives of others through the words you use and the attitude you choose.

If you are a leader, you have a higher calling – a responsibility to set a positive example for others to follow. Now more than ever, this world, this country, and your business need optimistic leadership. The people you influence are looking for hopefulness and a positive direction to follow. This is what good leaders do.

In my own experiences I have learned time and time again—with the right leadership, people can do amazing things. Let’s pledge here and now to be more optimistic. If we do, we will snap out of this recession much quicker.

A Hero Lies in Each of Us

The heroic actions demonstrated by Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and his magnificent crew on US Airways Flight 1549 is worthy of admiration. It is no surprise why so many people were galvanized with this incident.

First came the actual incident — a perfectly executed crash landing in the Hudson River resulting in no loss of life. But the incident is not as significant as the psychological affect.

As we dissect this event, each of us appreciates something different. There is not enough space or time for me to list every detail, but here are a couple that stand out most in my mind.

Others came first. Once the plane was in the water “Sully” was the last to abandon ship. He did not get off until everyone was outside the plane. Captain Sullenberger has become an international celebrity, but you still sense his humility –he is not a man selfishly seeking glory.

I believe Joel Barker’s definition of a leader best describes Captain Sullenberger. Barker says, “A leader is someone who takes you to a destination you will not go to by yourself.” That is certainly true in this incident.

We have grown callous by all the negative images we see in the media. We are bombarded in our daily news with fallen titans motivated by corruption and greed. Whether it concerns peanut butter, private jets, or golden parachutes, we have grown skeptical and have less trust for those in authority.

We tend to forget there are far more good people in this world than bad. Sullenberger and his crew made us hopeful and proud again. That is a good thing.

If you would like to view the 60 Minutes interview with Captain Sullenberger, please go to my Blog.

Best regards,

Greg Smith

CEO and “Captain of the Ship”

770-860-9464

View Greg Smith's profile on LinkedIn

Have You Lost Your Way?
Six Things You Need to Do Now

As part of the preparation when I am hired to speak, I visit several of the businesses in that association. I recently visited one of those companies in my hometown. I asked the business owner what he is doing differently as a result of this economy. I was astounded to hear these words, “Well, nothing. We are just hoping things will get better.” I was astounded! This business needed help.

Tig Gilliam is the CEO of Adecco. He recently said, “Those leaders who best adapt to shifts in priorities, and successfully execute against them by rallying their talent in new and oftentimes uncharted territory, are leaders who are successful in times of growth and times of uncertainty.”

Here are six things you need to focus on now.

1. Assess your talent.
Do they have the skills and abilities your business needs in this economy?
What are you doing to improve those skills?

2. Work on employee engagement.
Is your workforce motivated and productive?
Do you have a way to capture their ideas and suggestions?

3. Build closer relationships with customers.
Do you know what your customers need and want from you?
Have you contacted your customers recently and let them know what new services you provide?
Are you using the Internet and Web 2.0 effectively to market your business?

4. Evaluate your company culture.
Is it focused on agility, flexibility?
Is your vision statement relevant and meaningful to people?
Are your departments working together or is there friction and organizational pathologies?

5. Build trust among the management staff.
Has downsizing damaged the morale of your business?
What are you doing to improve communication?
Does your workforce trust upper management?

6. Retain your superstars.
Have you established retention plans for those people you need to keep?

If you are looking for a tool to assess the talents and skills of your talent, I encourage you to look at the Personal Talent Skills Indicator. It measures 32 competencies against a database of 40,000 other individuals.

https://www.chartcourse.com/Assessment_Center.html

New Workshop/Presentation


Surviving or Thriving:
Leading Your Business through the Economic Crisis


The business world has changed. Whether you are a small company or a large corporation, success depends on your ability to eliminate status quo, increase sales, and focus on new opportunities. You will learn how to create a system of customer service keeping you profitable and ahead of the competition. This session provides you dozens of tips and strategies on improving performance, motivating your people to new levels, and innovative ways to market your business and capture new customers. These new ideas and concepts will take you and your company to the next level and help you achieve measurable, bottom-line improvement results in a short period of time. Click on the link below for more information on our organizational development programs.

https://www.chartcourse.com/workshops.html

Greg’s Upcoming Speaking/Engagement Schedule

February 26:

Iowa Nursery & Landscape Association, “Leading Your Workforce During an Economic Crisis” – Iowa State University
March 2:

American Rental Association, “Building an Emotional Connection with Your Customers” – Atlanta
March 10-11:

Pizza Expo, “Gladiator Leadership” and “Loyal for Life”– Las Vegas
April 1-8:

On assignment, Ireland
April 29:

SHRM Staffing Conference, “Proven Ways to Retain, Engage and Motivate Your Workforce” – Las Vegas
April 30:

International Association of Operative Millers, “Transforming Workers to Winners”-Grand Rapids


 

See all 12 videos previews

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Copyright 2009 by Chart Your Course International–reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From “Chart Your Course International,” by Gregory P. Smith, copyright 2009. (770) 860-9464  (800) 821-2487

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