One of the business gurus that I have been reading for over 25 years recently came up with an article entitled Leadership is Love. Tom Peters who I watched keenly on videos, author of many books inspired me much during my active working days. Unlike, the teacher style Stephen Covey or the calm and reflective Peter Senge, Tom was the dynamic and energetic speaker which used the full length of the room to conduct his seminars or presentation.
Has he aged to become more compassionate? Why is he talking of love? Has ‘in search of excellence’ become in search of love?
Tom Peters : Leadership is love, published in march 2008.
Leadership is all about love: passion, enthusiasm, energy, empathy, emotion, excitement, engagement, empowerment, execution, community, purpose, potential, profit, persistence, people, commitment, excellence, adventure, failure, surprise, growth, creativity, change, imagination, vitality, joy, spirit, diversity, innovation, design, quality, initiative, wow!
It’s always better to try a swan dive and deliver a colossal belly flop than to step timidly off the board while holding your nose. Only “in love” leaders (outrageously excited by their product and service), and in-touch (Managing By Wandering Around) leaders inspire commitment from their talent. It’s the people, stupid!
Effective enterprise is always a product of maximizing human freedom to create and serve. Leaders and organizations exist to serve and respond to customers’ desires with products and services and experiences that are “gasp-worthy.”
Maximum human freedom, betterment and growth are achieved under conditions of free markets and free people, governed by law and contracts, which are, in turn, the product of education and infrastructure, which maximizes the likelihood of and support for entrepreneurial people.
Entrepreneurs who have the freedom and support to start and nurture new businesses are the cornerstone of the economy. Such entrepreneurs replace the current ruling firms—or wake those firms up to the possibility of rebirth. Organizational Effectiveness = Human Effectiveness = f (Freedom and Respect, Opportunity and Responsibility).
Agile organizations win—in markets and in wars— and these are the product of people who are committed and have the freedom to act and create—from the checkout to the lab. The new tech-tools offer astounding “power to the people.” This is a wonderful expansion of human freedom and an incredible opportunity for organizations: Good service + Good product + Good people + Good Citizenship + Room to Experiment and Fail and Grow + Commitment to Excellence = Maximum Profit + Economic Growth + Realized Human Potential.
Bureaucracy kills initiative, entrepreneurship, productivity, businesses, economies, people, and kills nations. Only the full utilization of everyone’s talent enables constant re-imagining.
Diversity breeds creative activity. The pursuit of Excellence is largely a matter of appreciating women’s dominating position in the economy. Excellence is a universal striving. If not Excellence, what? Accept no less than Excellence. Empower one and all to vigorously seek Wow! in their work. Reward excellent failures; punish mediocre successes. Pursue a mission that rocks the world. Create effective, imaginative, minimalist infrastructure.
Business is about relationships. We’re all in sales! Relationships are what we do. Your true priorities are “given away” by your calendar. What are you spending your time on? Are you distracted? Focused? While you may do 100 things, you should not have more than two (or three) “strategic” priorities at any time.
Excellence is the Ultimate Cool Idea. The very idea of “pursuing excellence” is a turn-on—for you and those you lead. Think Wow! Language matters! “Hot” words generate a Hot Team.
Do something in the next half hour! Don’t get stuck! There is always something little you can start or do to solve a problem or seize opportunity. Test it! Now! I call this the Quick Prototype Attitude. One of life’s biggest problems is: “Too much ‘talk,’ too little ‘do.’” If you’ve got a Cool Idea, don’t sit on it or research it to death. Grab a pal and start laying out a little model. Start transforming the idea to action.
Expand your horizons. Reach out beyond your comfort zone. Call somebody “you’ve been meaning to get in touch with” and invite them to lunch tomorrow. Volunteer for crummy little assignments nobody else wants, but give you a chance to be on your own, express your creativity, and make a noticeable mark when it turns out “Wow.”
Follow the Gospel of “Experience Marketing.” Selling a “product” or “service” is not enough in a crowded marketplace. Every interaction must be reframed as a Seriously Cool Experience. There’s nothing cooler than an Angry Customer! The most loyal customers are ones who had a problem with you, and then marvel when you go the Extra Ten Miles to fix it! Business opportunity No.1 = Irate customers converted into fans. Look for customer problems to fix.
All marketing is relationship marketing. Profit is a byproduct of “bringing ‘em back.” Thus, systematic and intense and repeated follow-up and after-sales service and scintillating new hooks are vital. Dare to fend off encroaching irrelevance. Improvise. Be good at Plan B. Make it up as you go along. Make it different, not just better. Make them gasp.
I am haunted by two “photos” in my mind—day and night:
Photo 1: Business as usual. Dilbert. Drab. Dull. Dreary. Gray. Wan. Insipid. Stultifying. Heartless. Emotionless. Soul-less. Spiritless. Know your place. It’s the numbers, stupid. Think indentured servitude. Think “cubicle slave” —entombed in a white-collar tower. Think: bureaucracy, bureaucrat, overhead, cost center. Do what you’re told. Park your imagination at the door. Don’t rock the boat. Fail is a four-letter word. Play it safe. “Me too” rules. “Different” is death. “Lovemark” is looney. Fight for promotion—not the product.
Photo 2: Business unusual for unusual times. Colorful. In pursuit of Wow! Worthy causes. Hot language. Fun! Soul! Spirited. Energetic. Enthusiastic. Quest! Explorers! Mission! More than myself. Going places where no one has gone before. Deviants welcome! Brand You. CEO of Me Inc. 100 percent leaders. Merry. Joyous. Appreciative. Engaged. Adventurous. Failing is normal—get back up and try again now. Performance fanatics! Action rules! MBWA the norm. We care. Excellence! Brag about what you do and who you work with. Hustle! Impatience! Inclusive. Entrepreneurial. “Different” Numbers are derivative of great work. Deliver awesome experiences to customers—become a “lovemark.”
My aim is to be the Cheerleader for Photo 2, anywhere, anytime! Join the movement! Your very soul is at stake.
I love Ingrid’s story….her faith and determination!
During her almost seven years in captivity in the south of the Colombian jungle, Betancourt, who admits that she had a weak faith before her imprisonment, had two main activities: read the Bible and listen to the radio.
On June 1, a month before her release, she was listening to the Worldwide Catholic Radio and heard the promises made to those who would consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart.
Although Betancourt could not recall them all, she mentioned some of the promises to journalists: that the Sacred Heart will touch the hard hearts of those who make one suffer, that he will bless the person’s plans, and that he will help the person carry the cross and await him or her at the time of death.
Strength to endure
When Betancourt heard those words she said to herself, “This is for me. I need God to touch the hard hearts of the guerrillas, to touch the hard hearts of all those who do not allow our freedom to take place.
“I need him to bless and make his own my undertaking to obtain the freedom of all of us, and that he allows this to happen. I need him also to accompany me in carrying this cross because alone I can no longer endure it.”
Betancourt then revealed what she promised to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “Jesus, over these years I have never asked you for anything, but today I am going to ask you for something.
“As this is the month of the Sacred Heart, your month, I am going to ask you for a miracle for me, not for my release because I don’t think it’s possible, but let me know miraculously when I will be released because, if I know when, even if it is not for many years, so I will have the strength to endure.
“If you do this miracle for me, Lord, I will be yours.”
On June 27, a FARC commander said to Ingrid: “There is an international commission that visits prisoners; it is very probable that some of you will be released.”
Betancourt said Benedict XVI told her in the audience that Christ “brought about the miracle of your release because you were able to ask him. You didn’t ask him for your release, but asked that his will be done and that he help you to understand his will.”
The former prisoner told the Holy Father that she doesn’t know what it means to be Christ’s. The Pope replied: “He will show you the way.”
A call to believe
At the press conference Betancourt made a plea: “There are many people who are angry with God and don’t want to believe, and many people who are ashamed to believe in God.
The only thing I can tell you is that there is someone who hears us and speaks to us with words, and that if we understand how to speak to him, he will help us.”
After the audience, Betancourt said that Benedict XVI always prays for hostages. “The Pope bears the pain of those who suffer in his soul,” he is a “man of light.”
She also sent a message of encouragement to those who were her companions in captivity and who have yet to be released: “I know that this voice is going to reach the Colombian jungle. I know that I will soon embrace you in freedom.”
Betancourt also appealed to the guerrillas, who at present have some 3,000 hostages in their power. “You had me captive for seven years. I know you profoundly. I know your organization, your way of thinking and your objectives.
“Today I want to tell you that the world is waiting for you. The world wants you to make room in your minds so that you will achieve peace in Colombia. [...] The answer is in your hearts, not in military and political calculations.”
(taken from Zenit the Vatican’s site)
In the Rotary club of Port Louis, whilst I was an active member, it was customary a few days before a holiday that a talk be given on the essence of the festival. The organising committee wanted to achieve greater understanding of the varied culture of the country so that we may value our differences. I recall the brilliant speech given by Shyam Seebun on Ganesh Chaturti. He did not restrict himself to commenting on the feast itself, he went on to give his understanding of the Hindu mythology which translated into habits and behaviours which could appear to be unusal to others.
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Ganesha Chaturthi (IAST: Gaṇeśa Caturthī, sanskrit: गणेश चतुर्थी) or Ganesha Festival is a day on which Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi in Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu, Chavath ( चवथ ) in Konkani and as Chathaa (चथा) in Nepal Bhasa. It is celebrated as it is the birthday of Lord Ganesha. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). Typically, the day falls sometime between August 20 and September 15. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Ananta Chaturdashi. This festival is observed in the lunar month of bhadrapada shukla paksha chathurthi madhyahana vyapini purvaviddha. if chaturthi prevails on both days, the first day should be taken. Even if chaturthi prevails for complete duration of madhyahana on the second day, but if it prevails on previous day’s madhyahana period even for one ghatika (24 minutes) the previous day should be taken. (Ref. Dharmasindhu and Indian Calendric System, by Commodore S.K. Chatterjee (Retd). Madhyahana is the 3rd / 5th part of the day (Sunrise-sunset).
Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
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Celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mauritius dated back to 1896. The first Ganesh Chaturthi Puja was held at the height of the 7,Cascades Valley in Henrietta by the Bhiwajee family who is still celebrating this pious festival for more than a century.
My first visit ever to India in 1968, must have been during the festival of Ganesh. I recall that in company of Harry Saminaden and Guy Hugnin, we landed at Santa Cruz Bombay international airport and stayed at Nataraj Hotel on the Queen’s Collier area. We were watching the numerous processions God Ganesh all over town. The town of Bombay, the capital of Maharastra is the place of the highest worshippers of Ganesh, the elephant god. I was taken in the crowd to visit the elephant caves, an island off the harbor of Bombay facing the Gate of India monument, where worshippers flocked for the festival. Indeed as a very young traveler I was very impressed with the large crowd, the colorful scenery and the noisy and babbling population.
Some years ago, whilst I was actively involved with the project of ‘ecoles complementaires ’ directed by my dear friend Jean Noel Adolphe, I had to learn and to upgrade my knowledge in the subject. The ‘pedagogy of love’ used to be the theme developed by Jean Noel as the differentiating factor between the normal school and ‘ecoles complementaires’ when presenting his project with the incompetent, non experienced volunteers that would ready commit to give in their time and energy to a great cause.
At the back stage of the organisation a fantastic team of committed real professional educationists ensured that the volunteers are trained fast and adequately to provide the learning that is expected. That slice of my life brought me to read and study Education, Pedagogy and learning. I avid read of methods devised by Jean Baptise de La Salle, Piaget, Montessori and many others. A new world was opened to me. I was introduced previously to this world through the opening of learning models of NLP. I was very keen on the accelerated learning methods developed following the discoveries of the brain.
For the reopening of the school year today in France, the French Radio in a talk show broadcasted the wonderful story of Maria Montessori. Did you know that in Italy of the 1890’s women were not permitted to study medicine in universities? Maria fought and managed to become a doctor. This has rekindled my interest in the marvellous life of Maria and the influence she had in the world of child pedagogy.
Aside from a new pedagogy, among the premier contributions to educational thought by Montessori are:
- instruction of children in 3-year age groups, corresponding to sensitive periods of development (example: Birth-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-15 year olds with an Erdkinder (German for “Land Children”) program for early teens
- children as competent beings, encouraged to make maximal decisions
- observation of the child in the prepared environment as the basis for ongoing curriculum development (presentation of subsequent exercises for skill development and information accumulation)
- small, child-sized furniture and creation of a small, child-sized environment (microcosm) in which each can be competent to produce overall a self-running small children’s world
- creation of a scale of sensitive periods of development, which provides a focus for class work that is appropriate and uniquely stimulating and motivating to the child (including sensitive periods for language development, sensorial experimentation and refinement, and various levels of social interaction)
- the importance of the “absorbent mind,” the limitless motivation of the young child to achieve competence over his or her environment and to perfect his or her skills and understandings as they occur within each sensitive period. The phenomenon is characterized by the young child’s capacity for repetition of activities within sensitive period categories (Example: exhaustive babbling as language practice leading to language competence).
- self-correcting “auto-didactic” materials (some based on work of Jean Marc Gaspard Itard and Edouard Seguin)