You will recall that I did mention in my previous blog The Three legs of Persuasion the wonderful works and writings of Chris Widener. Today I just finished reading his e-book “Up to speed Leadership. 52 Lessons and Actions to Get You Up to Speed and Make You an Extraordinary Leader”. Easy reading as many e books can be, of only 100 pages; this book focuses on the essence of the subject and gives very practical, hands on advices and action points. I would consider the book more as a work book. It took me hardly more than one hour to read through the book. I love these types of books: to the point and a minimum of blablabla and fillers. Then it is then up to you to note, reflect and action on the points raised.One of my teachers, my physics teacher, a jesuit seminarist, Bro. Thomas, with a wierd indian accent, from my days in Form I (1958) use to sound in my ear drums: Hindsight reflexion is the (v)Way to (v)Wisdom.

More over it is possible to obtain a copy of the e-book free of charge!

An extract of 2 chapters might well excite and motivate you to get your copy:

1. Establish Your Goals

The key to any achievement is goal setting. You have to know what it

is that you want and how soon you want to have it. Whether you want to

save a certain amount of money, lose a certain amount of weight, or yes,

even become a certain kind of leader.

Let’s face it, “I want to become a better leader,” is relatively

ambiguous, isn’t it? Who wouldn’t want to become a better leader? If you

were to ask almost anyone whether or not they would like to become a better

leader and have more influence on those around them, they would almost all

say, “Yes!”

The question is: What does that mean in actuality? What does a

“better leader” look like?

Action Point: Spend some time answering for yourself the following

questions, then setting goals according to your answers:

Q. What does becoming a better leader look like to me?

Q. In what specific ways do I want to grow as a leader?

Q. What specific areas do I need to grow in?

Q. How much time am I willing to put in each day or week to grow in

my leadership?

Q. What resources do I need to take advantage of in order to increase

my leadership skills?

Q. What specific things can I do today and this week to begin my

leadership growth process?

Q. What time frames am I looking at when I think of becoming a

better leader?

Q. What people would I like to spend more time with who would

challenge me to grow as a leader?

10. Skills – Part IV – Communication: Writing

If you are going to lead you are going to have to write. Only when you

get to be the CEO of a huge company can you even begin to think about

pushing that off onto someone else and even then you would be wise to keep

writing yourself!

So how can you use writing to increase your influence? Here are some

tips:

Become a good writer. There are lots of ways to do this, but the top ways

are to write often, get feedback through a class or writers club, and to write

in various venues.

Write often. Write often so that the law of repetition takes over and people

begin to get the message. This doesn’t mean the same thing every time. You

have to change it up a bit or people will just stop reading.

Let your writing support what you are saying. If you are communicating

effectively through speaking, then your writing becomes something that

supports what you are saying. It says it in a different way, it says it at a

different time, and it says it through a different venue. All of this will help

you get the message across and support your vision.

Write through different venues. Write a book. Write a newsletter. Write an

article. Write a memo. Write an email. Write a PowerPoint presentation.

Send them at various times.

Write the same message using different words. Try writing a sentence out

and then rewriting it in three different ways changing the words and

structure. You have to change it up or they will stop listening.

Write using stories and examples. This was one of the best lessons I

learned as a leader and as a professional speaker. People like stories and

examples. I am more of a facts and figures guy, but stories and examples

move people!

Action Point: Sit down and write as soon as you can. Try to write the same

thing in three different ways. Try to write it for three different venues. Try to

use a story or example for each one.

Enjoy!The content which is not mine but Chris Widener’s!to whom I am very grateful.

Now you understand the reason of my blog writing. The more, I write, the better I shall become! Wishful thinking may be! Feedbacks from others could possibly enhance my writing skills,provided I use the feedbacks and comments to hone my writing. Dear readers, I thus invite you to comment on my blogs not only on the content but also on the style. Hopefully I shall improve:Thank you.