Entries from October 2008 ↓

What is the common thread between Demi Moore, Madonna and Britney spears?

This was a question asked on Radio Canada TV news yesterday.

My family is of Italian origin (parents are first-generation American). Babies in my family have been wearing a red string on their arm or pinned to their sweater or carrier for as long as I can remember to ward off the evil eye or “Mal Oche.” Is there a connection to Madonna and other celebrities who follow Kabbalah and wear a red string?

For celebrities like Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Madonna-and even Madonna’s daughter Lourdes-it has become fashionable to wear a “Kabbalah” bracelet made out of braided red string to protect them from “the unfriendly stare and unkind glances,” as the Kabbalah Centre (where the string sells for $26 a length) puts it. Surprisingly, though, this tradition is not explicitly from Kabbalah. Many Mediterranean cultures wear red to ward off the evil eye. There are biblical traditions associated with a red string as well. Wrapping a red string around the tomb of the matriarch Rachel is supposed to protect women in childbirth. Since Rachel is associated with the Shekhinah (in Kabbalah, the divine presence), there are also some kabbalistic overtones. One nonsupernatural explanation of the string’s power is that it reminds the wearer to bear himself or herself with humility, so as not to attract envy.

This practice is not far with what I knew in Mauritius. I recall in my childhood that some babies wore a red thread too to ward off the bad spirit. Sometimes in the older days a red chilli or a red ribbon was attached to new objects for the same reason.

Je me trouve d’être parmi les 20 % des gens qui n’ont eu des AVC hémorragiques. Voici ce que produit un journal sur la santé en France pour la journée mondiale le 29 Octobre.

La Journée Mondiale de l’accident vasculaire cérébral

par Claire Frayssinet,
La sixième journée mondiale de l’ accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC) a lieu le mercredi 29 octobre. Les AVC touchent 150 000 personnes chaque année en France. L’objectif de cette journée est de sensibiliser le public afin de lui apprendre à réagir plus rapidement et donc à limiter les conséquences graves de l’AVC.

Qu’est-ce qu’un AVC ?

Un AVC survient lorsque le flux sanguin rencontre un obstacle (caillot sanguin ou vaisseau sanguin rompu) qui bloque son passage vers les différentes parties du cerveau, ce qui prive ces dernières de leur apport vital en oxygène, causant leur disfonctionnement puis leur mort en quelques minutes.
Les effets dévastateurs d’un accident vasculaire cérébral sont souvent permanents car les cellules cérébrales mortes ne sont pas remplacées.
Il existe deux types d’AVC :
• les AVC ischémiques ou infarctus cérébraux (80% des AVC) : artère bouchée par un caillot de sang, ce qui bloque la circulation sanguine
• les AVC hémorragiques (20% des AVC) : rupture d’une artère, déclenchant une hémorragie intracérébrale ou rupture d’un anévrysme (malformation vasculaire congénitale), entraînant une hémorragie méningée.
Il arrive que l’accident ne dure que quelques dizaines de seconde ou quelques minutes : on parle alors d’accident ischémique transitoire, lequel peut annoncer la survenue d’un accident définitif.

Face aux symptômes… adoptez le bon réflexe

En cas d’accident vasculaire cérébral, chaque minute compte car le traitement est urgent. Il est donc indispensable d’en connaître les premiers symptômes.
La survenue brutale d’une faiblesse d’un côté du corps est le symptôme le plus fréquent de l’AVC.
Le premier réflexe à avoir de rendre aux urgences : les victimes bénéficient d’une prise en charge immédiate, en urgence. Les urgences, par sa régulation, permet d’orienter très rapidement le patient dans une unité de soins spécialisés, limitant ainsi le risque de séquelles et de décès liés à ces accidents graves. Le traitement de l’AVC doit être le plus précoce possible, avant que les lésions ne soient irréversibles

Un véritable enjeu de santé publique

C’est bien dommage que les soins post AVC à Maurice, laissent beaucoup à désirer. Il n’y a pas de centre adéquatement équipé pour la rééducation et non plus des conseils dispensés pour ceux qui trainent les séquelles. Après mon second AVC à Maurice, la clinique ou j’étais n’avait même pas onduleur pour garder mécaniquement les parties de mon corps en mouvement. Mieux encore, les médecins traitant n’ont pas cru bon de me faire de l’oxygène thérapie pour augmenter d’alimentation d’oxygène dans ma cervelle. Au Canada, 24 heures après l’AVC, les médecins prescrivent des exercices par les physiothérapeutes pour éviter les séquelles.

Last night lying in bed I could not sleep as we had the summer time on board. I was ahead one hour of my usual bed time. So to occupy my mind pending the coming of ‘Mr. Sandman to bring me a dream’, I was thinking of the tunes and songs of my childhood. Who were my songs Idols? Who was the singer I loved most in my teens and can still remember the songs of?

There were so many of them: Cliff Richard, Elvis Priestley, The Beatles, Dean Martin, Adamo, Louis Mariano, Tino Rossi , Tom Jones and many others. We were music lovers in the family, ever since I was in the cradle, my father used to play the gramophone for me. From the old manual turntables, HMV (His master Voice) phonograph running 78 RPM records to the greater fidelity 45 RPM vinyl records and long play 33 RPM records, I enjoyed a great variety. I recall very vividly the first 45 RPM unbreakable record  at home  played on the electric ‘Garrard’ turntable: the title was ‘Are you mine’. Father himself a great music lover had an impressive collection of 78 RPM records.

It took me a while to select and conclude who was my first teenage song idol. I finally decided that it was Paul Anka. Paul Mustapha Abdi Anka, (Arabic: بول مصطفى عبدي أنكا) (born 30 July 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor of Lebanese origin. He came from a Christian Maronite family back ground. As many Lebanese, he fluently speaks Arabic, English and French.

Paul Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hits songs like “Diana,” “Lonely Boy,” and “Put Your Head on My Shoulder.” He went on to write such well known music as the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Tom Jones‘ biggest hit “She’s A Lady,” and the English lyrics for Frank Sinatra‘s signature song “My Way.”

He is still very much active professionally at age 67 and recently remarried.

The favourite’s songs of my teenage days were:

· “Diana” (1957)· “Crazy Love” (1958) · “You Are My Destiny” (1958)· “Lonely Boy” (1959)· “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” (1959) · “Puppy Love” (1960) . Those are indeed my favourite bathroom singing tunes.

Nous avons en vu plusieurs mariages dans la famille. Déjà au mois de décembre, deux mariages sont annoncés : fils de mon cousin à Singapour et  quelque jours après la fille de mon cousin à Maurice. Et encore d’autres mariages dans la proche année dans la famille seraient en préparation.

Le mariage est il qu’une affaire entre les futurs époux? Pourquoi alerter toute la famille et faire de l’événement une grande jouissance ? Quel est le but ‘d’officialiser’ l’alliance de deux êtres qui s’aiment et qui se promettent l’un à l’autre pour la vie ? Le mariage est ce qu’un acte juridique seulement ? Qu’a-t-il derrière cette promesse solennelle devant les hommes et Dieu ? Quels sont les engagements pris devant la société et Dieu ? Quel impact sur les engagés, la famille, la société, l’église ?

Dans la tradition le mariage était un événement purement familial dans la mesure où les mariages sont arrangés pour unir deux familles, c’est à dire deux patrimoines. Rétrospectivement, cela apparaît aujourd’hui comme une mutualisation reconnue par les familles des deux époux.

Au delà de la tradition, le mariage chrétien est avant tout un sacrement. La vie mariée n’est pas moins que la vie monastique, une vocation spécifique, requérant un don particulier, ou charisme, du Saint Esprit, don octroyé dans le Saint Sacrement du Mariage. Le mystère Trinitaire de l’unité dans la diversité s’applique à la doctrine du mariage, comme il le fait pour l’Église : une communion sans fusion, respectant la différence des personnes. La famille créée par ce Sacrement est une petite église.

L’Église enseigne que l’homme est créé à l’image de la Trinité, et que Dieu ne l’a pas voulu vivant seul, mais en famille, sauf dans des cas spéciaux. A l’image de Dieu bénissant la première famille, commandant à Adam et Eve de porter du fruit et de se multiplier, l’Église donne à présent sa bénédiction pour l’union d’un homme avec une femme. Le Sacrement du mariage Chrétien, dans l’Église, donne à un homme et à une femme la possibilité de devenir un seul esprit et une seule chair d’une manière qu’aucun amour humain ne pourrait réaliser. Le Saint Esprit est donné de sorte que ce qui a été commencé sur terre s’accomplisse et continue de manière plus parfaite dans le Royaume de Dieu.

Le mariage est un sacrement et non la simple bénédiction d’une union, encore moins la simple reconnaissance formelle, “officielle” d’une union déjà pré-existante. Ceci montre la spécificité du mariage à l’égard des autres actes de la vie quotidienne, pour lesquels nous avons toujours besoin d’une bénédiction et d’une aide spirituelle. “Car un sacrement (…) implique nécessairement l’idée d’une transformation, se réfère à l’évènement ultime de la mort et de la résurrection du Christ, est toujours un sacrement du Royaume. Le fait que le mariage soit est sacrement, montre que l’Église y voit l’un de ces actes par lesquels Dieu nous transforme, nous aide à participer de sa nature divine. Le mariage à l’Église ne signifie donc pas le simple engagement à respecter un ensemble de règles sur comment bien gérer, raisonnablement, une vie de couple (morale sexuelle, épargne, etc.), mais plus profondément la participation, la réception d’une grâce donnée par Dieu.

Sans cette grâce, “le mariage, comme tout le reste dans ce monde, est un mariage déchu et dévié, et (…) il a besoin, non point d’être bénit et “solennisé” – après répétition de la cérémonie et avec l’aide du photographe – mais d’être restauré. De plus, cette restauration est dans le Christ, ce qui veut dire, dans sa vie, sa mort, sa résurrection, son ascension, dans l’inauguration pentecostale du “nouvel éon”, dans l’Église comme le sacrement de tout ceci. Finalement, cette restauration transcende infiniment l’idée de la famille chrétienne et confère au mariage ses dimensions cosmiques et universelles. Selon ce point de vue, le mariage ne concerne pas seulement ceux qui se marient, mais engage aussi l’Église, et concerne par elle le monde entier.

Le modèle de l’amour conjugal

Dans l’Ancien Testament déjà, la relation entre Dieu et Israël est exprimé dans les termes de l’amour conjugal. Dans l’Épître aux Éphésiens (5, 22-32), saint Paul affirme la correspondance entre l’union dans le mariage de l’homme et de la femme en une seule chair, et le grand mystère de l’union du Christ à son Église : “Maris, aimez vos femmes, comme Christ a aimé l’Église, et s’est livré lui-même pour elle, afin de la sanctifier par la parole, après l’avoir purifiée par le baptême d’eau, afin de faire paraître devant lui cette Église glorieuse, sans tache, ni ride, ni rien de semblable, mais sainte et irrépréhensible. C’est ainsi que les maris doivent aimer leurs femmes comme leurs propres corps. Celui qui aime sa femme s’aime lui-même. Car jamais personne n’a haï sa propre chair ; mais il la nourrit et en prend soin, comme Christ le fait pour l’Église, parce que nous sommes membres de son corps. C’est pourquoi l’homme quittera son père et sa mère, et s’attachera à sa femme, et les deux deviendront une seule chair. Ce mystère est grand ; je dis cela par rapport à Christ et à l’Église. Du reste, que chacun de vous aime sa femme comme lui-même, et que la femme respecte son mari.”

L’amour conjugal est un reflet de cet amour du Christ pour l’Église, cela signifie selon une échelle de degré :

• 1) nous pouvons entrevoir concrètement cet amour du Christ pour l’Église d’après notre expérience de la vie conjugale
• 2) mais surtout notre amour conjugal doit être compris à la mesure de l’amour du Christ et doit le prendre comme modèle
• 3) tout amour, s’il veut se réaliser, demeurer véridique, doit s’enraciner, prendre source dans l’amour du Christ.

Le monde, restauré dans l’Église, est destiné à devenir l’épouse de Dieu ; restauration permise par la Marie, la Mère de Dieu. La vocation du mariage concerne le monde et l’Église, car elle concerne la vocation du monde et de l’Église, de tout chrétien : suivre le Christ.

Evangile de Jésus-Christ selon saint Matthieu 22,34-40.

Les pharisiens, apprenant qu’il avait fermé la bouche aux sadducéens, se réunirent,
et l’un d’entre eux, un docteur de la Loi, posa une question à Jésus pour le mettre à l’épreuve :
« Maître, dans la Loi, quel est le grand commandement ? »
Jésus lui répondit : « Tu aimeras le Seigneur ton Dieu de tout ton cœur, de toute ton âme et de tout ton esprit.
Voilà le grand, le premier commandement.
Et voici le second, qui lui est semblable : Tu aimeras ton prochain comme toi-même.
Tout ce qu’il y a dans l’Écriture – dans la Loi et les Prophètes – dépend de ces deux commandements. »

—————————————————————————————————————–

Si nous intégrons notre croyance que ‘l’homme a été crée à l’image de Dieu’, alors nous comprendrons mieux comment le premier commandement est semblable au second. Aimer Dieu et aimer l’image de Dieu, les hommes, n’est pas d’aimer l’invisible, insaisissable ‘Dieu’ en aimant le visible et tangible ‘homme’, l’image de Dieu ? Ainsi je ne peux pas dire que j’obéis au premier commandement si je n’aime pas mon prochain.

Alors ‘aimer’ c’est quoi ? Dans le texte du témoignage de Shirley et Albert Gillette dans La Vie Catholique de ce dimanche, ils disent : « L’amour (le don de soi) et l’abnégation (l’oubli de soi) doivent se vivre continuellement au sein d’un couple. Ne disons nous pas que les époux s’aiment mutuellement ? Faire don se soi en oubliant soi même n’est pas cela aimer de tout ton cœur, de toute ton âme et de tout ton esprit ?

En ce beau Dimanche, ou la chaleur de l’été nous arrive, Seigneur, fais grandir en moi, la vivifiante chaleur de mon amour pour Toi et mon prochain tout en pratiquant l’abnégation. Donne-moi Seigneur de voir dans chaque personne que je rencontre, Ton image que je me dois d’aimer d’un amour inconditionnel.

The October issue of Toastmasters magazine  discusses the communications mode of the two candidates.

One has the appeal of a rock star and draws tens of thousands of fired-up fans to big arena rallies, giving speeches that have become instant classics and are compared to those of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and John F. Kennedy. The other is a confident debater who can answer just about any question tossed at him and has a knack for connecting with ordinary voters on his whistle-stop tours around the country.

The communication styles of U.S. Senators Barack Obama and John McCain are worlds apart, and the media has been quick to crown Obama, with his ability to mesmerize crowds with inspirational speeches, the superior communicator. But the verdict is still out on whose oratory skills will lead all the way to the White House when American voters elect the country’s 44th president in November. One thing is certain – until Election Day, the two candidates’ every move will be analyzed, and their message, choice of words, body language and cadence scrutinized. Here’s a look at what we can learn from comparing the contenders’ communication styles.

The Message
Obama, the Democratic senator from Illinois, early on opted for the overarching themes of “change” and “hope,” and that turned out to be an ingenious move. “These are two very broad, or what some would call vague, messages, but they clearly resonated with a large swath of the electorate,” says Ruth Sherman, a communication coach in Connecticut who blogged about the primary season for FastCompany.com. Initially criticized for lacking substance, Obama later added more details to his speeches.

McCain, on the other hand, started out focusing on what is considered his specialty – national security – betting that the Iraq war would be the defining issue of this election. The Arizona Republican has also emphasized his opposition to so-called “pork-barrel” programs, or wasteful government spending. “He’s trying to project reliability, competence, personal steadiness and that he’s a good manager, and he seems to be quite successful in communicating that,” says Bob Katz, an author and entrepreneur in the speaking industry.

Word Choice
One of Obama’s strengths is his conversational style, which he successfully molds to fit the audience. When speaking to college students, for example, Obama often uses slang and casual phrases. He also tends to use a lot of inclusive words, and that makes people respond positively.

“Obama uses a lot of words like you, us, our troops, and all of us, and that makes people identify with him,” says Kathleen K. Kendall, a research professor in the University of Maryland’s department of communication.

“McCain’s longtime service in the Senate has made him a
confident debater who is fluent on many of the issues.”

McCain uses more traditional language that’s less vivid and more formal than Obama’s. “You can tell he’s been influenced by his 20-plus years in the Senate. His language doesn’t have the fresh, impromptu quality of Obama’s, and it’s almost clichéd in its formality,” says Kendall. “McCain’s language is more general and he doesn’t have any slogans that he repeats. He’s not as strong in terms of being memorable.”

She adds, “Obama often quotes the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as President John F. Kennedy. Both were eloquent speakers, and these quotes add to Obama’s own eloquence.”

Delivery
The way Obama delivers a prepared speech is the reason communication experts are raving about him. “You get the feeling from Obama that he could read a recipe to you and you would feel inspired,” says Sherman, the communication coach. Or in the words of Republican media consultant Alex Castellanos on CNN’s The Situation Room: “He is the guy who can stand on top of the mountain top and say, ‘We’re going to go over here.’ And he lifts people that way.”

So what’s Obama’s secret? For starters, he’s mastered the teleprompter to the point where it takes a trained eye to realize he’s reading off a screen. Secondly, he effectively uses pauses to give people a chance to digest his message, applaud and sometimes passionately chant one of his slogans.

“That allows [the audience] to connect with him emotionally,” says Sherman. “Everybody feels like they’re very much a part of him. It’s masterful.”

His energy and friendly appearance also help explain why he’s been able to captivate followers by the thousands.

To say that McCain lacks many of Obama’s qualities when he delivers scripted speeches is an understatement. He’s notably uncomfortable, sounds like he’s reading the lines from a script, smiles at awkward times and doesn’t pause to let the audience applaud.

“Rallies are not his thing. He doesn’t seem to know where one sentence ends and another begins,” says Sherman.

Even Republican strategists admit speeches are not McCain’s strongest venue – but debates are a different story. While Obama sometimes fumbles when he doesn’t have a teleprompter or the choice of questions and topics, McCain’s longtime service in the Senate has made him a confident debater who is fluent on many of the issues.

“You get the feeling from Obama that he could read
a recipe to you and you would feel inspired.”

McCain’s experience also helps him at town-hall meetings and in question-and-answer sessions, where his style is more conversational than it is from behind a lectern.

“He can answer just about anything, even hostile questions,” says Kendall. “He actually encourages questions from people who disagree with him and that’s courageous, since questions are always a potential threat. He knows how to deal with them.”

Voice
Partly because of the big age difference – Obama is 46 and McCain is 72 – Obama has the upper hand when it comes to voice. Not only is his voice more youthful and energetic, Obama also knows how to use it, which is crucial on the campaign trail. In contrast, McCain’s voice is thin and doesn’t project very well.

“Obama has a more enthusiastic voice and has more vocal variety, which is so important in keeping the attention of the audience,” says Kendall. “If you don’t provide variety, the audience will tune out. Obama’s pitch, tone and volume are varied, and those are all very important.”

Interpersonal Communication
Going on whistle-stop tours through small-town America and showing off your interpersonal communication skills is mandatory for anyone vying to become President of the United States. Whereas McCain seems comfortable making small talk with truck-stop owners and answering off-the-cuff questions from factory workers, Obama often looks ill at ease when he has to get off the campaign bus on his stump tours.

Several of these situations have come back to haunt Obama, including his abysmal performance in a Pennsylvania bowling alley, and his tendency to reject food offered to him on the road by well-meaning constituents. “He’s not comfortable in these settings and it’s hurting him with middle-class voters,” says Sherman. “It communicates a lack of understanding of how to connect with people on the ground, and it’s something he must overcome. It’s his biggest weakness.”

Non-verbal Communication
Looking presidential is one thing – looking too sophisticated another. The fact that Obama, in Sherman’s words, “doesn’t look comfortable when he doesn’t have a tie on” could work in McCain’s favor. McCain is older, heavier and doesn’t dress in fancy suits like Obama. “For certain constituencies a more casual appearance communicates that ‘this guy knows what my life is like, he knows how hard it is to fill up my pick-up truck,’” says Sherman. “It doesn’t matter whether [McCain] actually does, what matters is what he shows people.”

Obama’s upscale appearance may turn off some voters, but his body language is as smooth as his speeches. He moves with grace and has even showed off some dance moves on the campaign trail, sending the message that he’s uninhibited and youthful.

“He seems really comfortable in his own skin, even when he puts his hands in his pockets, which is usually a no-no,” says Sherman. She only has one complaint: “Obama points too much. He’s either pointing with one hand or the other. His hands should be open and variably expressive when he’s speaking.”

McCain’s ability to communicate through body language is limited due to injuries he sustained as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He walks slowly and can’t move his upper arms very well, and Sherman suspects a lot of voters may not realize why. “I think it’s going to hurt McCain. Somebody will have to explain it.”

So does a person’s communication skills really tell us anything about his ability to lead the country? Yes and no, according to Katz. In a March 24 op-ed piece in Newsday, Katz argued that the spoken word remains the best opportunity voters have to get to know the candidates:

“The notion of the ‘good talker’ has long vexed us. Eloquent and slick are often perceived as two sides of the same coin, and our history contains as many examples of being bamboozled by inspiring charlatans as being inspired by bona fide visionaries. Yet, most of us believe there’s a correlation, and possibly a very strong one, between verbal skill and intellectual aptitude.”

But since very few people will ever get a chance to see the candidates in situations that aren’t carefully staged and scripted by their campaign staffs, voters need to start thinking about the candidates’ speaking styles on a deeper level, advises Katz. Rather than overplaying a person’s ability to recite prepared lines, we should ask ourselves who is the better communicator overall, who has the most compelling message and who manages to keep the facts straight.

And it’s the rare occasions when the candidates aren’t in complete control that may tell us the most about them.

“Let’s look at the press conferences and some of the really confrontational debates,” Katz says. “Let’s see how they respond to questions. My sense is that [McCain and Obama] are both quite capable that way.”

We are a few days away from the Election Day. Barack Obama according to the polls is leading. From Chicago to Los Angeles, along the route 66, it would seem that the tide is turning in favour of the Democrat.

Would Obama’ stand in respect of changing the rules of free sales of arms reduce his chance of being elected? It would be a pity if that is the case. In this world where violence has reached unprecedented heights, I would be pleased to see a head of state who takes position on restricting the carrying of guns that kill people. May this culture of arms in America change for the better? I rather see the death of the arm industry than the death of people.

I N V I T A T I O N

À l’occasion de la parution d’Autobiographie spirituelle

et Moïse, inédits de M. de Chazal, à L’Harmattan, coll.

« L’Afrique au coeur des lettres » :

Projection d’extraits de l’émission Tv Malcolm de Chazal, ce

Mauricien de génie, par le Mauritius College of the Air

Exposé de Robert Furlong, commentateur de l’oeuvre de

Malcolm de Chazal

Lecture d’extraits d’Autobiographie spirituelle et de Moïse

par l’Echange Theatre de Londres

Echange de vues avec des connaisseurs de l’oeuvre de

M. de Chazal

Lundi 10 novembre à 20 h au

53, rue Notre Dame des Champs 75006 Paris (Métro Notre

Dame des Champs) Rens. : 06 68 36 33 28

C’est avec un très grand intérêt que j’ai vu à travers du journal télévisé les développements prévus par les constructeurs automobiles dans les prochaines années. Les voitures électriques seront tous dépendant des batteries Lithium-Ion (Li-ion).

Je vous invite au site du salon mondial- automobile qui s’est tenu la semaine dernière à Paris pour appréhender le futur de l’automobile. En absence d’une présence physique au salon, j’en suis heureux.

La motorisation électrique semble progresser tant sur l’autonomie (120 kms) que en vitesse (150 kms). Néanmoins le temps pour recharger la batterie reste encore long et le cout encore tres élevé. L’avenir nous en dira plus !

Sister Emmanuelle who passed away this week, named her organisation ASMAE (Listening). Why listening? To be in the listening mode is to honor my counter parts and to accept them. Any communication starts with listening. Since our childhood we have spent more time in learning to speak, yet we were hardly taught to listen, I mean deep active listening. In my leadership training I had to horn and improve my listening skills.

In the late 70’s, during a night tour in the wild in Zulu land Natal, South Africa, I had the experience of being only a meter away from a Rhino. I was in the wind and kept completely silence. I was safe; the Rhino could not hear or smell me.

Christian D Warren, a leadership consultant, takes the qualities of the Rhinos, he has observed to teach leadership skills. His book, where he asks leaders to emulate Rhinos is well worth reading specially in this present difficult time we are facing with the financial crisis and the likely recession period. I reproduce hereunder relevant  summary of his book”Running with the Rhinos”.

If you want to see leadership, visit the zoo and head to the rhinoceros—the greatest role model for leadership. Why the rhino? He’s sensitive to his environment and a great listener. Listening is a key in leadership. As Drucker noted, “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” The rhino is also thick-skinned, well-balanced (on his large three-toed feet) and poised, despite his ungainly appearance.

And like a future-focused leader, the rhino is hard-charging when necessary, and he knows when to rest. He’s aware of what other animals in the vicinity are doing, but he doesn’t tailor his behavior to match or accommodate theirs. Great leaders set the pace, and like rhinos, are strong enough to carry the weight of the world on their well-armored shoulders.

To succeed today, you need to emulate rhinos. Leaders with a rhino-like mind-set never assume that the environment determines their success. They know they can attract and make money in any economy. In fact, strategically minded leaders with aggressive mentalities thrive during recessionary periods. Their competitors tend to fold when the economy sours, leaving the field wide open for rhino-leaders to charge.

Three Examples of Rhino-Leaders

Who are some of our modern-day rhino-leaders? Let’s look at three.

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple. Jobs launched the updated iPhone at a time when gas prices were soaring, the housing market was in a big slump, and the mood in the country could be described as “grim and grimmer.” Jobs could have said, “Let’s hold off. The economy’s bad, and it will never support a new, expensive high-end phone.” Jobs didn’t waver. Instead, he charged like a rhino, and it worked.

When Jobs launched the iPhone in 2007, people were lined up around the block at Apple Stores, those distinctive and attractive sales environments, waiting impatiently to get their hands on Apple’s newest toy. A year later, people are still waiting in line. In a press release sent just three days after the 2008 launch of the 3G, Jobs announced that Apple had already sold 1 million new models. Apple will likely sell 4.47 million phones in the fourth quarter this year.

Steve Jobs eschews traditional marketing approaches like focus groups and consumer studies. He has an uncanny ability to take the pulse of the marketplace, bringing out not just new products but new ways of shopping. First, he invents a category, like the iPhone, the iPod or iTunes, and then he turns everybody into people who either possess these things or wish they did.

That’s the rhino approach in action: take no prisoners, ignore doomsayers, and create products unique enough and attractive enough to turn them from “what’s that?” to “must have.” Like a rhino, Jobs tramples everything in his path that suggests defeat. And he gets what he wants most of the time.

Another amazing characteristic of the rhino is his speed—a full-grown rhino is six-feet tall and weighs 4,000 pounds, yet it can move at a speed of 35 miles an hour. Rhino-leaders revel in moving quickly and taking advantage of opportunities.

Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest. Southwest Airlines posted its 35th consecutive year of profitability, was the most punctual, lost the fewest bags, and had the fewest complaints. Why? Southwest has a rhino for a leader who communicates that while other airlines are cutting back on amenities and charging for services like checking bags, Southwest would offer more services, like Wi-Fi on its flights.

While the news media are creating negative marketing for Southwest’s competitors—writing stories on all the ways they are reducing services, cutting back flights and charging for services that used to be free—Kelly trumpets Southwest’s strategy of giving customers more. In an era of zero consumer loyalty and enormous information available to all, can you afford to give your customers less?

Tough times call for a tough role model, and no animal has a tougher skin than the rhino. Rhinos are sometimes called tanks because their skin appears to be divided into plates, creating the illusion that they are armor-plated. If you’re going to survive and thrive in tough times, you must be just as thick-skinned as the rhino.

Norbert Reithofer, CEO of BMW. He is one thick-skinned rhino. Reithofer and BMW recently launched the 1 Series, a lower-end version, to appeal to younger, less-affluent buyers. When he began to hear criticism that the 1 Series was not a “pure” BMW, rather than bristle at the criticism, he created a marketing campaign via the Internet to let the world know that the 1 Series is every bit a BMW. For weeks, MSN.com and Yahoo.com advertised the 1 Series in dominant positions on their home pages. Go to YouTube and you’ll find video clips of the new cars. Other automakers have not embraced new media, which leaves them in a position to be trampled by the fast, thick-skinned, rhino-like Reithofer.

These three top leaders and companies emulate aspects of the rhino: they communicate their message boldly; they offer speed and more services instead of cutting back; and they take a tough-skinned approach to criticism and going after prospects. The rhino always stays on message and is never daunted by changing circumstances. There’s always one rhino in every industry. Make sure it’s you!