Lance Greenfield's Blog, page 74
October 26, 2015
Must Managers be Leaders? Ask a Nun
Originally written by Kevin Yates, MD at Mitchell Phoenix Group and posted on LinkedIn. Read the full article here.
Is it necessary for managers to be good leaders?
Good question.
Imagine my surprise when my perspective on this question was permanently changed by a Nun.
Now before you kick off on the P.C. merits of the preceding sentence, please bear with me. I failed to get the name of the female cleric who so profoundly contributed to my understanding of the genre and so cannot give her due credit. That aside, here is how she settled my thinking and what I learned.
“How do you measure leadership?”
This was the question at the centre of the good Sister’s talk during which she covered many aspects of modern life: Socio-political – education – faith – business – war – poverty.
Her argument was eloquent, informed, rational and above all else, persuasive.
The tempting answer is that leadership is measured by results. But that simple measure is problematic as results can be short term and dependent on circumstances and luck.
The banking crisis is a good example of this.
Perhaps we could measure leadership by the number or strength of the leadership qualities of a person.
This is interesting as it suggests that the quality of leadership may be important.
This was my eureka moment as I realised that the quality of leadership influenced the quality of followership. If managers were to attract and retain the finest quality staff they had to demonstrate the required leadership.
Managers have to be leaders.
October 21, 2015
Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Listen and Observe
This week, for Writer’s Quote Wednesday hosted by Silverthreading, I draw upon the simple wisdom of the Dalai Lama.
Stop and listen!
As I travel around the world, and I have done that a lot, I find myself sitting around in airports, railway stations, bus stations, hotel lobbies, great city plazas and numerous other places where I have the great opportunity to observe people. That’s what I do. I watch the people passing by. I listen to what they say, even if I do not speak their language or immediately understand their words. I take in their actions and interactions. I think about where they have come from, how they grew up, what their childhood was like, what their occupations may be, what relationships affect their lives, and much more.
People-watching is such fun, and it allows one’s imagination to run riot.
I know that I can learn something from each and every one of them, if I allow myself to do so. The Dalai Lama tells us that we should listen to others so that we may learn.
For writers, this is most important.
We can observe and we can listen. From the snippets that we pick up, we can let our creativity build the world around those people that we are watching. What problems do they have. What may seem trivial to us could be the biggest part of somebody else’s life. Right now, I am carrying a huge sack of family and work problems around with me, trying to unravel the turmoil within. Would anybody who sees me walking past ever imagine any of the problems that I carry with me in that invisible sack? I doubt it.
And so the converse is true. I must tune in to the lives of others. I must build their worlds around them. By doing so, I could gather enough material to write a novel a day.
So hear the words of the Dalai Lama. Listen to me. And today, take the time to observe and listen as life passes you by. Everyone you see today has a story. Hear it!
“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”
Dalai Lama
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October 20, 2015
Feedback: Eleven Miles
This morning, I received the following email from a reader of Eleven Miles.
I’ve literally just finished your book. Wow! What an amazing story and so beautifully written. Boi is such an inspiration and her positive outlook on everything she does is not only inspiring but also very humbling. It certainly makes you think about how you can improve yourself and also how much we take for granted.
I really hope you decide to write another book about what happens next with Boi. I would also love to know what she did next.
Her story would make a very moving and beautiful film.
Thank you so much for sharing her story with me. I feel empowered to be a better person and to also not take things for granted.
Thank you.
It has truly made my day.
I feel fantastic! Wouldn’t you?
Click here to buy Eleven Miles on Amazon
Review: Walter Minion’s Therapy
Walter Minion’s Therapy by Patrick D.T. O’Connor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Walter’s retirement leads to mental breakdown. His prescribed therapy is to sail around the world in a yacht called Therapy. As he leaves harbour, he observes his wife walking away on the arm of his psychiatrist. On his weird and wonderful voyage he has some fantastic adventures, is joined by a mysterious, beautiful siren and is boarded by pirates. There are massive highs and lows along the way and twists right up to the end. This is pure fiction as every part of the story is totally unbelievable, yet the reader is captured by the spirit and begins to wish that it were reality. By the end of the book, we are left wondering, “Was it real, or was it all just a dream?” A brilliantly unique read and the pace makes it very easy to relax into. Great therapy!
And if you like this one, you’ll LOVE Pat O’Connor’s second novel, which, characteristically of Walter himself, is actually the prequel to the first!
Walter Minion’s Secret Life is not available through Amazon, but you should be able to find a copy for yourself if you have a look at the Walter Minion web site.
Walter’s life is a continuous flow of fantasies as he makes his accidental mark on world affairs and gets himself involved in shaping modern history. Fantastic though the story of Walter’s life is, it is only a step or two removed from what would be a very ordinary life, and so it seems totally plausible.
From his boring life as a civil servant, Walter finds himself catapulted into the world of high espionage, being flown around the world and advising world leaders. This is an extremely entertaining read. The action never stops. The conclusion of each chapter leaves the reader anticipating the next.
October 17, 2015
#WeekendCoffeeShare: Running, Hockey and Elopement
If we were having coffee together, I would tell you about my eventful week. And I am not kidding you when I tell you that it has been a very eventful week.
On Monday evening, I went to the historic Judge’s Court Room at Brown’s in Covent Garden for the “Statistical Dinner.” The dinner wasn’t statistical, but my fellow diners were mostly Fellows of the Royal Statistical Society. My Dad and brother, Oli, were there too.
My brother and I had to look after our father. Four weeks ago, he eloped. Yes, you heard me right, at the age of eighty-four and seriously ailing, he upped and left my step-mother and moved in with a lady called Willow, declaring his love for her. This action has caused enormous upset and problems throughout my family. On the other hand, his adventures would make a good screenplay.
So I have been trying to juggle dealing with his on-going problems with the pressures of work and home life. On Wednesday, I was given less than an hour’s notice that I was expected to present, remotely, to senior executives who were comfortably seated in our HQ in Naples, Florida. I managed to fit my presentation in just before I spoke with a police office who was trying to work out what to my Dad who was sitting in the waiting room in a railway station in the English Midlands. He was homeless at that point. I could tell you a lot more, but my account would fill a book. Suffice to say that he is now safe in a care home in North Derbyshire.
Today was a good day for me. I ran a reasonable time in the Andover parkrun this morning, although it was not brilliant. 5 kilometres in 26:19. My PB is 24:00.
Then I travelled to Portsmouth with my veterans’ hockey team: Andover Diamonds. We beat United Services Portsmouth Veterans by three goals to one, to go two points clear at the top of the Wessex Masters League.
Aah! How lovely to sit and relax and drink coffee with my blogging friends. I may even crack open a bottle of Merlot. Anyone else for a glass?
October 16, 2015
October 13, 2015
Review: Reach For The Sky: Story Of Douglas Bader, Dso, Dfc
Reach For The Sky: Story Of Douglas Bader, CBE, DSO, DFC & Bar by Paul Brickhill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Inspirational WWII Pilot
My Mum bought me this book when I was about 12 or 13. I still have it on my bookshelves, and the sight of where she cut off the corner of the paper cover, where the price had been, with her pinking shears, brings back fond memories.
As for the book: it is the inspirational true story of WWII RAF fighter pilot, Group Captain Sir Douglas (Dogsbody) Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL.
Despite losing both his legs during peacetime, he signed up again when the Second World War broke out, and flew Hurricanes and Spitfires in the Battles of France and Britain. He was one of “The Few.” Despite being always in trouble with senior officers for his rebellious nature and his forthright challenges to authority, the intrepid pilot became a popular British hero. Deservedly so, in my opinion.
Eventually, he was shot down over France and captured by the Germans. He spent the rest of the war in Prisoner of War camps, and directed his trouble-making at his captors. He escaped, was re-captured, and imprisoned in the infamous Colditz Castle.
This is a fascinating, and truly inspirational story. You cannot fail to be moved by it. I have read this book several times, and it never fails to lift me. What a man he was! If you haven’t already done so, get your hands on a copy as soon as you can.
By the way, a film of this book was made with Kenneth More starring as Bader. It is very rare that I think that a film is as good as the book that it is based upon, but this one makes the mark. You should see it.
October 7, 2015
Dear Congress – Sincerely, A Mass Shooting Survivor
Please take the time to read this. A lot of thought and heart has gone into it, and it deserves two or three minutes of your attention.
Originally posted on Laurie Works:
Dear Congress,
I write you today upon hearing the grave news that another heinous mass shooting has happened, this time in Roseburg, Oregon. We learned today that at least 10 people have lost their lives, and at least 7 have been injured.
I write you this letter so that you can see the face of a survivor. I write you this letter as someone who saw with my own eyes the horror of a mass shooting, a shooting that took the lives of my twin and younger sister and injured my father at New Life Church in December 2007. And most importantly I write this letter to open a dialogue about the role that gun violence has played in our country.
I say specifically to open a dialogue, because I am not strictly anti-gun. I feel that I am in a unique place to address this issue. About 3…
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October 6, 2015
Do Tooth Fairies Visit Dogs?
When my dogs lost their baby teeth, the doggy tooth fairy left a doggy chew in their bed. That resulted in more teeth lost and that led to more magical doggy chews.
I never saw a doggy fairy. They came silently in the night.
Originally posted on Thoughts by Mello-Elo:
Henry, our little Sprocker Spaniel, lost his first tooth last week. It came shortly after my youngest sprog lost his little incisor. Excitement over seeing the tiniest tooth ever, possibly the same size as a fairy’s tooth, kept the children up way past their bedtime. The inevitable question was asked: “Will the Tooth Fairy visit Henry the same way they visited me?”
Now I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it, but it stopped me in my tracks. Do Tooth Fairies take care of the rest of the creatures populating this earth? Are there stories of their adventures whilst snaring a tooth from a candid crocodile or wrestling a canine from a conniving carnivore? I feel my alliterations running rampant over this post! Okay I will stop. Back to the serious matter of the extended hours of a Tooth Fairy’s day.
After the precious little tooth was carefully placed…
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October 2, 2015
Avoidable Tragedy – 294th “mass shooting” in the US this year
… PLUS the Oregon Shootings
Roseburg, Oregon shootings: How common are such attacks?
Check out this report from Rajini Vaidyanathan of the BBC, and watch the video by clicking here or on the image above.
The killing of nine people in an Oregon college is the 294th “mass shooting” in the US this year, according to one definition of such tragedies.
The 26-year-old gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg on Thursday morning and was killed in a police shootout.
But how often do such attacks take place?
BBC Washington correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan has been finding out.
My comments:
Which is more dangerous in the US of A – a gun or a chocolate egg?
American legislators trust their citizens to carry guns, but don’t believe that they are smart enough to avoid choking on a plastic toy found inside a chocolate egg that sells so well for the very reason it contains . . . er . . . a plastic toy! That is really not at all funny.
To the rest of the civilized world, the USA is a very bad, very sick joke of a nation. Their President speaks great sense on gun law, but they choose to ignore him.
It is easier to buy a gun in a High Street store than it is to buy a chocolate egg. A friend of mine even got fined $25 for bringing an apple into the country in his suitcase.
Any crazy American citizen can own as many guns and bullets as they can afford.
The US government spends hundreds of billions on nuclear armament programmes in the name of defense, yet they are blind to the fact that all the nuclear weapons in the world will not deter any vicious terrorist attack or college shoot-up perpetrated by one of their own citizens.
Wake up America and impose gun controls!
It won’t stop attacks completely, ‘cos if some bad person wants a gun they’ll get one, but why don’t you just make it more difficult?
The State of the Nation?
My verdict: Absolutely nuts!
Quiz: Which is the killer? The Gun or the Cheese?
