Mindful Magic
Volume 1 – Issue 1 © 2017
Thought of a Great Leader
“Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”—Harry Truman
Leadership Issue—Mentoring
You know the one, the one on your staff who is the best and brightest on your team. Every time you see him/her you think “what great leadership potential—what a diamond in the rough!” BUT, this is also your person who has the greatest number of personal problems impacting the job and has the least amount of professional self-esteem.
So, what do you do? Do you set aside your diamond in the rough aside and work with someone who has less leadership potential, but fewer personal problems and greater self-esteem? Or, do you invest a little extra time with your diamond in the rough to encourage their leadership potential? One choice takes you down the path of least resistance. The other means a long term project requiring a commitment of more time and energy. Where do you start? Here are my “Diamond Mining Tips” to help you get started polishing your rough diamond:
Begin regular mentoring sessions discussing performance expectations.
Assign projects that fit current job skills. Increase in difficulty as skills grow.
Provide on-the-spot praise for a job well done; add recognition at staff meetings when appropriate
Take steps to keep morale and motivation high. Be an encourager.
Work on developing and refining skills needed for excellence in job performance
Role model positive organizational behavior
The Minute-Being mindful of our rough diamond scenario:
What do you think about this approach?
How do you feel about the action steps suggested?
What would you like to do differently about this in the future?
The Meeting of the Mindful-for fuller minds and moving organizations…
Debra Gould & Associates, Inc.
P.O. Box 871211
New Orleans, LA 70187-1211
Phone: (504) 244-6576, FAX: (504) 245-2488
Email: djgould@gouldassoc.com, website: www.gouldassoc.com
