7 P’s in a Pod ~ The Seeds of Leadership

Welcome back to my blog, sorry to have been away so long since my last post. I’ve been quite busy in the Social Media arena and Google+ Communities, discussing and learning about Leadership. There is a common topic that is recurrent, namely, the traits / characteristics / hallmarks of a great leader. Thousands of words have been spent on describing what makes a leader special. I have no intention of reinventing the wheel but I would like to simply share with you the image that came to mind when I approached the subject.

War on Murphy’s Law

I hope everyone knows or has heard of Murphy’s Law [also referred to as Sod’s Law]. For the uninitiated don’t worry, it is quite simple; the old adage is:

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong

This simple phrase does not do justice to the total havoc that ensues when the forces of Murphy’s Law come into play. If you intend on doing anything in life more complicated than boiling an egg then beware of Murphy and his blasted Law. By the way, it has nothing to do with Ireland…it’s just a name.

Leave a Footprint, Not a Crater

Neil Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012)

I am dedicating this article to commander Neil Armstrong who passed away recently. He was best known for NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, being the first man to step foot on the moon and who uttered those famous words, transmitted live to the whole world as he was about to step off the ladder of  the “Eagle” (lunar module):

That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.

A Waste of Time

Links to hi res poster at end of article

I’ve come to a conclusion; perhaps we are not working long enough hours and we should be making better use of our time at work!! I can hear the cocking of hammers and pulling of triggers as I write this; please don’t shoot the messenger and hear me out.

I keep reading everywhere how unproductive employees are; especially in the public sector. On the other hand, I hear moaning and groaning from people who lament their long working hours, tedious weeks, never-ending months and even of complete Anni horribilis.

Honesty, Best Policy

Let’s start by accepting the fact that no one is perfect; we all make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are inconsequential and other times they can be major blunders. No matter the gravity of the error, two thoughts will naturally go through your mind. Can I fix it? If not, can I hide it? It is human nature to want to protect your pride – and your job – and here is where the problem lies and where the dilemma is aggravated. Even if you are a conscientious worker, for a moment, the mental process will be something like the following Q&A flowchart:

Links to A4 and hi res poster at end of article