THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP
(authors Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner)

In their latest book on "The Truth about Leadership" the above authors have provided us with some golden nuggets based on almost 20 years of research:

• Dream, imagine, think big, be creative, enthusiastic and idealistic.
• Focusing on the future sets leaders apart.
• The capacity to imagine and to articulate exciting future possibilities is the defining competence of leaders. You need a long term perspective.
• Inspiring a shared vision is one of the most difficult leadership practices to master if you need to take people to places they have never been before.
• We need to say yes to:
  • our beliefs
  • to big dreams
  • difficult challenges
  • collaboration
  • trust
  • learning
  • your heart

The truth is that the best leaders are the best Learners. Learning is the master skill of Leadership and we need to keep on learning and practice every day of our lives.

You either lead by example or you don’t lead at all.

Credibility is the foundation of leadership and is earned minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day when you say what you will do. Your example is the most powerful teaching and influencing tool that you have. The legacy you leave, is the life you lead.

You cannot do it alone because you cannot do anything without the talent and support of others…..you have to be sensitive to their needs, develop them, support them and ask for help.

THE FIVE TOP BUSINESS COMPETENCIES
(Institute for Corporate Productivity Leadership).

1. Knowledge of business
2. Strategic execution
3. Good Relationship building
4. Customer KNOWLEDGE
5. Strategy Development

Soft Skills competencies:

• Creating an environment of Trust and Respect
• Coaching Skills
• Community Involvement
• Role model for Organisation values
• Emotional Intelligence.  

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THINKING ETHICALLY;
HOW MORAL IS YOUR DECISION MAKING?

We as leaders are greeted with many moral issues on a daily basis.

• newspapers
• how we treat others
• team player
• how we do business
• children
• how we treat our customers
• sports and administration
• financial issues

Dealing with these moral issues are perplexing. There are 5 different Philosopher approaches to Ethics when dealing with others:

1. The Utilitarian Approach (19th Century):             
   Choose the greatest benefit and the least harm to all parties.  Mostly conceived to help legislators to determine which laws were morally best.
2. The Rights Approach (18th Century): Does your action respect the morale rights of everyone? Focus on the individual’s right to choose for themselves and that they have a fundamental moral right to have their choices respected. People are not objects to be manipulated E.g. - the right to truth - the right to privacy - the right not to be injured - the right to what is agreed.
3. Fairness or Justice Approach (Aristotle): “Equals should be treated equally and unequals unequally”. How fair is an action? Favouritism, discrimination are unjust and wrong. Do we treat all others in the same way or do we show favouritism?
4. The Common Good Approach (Plato, Aristotle, Cicero 2000 years ago): This defines “common good” as “certain general conditions that are…equally to every one’s advantage”.
5. The Virtue Approach:  Virtues are attitudes or character traits that enable us to be and act in ways that develop our highest potential. We need to ask ourselves: What kind of person should I be and what will promote the development of character within myself and my community? The virtuous person is the ethical person.

Five steps to Ethical Problem Solving we need to ask to resolve a moral issue:

1. What alternative will each course of action lead to the best overall consequences?
2. Which course of action best respects the moral rights of each affected party?
3. Which course of action treats all the same without favouritism or discrimination?
4. Which course of action advances the common good?
5. Which course of action develops moral virtues?

To read more see http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/thinking.html based on research from the Makulla Center

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Management TODAY magazine and HR FUTURE

ASTD members need to note that there has been a delay in the printing admin of the monthly magazine ‘Management Today’. We apologise and will correct the situation by adding the back copies to the normal delivery. Please note that, as usual, there will be no magazines printed for December and January. We are working on a concept that will even add more value to the present format. As an ASTD member you now also receive a free electronic copy of H.R. Future. Let us know if you are not receiving it. Please remember to inform us if any of your address and email/telephone info changes.

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WHAT PERCENTAGE OF RETENTION ARE YOU GETTING FROM YOUR TEACHING/LEARNING METHODS?
(info from National Training Labs)

Many years ago an educalionalist, Edgar Dale, named this the “Cone of Learning’ which has been updated to produce the following methods and their respective equivalent percentages of retention one can expect:

• Lecturing = 5% retention
• Reading = 10% retention
• Audio Visual = 20% retention
• Demonstration = 30% retention
• Group Discussion = 40% retention
• Practice = 75% retention
• Teaching others = 90% retention

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A NEW CREDENTIAL FOR TODAY'S WORKFORCE

A recent fact finding visit from ACT, an internationally recognised assessment and research company in the US, suggested that many students to-day need a bridging programme in their transition to university as well as newcomers when being on boarded in their organisations.

Workers require strong transferable skills in to-day’s rapidly changing technology based economy if they are to become productive as soon as possible. The International Readiness Certificate aims at helping incumbents to gain the skills business needs to build to-morrow’s effective workforce.
The Work Keys assessment component focuses on 8 Foundational Skills:

• Reading for Information
• Applied Mathematics
• Locating information
• Applied Technology
• Listening
• Observation
• Teamwork
• Writing

For more information see www.actinternationalservices.com/en/certificate

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Great Things, Robin and the ASTD team.
email: probartr@worldonline.co.za | also see www.astd.co.za