Category: Choice

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Self-Leadership – Finding The Time

Being a leader involves a different type of commitment and dedication. The difference comes from being a a committed and dedicated leader 24/7/365. That’s non-negotiable.

Being a leader is your other full time job. It is going to take up that much time. That is one reason most people feel they are ready to do what it takes to be a leader until it is time to step up and be the leader.

image of clock face

It is nothing against who they are as individuals, nor is it a strike against their knowledge, skills, wisdom and character. Far from it. Those that recognize that at this moment they are not ready to lead are great leaders in the making.

Once underway, there are people that know they cannot hack the toll leadership takes on the individual. Yet, there are those that decide to fake it and never make it are not even worthy of qualifying as a bad manager. The individuals that would rather continue faking it soon become “micro-managers” thus fail to give respect to those they are supposed to be leading. They will soon find themselves without true and genuine followers. Then what good are they?

What does finding the time have to do with knowing when to play your hand or when to fold’em?
Everything. If the individual is not prepared to find the time to work on her skillset or his soft-skills will amount nothing more than a hill of beans.

But there are only 24 hours in a day and eight of them are already spent sleeping!

True, but what about the other 16 hours? Eight of those sixteen are for working and working with the people you leading. That leaves eight hours for personal matters. Matters such as spending time with the family, hobbies, and personal development. All that and dinner, too?

You have to. You have no choice.

One thing to remember you and I and all us one thing in common. We all have the same 24 hours. Believe it or not every Doctor, Lawyer, Computer Engineer, Graphic Designer, Photographer, Janitor, Teacher, Bus Driver, and Student, all have those same 24 hours.

What does all that mean?

It means that while we are all unique individuals were are all, also the same. We have that same amount of time. Yet, there are plenty of people finding the time within those 24 hours to work on the commitment, dedication needed to become a better leader.

As you can see, it will be difficult but you have to find the time to be better. You have to use that time to grow both personally and professionally. In upcoming blog posts I will take a deeper dive into how to properly use your new found time.

As always if you have any comments, questions, remarks or concerns please email me at [email protected]

Thank you,
David Guerra

P.S. I invite you to follow me on Twitter: @daveguerra • visit my website: www.daveguerra.com

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Leaders and The New Winds of Change

weather vane in the wind
Photo by Jordan Ladikos on Unsplash

CHANGE is the word of the day. For many out there believe if they hold their breath long enough this latest “wind of change” will blow over. Well, not this time. Folks, especially those that feel their OLD WAYS (a.k.a. the old we’ve always done it this way and the old if it ain’t broke don’t fix it) are threaten to cease existing.

Guess what? You and those like you have had your heads so far up your four points of contact that when you pop it out I will happily be the one to tell you: IT IS ALL BROKEN and there is no going back.

The “winds of change” are blowing all over the planet and no pandemic, no closed-mindedness. nor preconceived ideas & outdated ideologies will stand in its way.

As a leader you must have that open mind and believe that the coming change is the natural progression of our existence as human beings. For a few short weeks not so long ago, we stood together in defense of microscopic virus that has the potential to wipe every human off the face of the Earth.

Think “War of the Worlds” kind of scenario in this case we, Earthlings, are the invading Martians. It was the simple microbe that almost wipes the invaders out. But, we do not have the luxury of jumping into a rocket ship and going home. We are home. Now in the midst of all this we stand apart.

Now, as we start to see signs of beating back the pandemic some imbecile with complete disregard for human life, dignity, and humanity goes off and kills someone. Someone that imbecile sworn an oath to protect and serve. That someone was George Floyd. We all know that when George Floyd woke up that morning quite possibly the last thing on his mind was that “today, will be the day that he would change the world“. Yet, he is gone and the world is changing.

As LEADERS, you have a duty to ALL those you to lead to lead by example. Be the first to embrace the coming change. Do not embrace change because it is the right thing to (because it is) and not because it is the cool thing to do (because it is) but because as times change a real leader must accept change. Even if sometimes that change is not to their liking and the cold hard fact is: CHANGE DOES NOT GIVE A DAMN WHAT ANYONE THINKS!

So, if you want to continue being a LEADER, then get up, get out there and LEAD THE CHANGE FROM THE FRONT!

Yes, it is that simple!

Thank you for your time,

David Guerra, MBA

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Weekend Challenge #09 (March 21-22, 2020) BAKE FROM SCRATCH

HERE IS YOUR WEEKEND CHALLENGE: BAKE SOMETHING FROM SCRATCH

you weekend challenge has arrived

Listen to this weekend’s Weekend Challenge

Welcome To The Weekend. It is time for another challenge.

Welcome to the weekend. This weekend is probably one of the most uncertain weekends ever in modern history. I would say it certainly is the first most uncertain weekend of the 21st Century. However, it is also a unique opportunity to do things we have not had the time to do or just been too busy to even attempt.

This weekend’s challenge takes into consideration that as you are sequestered at home, self-contained, self-isolated or whatever you want to call it. There you are with nowhere to go because no place is open and the places that are open are there for you to grab and go.

So, while you are home and you have the time, here is the challenge: Bake Something from Scratch.

Take the time to bake something from scratch. By this I mean, gather the ingredients, mix them together, and get to baking.
Seriously, when was the last time you baked a piping hot loaf of bread? Made a cake from scratch? Opening a box and pouring the dry ingredients into a bowl does not count. I am talking about breaking out the ¼ teaspoon measuring spoon and mixing by hand or whisking the batter. Knead the Dough by hand?

Nothing lifts my spirits more than smelling bread baking in the oven or watching made from scratch lemon icing spread on homemade lemon-vanilla cake. In these trying times, we all could use some lifting of our spirits.

Now, if you are not sure what to bake from scratch. Well, famous English food writer, chef and cooking show host, Nigella Lawson, shares a simple, yet great bread recipe, “Basic No-Knead Bread” by Jim Lahey on her website (visit: https://www.nigella.com/recipes/guests/jim-laheys-basic-no-knead-bread).

There are only four (4) ingredients in this recipe; flour, salt, instant or active dry yeast, and water.

Sounds simple enough. Folks, this challenge also serves as a unique opportunity to do something with the family, especially the school age kids, as they get to do something other than to stare down at the small screens. They get an opportunity to not only wash their hands but to create something with those same clean hands.

Parents, you are also giving them a skill that they can carry on for their lives (sustain themselves) and you also now give them a positive memory that they will one day tell their grandchildren about how “during the Corona Virus Pandemic, not only did we hunker down but all of us, the family, baked bread from scratch and it was the greatest tasting bread ever.”

You can do it, as I said, it is not like you don’t have the time.

Get To Baking and Get To Work!

Thanks for your time,
David