Tag: Walking Leader

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2024: CHAINS…ROPES…OH MY!

As we venture in our journey of life, there are somethings that happen that are meant to set us free, while others are there to anchor us to the world we live in.

Like a ship that is docked, it has ropes that keep it tied to the pier. That way it does not drift away in the night. When the ship is ready to set sail the lines are cast off and soon, it is on a path to places over the horizon on a course set by the ship’s captain.

The anchor is attached to a chain and when the ship is ready to temporarily stop, it drops anchor. When it is time to move on, hoist the anchor, and soon back on course to places over the horizon.
Do you see a pattern there? If not, that’s ok. I am going to explain it anyway.

Ships are built to head to the high seas. Ships are built to withstand rough seas. Ships are built to not only move from point A to point B but are also built to stay afloat, to stay above water.
As a Self-Leader you are also built to keep moving. You are NOT built to stay docked at any port for too long. You are also not built to stay anchored anywhere for too long. What does that mean?
It means that you are built to continue to grow, to develop, to become better than you are now.

While all this might sound like something I have said over and over before, it is because I have said it over and over. I believe in what I say. I stand by what I say. I have this passion for people to step up and be the leaders they know they can be and are. I stick to my passion because the message I share is that important.

Over the decades I have been on this planet, I have witnessed good and bad. Good things, Bad Things. Good People and Bad People. Though it would be easy to say that I have seen just about all there is to see when it comes to Good and Bad. I promise you I have only seen the tip of the iceberg. Of what I have witnessed, rest assured it still surprises me to the levels of Good and Bad people can and do go to.

That’s ok, I know that as a human being I am capable of going to those extremes. I opt out of that. No one is, no matter how much they try to kid themselves, no one is perfect. I am not perfect.
Sure, people can claim they live a pious life but are they really? A pious person would never verbally proclaim their piety for a truly pious person lets their actions and behaviors do all the talking for them.

On the other hand, there are individuals that revel in their unabashed devious behavior. The boasting and bragging of their deceit are certainly not something to be proud of or to be used as a tool to make others fear them. The pious and the deceitful have one thing in common.

They have their chains and ropes tying them down. Tying them down to live the braggadocios life they have chosen to use as a facade to mask their inability to cast off their lines and hoist their anchor to live a life they can freely choose to live. While some may argue that the pious or the deceitful are living the life they choose but at what cost? This argument can quickly become a circular argument thus, I offer this advice or words of warning:

As we venture in our journey of life, while there is no set time to cast off the ropes and hoist your anchor. You will know when the time comes. Only you will know when the time comes to set yourself free, especially when there are others trying to anchor you down or keep you tied to the dock in the name of keeping you safe. The world is not a safe harbor. The world we live in has rough seas as well as smooth swells all of which you are more than capable of handling.
Get to work!

Thank you,
David Guerra, MA, MBA

I invite you to follow me on social media:
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2024: What Is Your Message?

In a world overflowing with information, where is your message? Among all the noise, static, and attention seeking where is your message? Do not forget to throw opinions into the mix…there lots and lots of opinions out there and where is your message?

Is your message being heard? Is your message being understood? You have a message and that message must get through.

Folks, getting your message through is a struggle. Then to get your message understood is an uphill climb.

If I may impart one tip on getting your message through and understood it is this: YOU MUST FIRST KNOW WHAT YOUR MESSAGE IS, THEN YOU CAN PROPERLY CONVEY IT TO OTHERS.

Yes, it does fall on YOU to know your message. Know your message from stem to stern. No exceptions and most importantly, NO SHORTCUTS!

To get to know your message you must first get to know yourself.

It does not matter what your message is, what matters is you knowing that your message is an extension of who you are and what you stand for. FAILING THAT AND YOUR MESSAGE WILL GET LOST.

Again, it does not matter who you are or who you think you are, if you and your message do not align then you have NO MESSAGE.

There is no HACK, no TRICK, no TIP, all there is, taking the time to get know yourself and your message will be realized. Do not rush it. Do not try to speed through the process to get your message. I guarantee you that if you go speeding through your message it will be nothing but a jumbled mess.

It will join its rightful place among all the other jumbled, mixed up noise out in the ether.

At that point, you have to ask yourself, why bother?

Why bother, indeed? If no one is hearing let along understanding your message, then it is high time to make a change. CHANGE your message so that it can be easily understood. Then CHANGE the way you are delivering your message.

Now you might not get it right the first time. Keep working at it. Keep Trying.

At the end of the day, there is only one question to ask and the answer will determine whether your message can be found (or not): What’s Your Message?

Thanks for your time,
Dave

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Guide To Leadership During A Pandemic: Welcome To The New Norm by David Guerra, MBA

planning development, creating, implementationThe Pandemic Guide To Leadership

Welcome To The New Norm

The new normal, the new norm and other references to this new way of living and being. In case, you have not caught on because things continue to evolve then let me share this with you. All this talk of the new norm is a new way of saying CHANGE.

Yes, change. We have all been warned that change is coming and to be ready for change. I know I have shared that with you throughout the history of my podcasts, videos, blogs and articles. As a former Active Duty US Army Infantryman, change was what my active duty life was all about and thus difficult to shake the specter of change looming just one step behind. That is why I am such a proponent to be ready for change when it arrives.

As a Leader, it is up to you to be an engaged pupil in the art of managing change. Managing change? Yes, I believe when it comes to change all we can do is to manage it as we can NEVER master change. As change is always a dynamic, fluid situation which is susceptible to way too many external factors which influence just about all aspects of the evolving situation.

Having a firm grasp and understanding that while we would like to control change, it is not going to happen. While I am not advocating riding the wave of change, I am saying think of change as a white-water rafting. You are on the raft and you have some semblance of control with the paddle. Sure, you can guide your raft to the shore or down the river but where you actually end up will most certainly not be exactly where you wanted/planned to be. Sound familiar?

Sounds a lot like real, true blue leadership. While leaders have a plan and ready to put in place that plan and like all other plans before that plan things do not always go as planned. Just like most of the battle plans in the history of battle plans, they go into the trash can the moment the bullets start flying.

However, do not for one second believe that you should abandon hope when you develop, create and implement a plan. While it may be difficult kick off that plan during a time of crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, it should not stop you from doing so. Any and every Leaders worth his or her weight in salt are on the lookout for staying the course of the plan once executed. Yet, when things do not go as planned, leaders are ready to adapt, improvise and overcome as leaders are expected to do so.

Folks, change will continue to surround us for the far foreseeable future. Change is the new norm. Change is what we as human have always been exposed to, but it was so low level that now with the Pandemic it has risen to the top, which means that as Leaders you have to rise above that. That is non-negotiable because that is the new norm.

Thank you,
David G. Guerra, MBA
email: [email protected]
twitter: @daveguerra
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