HEADLINES NOTE: When viewing this newsletter in Microsoft Outlook, please DO NOT remove the extra line breaks. It makes the formatting very ugly. ***** got leadership? ****** Keep your CDs organized in this high-quality, durable CD holder. Impress your friends with this unique case with "got leadership?" printed across the face. View it at: http://www.leadwithvision.com/tools **************************** WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR GOOD ARTICLES on leadership. Send queries to Todd Brockdorf mailto:todd@leadwithvision.com ########################################## VISIONARY LEADER Volume 1, Issue 6 - November 2003 Publisher: Todd Brockdorf Todd@leadwithvision.com http://www.leadwithvision.com (C) Brockdorf & Associates, Inc. 2003 ########################################## You have in your power the ability to change the world NOW! ========================================== Please recommend this E-Zine to anyone you know that is interested in being a better leader. (It's also a good way to develop leaders for your organization. Send this e-zine and tell them that they have the potential.) If you are receiving this issue as a forward, and would like to get your own free subscription, visit http://www.leadwithvision.com/ezinesubscribe.html To remove yourself from this list see bottom of this email. PRIVACY STATEMENT: We will not share, sell, or rent your address to anyone. Period. ============================================= IN THIS NOVEMBER ISSUE ============================================= 1. Leadership Skills - Mind Mapping 2. It's the People, Stupid 3. Continous Learning 4. Fortune Cookie Says... ************************************ ===================================================== 1. Leadership Skills - Mind Mapping ===================================================== LEADERSHIP SKILLS - MIND MAPPING by Todd Brockdorf I recently had the opportunity to participate in a group mind mapping session. Mind mapping, for those not familiar with it, is not some form of ancient Incan tribal ritual. Rather, it is what I call an "organized brainstorm." Ideas are listed out from a central theme, which is listed in the middle of a piece of paper. For each new piece of information, a spoke is created. If additional information is presented that is pertinent to an existing spoke, then it is placed as an off-shoot of that spoke. Otherwise, a new spoke is created. The process continues until an idea is fleshed out. In most situations, one person thinks of an idea and mind maps it him/herself. What happens, however, when you have a group of people assisting that one individual to think through ideas? Nothing less than incredible results occur. These results are achieved by allowing the participant to think through ideas on a deeper level because all of the questioning and recording is performed by other members of the group. In this environment, one person asks the questions, probing for deeper information from the subject. Another assistant furiously mind maps the ideas that come from the participant. The subject can then focus on deeper responses to the questions that are asked of him or her. At the conclusion of the exercise, the scribe recommends some of the strongest areas where the idea shows promise. The participant can then take those areas and focus their idea around them. This technique is beneficial in a number of situations. Leaders can use mind mapping to create a future ideal picture for the organization. Individuals can plan life strategies using this tool. Generate ideas for your family vacation. The possibilities are endless. How can you apply this technique for your life? ************************************ LEAD WITH VISION -- LIVE! Finally, this popular program is available LIVE! Todd has finally recorded this live seminar and it is available on CD. Learn how to set stretch goals, outline a plan for success, and follow through using an Action Roadmap! http://www.leadwithvision.com/tools ===================================================== 2. It's the People, Stupid ===================================================== IT'S THE PEOPLE, STUPID by Todd Brockdorf One of the most important things that we need to care about as leaders is the people that we lead. Whether it is management in a large corporation facing thousands of layoffs, or the hard- working volunteers that help make the organization that we run function, or even down to our very selves, we need to ensure that the people are treated with respect and dignity. In today’s business environment, many companies are either laying off employees, or just squeaking by with the ones that they have. Each day, you can read the news headlines signifying this effect. However, how many companies ensure that their employees, the very people that helped the company grow, are honored with respect in they way in which they are terminated and compensated? During the start of the economic downturn, it was not uncommon to hear that employees would arrive for work only to find the front door locked. They would read a handwritten sign taped to the window directing them to go to a local hotel, where they would find out, en masse, that they had all been relieved of their duties. Where is the respect? In a volunteer organization, you may not have the right or ability (though sometimes you might like) to terminate people. Sometimes people work just as hard in a volunteer organization as they would if they were a full-time employee with full-time pay. Perhaps, that volunteer job is their "full-time employment" if they are "retired." How do you honor and show respect your volunteers? Do they know that their service is greatly appreciated? Is that thoughtfulness customized especially for that person or group of people? Finally, how do you demonstrate caring for yourself? What do you do to treat yourself after a job well done? While in college, a friend of mine would treat himself to a double scoop of peanut butter fudge ice cream served in a waffle cone after he got an "A" on an exam. This friend managed to graduate with a near perfect grade point average, so he had plenty of trips to the ice cream shop. His metabolism was also incredible and he did not appear to gain a single pound from those outings. Whether it is food, shopping for clothing, or simply a brief nap, what do you do to show care for and reward yourself for a job well done? As leaders, people are our most precious resource. Treat them with the most respect possible and remember to say, "Thank you." ************************************ ===================================================== 3. Continuous Learning ===================================================== CONTINUOUS LEARNING by Todd Brockdorf It has been said that the moment that we stop learning is the moment that we are dead. Each day the world offers the possibility of something new to learn. It is up to you to decide if you will be receptive to what it has to say. Whether it is from children, coworkers, or nature, there are many things that want to teach you a lesson, if you are willing to accept it. Regardless of what you are learning, the key is to learn every day. Moving from the abstract to the concrete, what does it mean to learn everyday? For some, it could be turning off the radio on your commute to work and instead listen to one of the latest non- fiction books on CD. Or maybe, replace that non-fiction book with a language CD, so that you have the possibility to communicate with more people throughout the world. Learn from children, whether they are your own, or rented from someone else. Children may say the darnest things, but children teach adults the darnest things, as well. From a child, we can learn about tolerance, as a child is usually accepting of almost anyone. From a child, we can learn about determination, as a child will usually stick with whatever it is doing until it is done "right" in its eyes. From a child, we can learn how to play, as a child will turn any situation into an opportunity for fun. Learn from yourself. Dig back through those old papers stuffed in the bottom corner of the desk drawer. Sift through the outdated documents stored in deep, dark crevasses on your computer’s hard drive. Look back at what you were doing and determine if the person you were back then, would be proud of the person that you have become. Relearn those ideas that were on your mind just a few years ago. Let that information come rushing back to you, like sand to a magnate. Life is a continuous learning opportunity. Open yourself to be receptive to the messages that the world is teaching you every day. Turn off your radio. Turn on your mind. * Learn from CDs. * Learn from children. * Learn from yourself. ************************************ ===================================================== 4. Fortune Cookie Says... ===================================================== This month's fortune is: "Silence may communicate volumes." Ironic, I thought, for a professional speaker. However, I believe it is completely true. ************************************ ****** EARN BIG REFERRAL COMMISSIONS ********* You can earn a 10 - 25 percent commission for referring Todd for speaking engagements. Commissions normally start between $200.00 and $500.00 depending on your level of involvement. For complete details email Todd at todd@leadwithvision.com *********************************************** ===================================================== F^R^E^E ARTICLES FOR YOUR PUBLICATIONS ===================================================== All of my articles are available for reprint in your publication, company newsletter, etc. You may use articles written by me that you see in VISIONARY LEADER. Back issues can be viewed at: http://www.leadwithvision.com/Ezine/backissues.html OR mailto:freearticles@leadwithvision.com for an automated list of additional articles. All you have to do is print the article in its entirety along with the by line at top and the credits, and complete contact information at the end of each article. I would also appreciate a tear sheet or electronic copy. 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