I have been talking to a lot of people lately, and I have seen more of them without jobs than I ever have before. Downturns, Layoffs, Companies closing, etc. What strikes me the most is that despite knowing that we are in a different kind of economy, and despite knowing from history what a downturn, or a recession, or even a depression does to the workforce. Lots and lots of people are looking for jobs for many months or even years, unwilling to change their mind about what “They Do” or what “They are worth”. It seems that as a whole, the people of the United States have forgotten that what we “are worth” is completely determined by the market. What a company would pay for a qualified employee in the best of times, might be drastically different than what they are willing to, or even able to pay for the same employee during the times that are not so hot.
It also seems that there are far fewer people willing to start a business, work independently or for multiple companies in smaller increments etc. Even though history would suggest that this is the BEST time to start a business, to find new ways to be valuable to people or companies in new ways.
We simply have to change our minds. We have to look for a little more of the original spirit that forged our country. We have to realize that we do not have a “Right” to a job, and that having a job was never the American Dream. The opportunity is HERE NOW but it takes courage, it takes commitment, it takes effort!
Change your mind! If you are without employment and you are not earning now, what do you risk? We have to stop wishing for the world that was, the economy that was, and the jobs of yesteryear. We have to look at our circumstances as they are, we have to see the world as it is. We then have to act in accordance with the world that is, with the now that presents itself to us.
You can stand around and complain that there are no jobs, or you can go find a way to be VALUABLE to someone else. After all if you are looking for a job that is really what you are doing, you are looking for a spot where you can be of sufficient value so as to be paid for it. Starting a new business of any kind is the same, look for a way that you can apply yourself in a way that is valuable to another, if there is someone willing to pay you a wage for that GREAT, if there is not, but there are folks who will pay you directly for the product or service…. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
My good friend Carol is nearly famous for saying “most of you are waiting, I don’t know what you are waiting for, but you are waiting…”
Stop waiting and start acting, change your mind, change your actions, change your reality.
Nobody will do it for us, we must do this for ourselves. We have to do SOMETHING.
You never know, along the way you might just rediscover the American Dream.
Purpose, Direction, and Motivation are the three things that a leader MUST provide to the team in order to have success. Leave any one of them out, and the results of the team will suffer.
This material should be included in all high school curriculum at some point instead of just in the MJROTC courses, because the fundamentals of leadership are simply a requirement to achieving ones goals.
The leader must provide Purpose, so that the team knows what it is supposed to accomplish. They must understand the goal so that they can act in the absence of the leader. They must have a understanding of the objective, of what is expected of them and by what standard they will be judged in order to set for themselves an idea of what accomplishment means.
The leader must provide Direction, because the team needs also to know HOW the objective is to be reached. In some cases the objective is enough and the direction that is given is to use best judgement, rely on past experience etc, but in this case Direction has still been given, and the team members will perform well because they have been given this trust. It is unwise to do this all the time, or the leader will never shape the team the way he or she wants, and will never have demonstrated the kind of thinking required, resulting in the team feeling insecure when they use their own judgement. So Direction then is first used as a training aid, and ensures that the team delivers the result in the manner expected, and then later as a means of ensuring that the team members will call upon experience and grow in their own leadership skills because they have been given the direction to do so, once that place in the development of the team has been reached.
The leader must lastly provide Motivation to the team. The team can understand what is expected and how the expectation is to be reached, but not having an internal drive to accomplish the task, they will perform only at low levels, and the team morale can suffer. The leader MUST take it upon him or herself to provide motivation in whatever manner the team needs most, and which will result in the highest performance. If the leader thinks that the team should self motivate, or that having a job is enough – it is just LAZY thinking and the results will nearly always demonstrate this.
So while these things to not in and of themselves make a great leader, in order to effectively lead, these basic fundamentals must be provide to the team, and it is the leader… who must provide them.
Purpose, Direction, and Motivation
I was reading a post on the Facebook page of my dear friend Samara, whom I love dearly, and she said that she “hated duty, and this place.” and was reminded of a story.
One of my favorite stories actually – I post it here now in its complete form. They are not my words, but there are so many credits listed in the world for it, that I fear I do not know who wrote it originally. Therefore I credit the original author whomever they may be.
The Monk and The Travelers
One day a traveler was walking along a road on his journey from one village to another. As he walked he noticed a monk tending the ground in the fields beside the road. The monk said “Good day” to the traveler, and the traveler nodded to the monk. The traveler then turned to the monk and said, “Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you a question?” “Not at all,” replied the monk. “I am traveling from the village in the mountains to the village in the valley, and I was wondering if you knew what it is like in the village in the valley?”
“Tell me,” said the monk, “what was your experience of the village in the mountains?”
“Dreadful,” replied the traveler. “To be honest I am glad to be away from there. I found the people most un-welcoming. When I first arrived I was greeted coldly. I was never made to feel part of the village no matter how hard I tried. The villagers keep very much to themselves, they don’t take kindly to strangers. So tell me, what can I expect in the village in the valley?”
“I am sorry to tell you,” said the monk, “but I think your experience will be much the same there.”
The traveler hung his head despondently and walked on.
A few months later another traveler was journeying down the same road, and he also came upon the monk.
“Good day,” said the traveler.
“Good day,” said the monk.
“How are you?” asked the traveler.
“I’m well,” replied the monk. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to the village in the valley,” replied the traveler. “Do you know what it is like?”
“I do,” replied the monk. “But first tell me—where have you come from?”
“I’ve come from the village in the mountains.”
“And how was that?”
“It was a wonderful experience. I would have stayed if I could, but I am committed to traveling on. I felt as though I was a member of the family in the village. The elders gave me much advice, the children laughed and joked with me, and people were generally kind and generous. I am sad to have left there. It will always hold special memories for me. And what of the village in the valley?” he asked again.
“I think you will find it much the same,” replied the monk. “Good day to you.” “Good day and thank you,” the traveler replied, smiled and journeyed on.
Please bear with me those of you who have read my earlier blogs, some of what was there simply must be added to this new site, so that it remains archived and is not forever lost. The next few posts will be from older posts, but just a few I promise. – Mark
If you know me, then you probably know that this site is new, the latest addition to the Mark Linsenbardt International online presence and this of course is where I will share my thoughts. Here I will jot down the things that I am working on, what I am thinking about lately, my struggles and triumphs, and hopefully a great many lessons learned.
Welcome to the blog and thank you for being here. You cannot imagine what it means to me.