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Leadership and Entrepreneurship

Guest post by: Sylvia Lafair

Article Overview: Seth Godin's newest book "Poke the Box" is like an entrepreneur's bible. He encourages all of us to instigate, innovate, reinvigorate. Isn't that what entrepreneurs do? yup, that's what we do all the time! So is that the same as leadership? Sometimes entrepreneurs, the real on the edge pioneers forget to bring along those who can't think as fast, be as visionary, move as intently. That is where a different kind of leadership needs to kick in.

Leadership and Entrepreneurship

Seth Godin's newest book "Poke the Box" is like an entrepreneur's bible. He encourages all of us to instigate, innovate, reinvigorate. Isn't that what entrepreneurs do? yup, that's what we do all the time!

So is that the same as leadership? Sometimes entrepreneurs, the real on the edge pioneers forget to bring along those who can't think as fast, be as visionary, move as intently. That is where a different kind of leadership needs to kick in.

Leadership development programs like Total Leadership Connections include principles and strategies that everyone needs to understand and implement for long term productivity and success.

Here are some of the core teachings from the TLC program: when stress hits the hot button we all tend to revert to patterns we learned in our family as kids to feel secure. They may have worked when we were five or eleven or thirteen, they do not work for us as adults.

Leaders, whether they entrepreneurs or the heads of big corporations who have an understanding of these stressors that creep into any and every business can put safe guards into place to prevent work settings to implode with conflict and office politics taking up the energy of the day.

When stress is high we all want to defend, explain or justify our actions. We did it as kids by putting the blame for the broken chair, toy, whatever, on someone else with an innocent response of "he did it, she did it, they did it".

Once you learn to observe that behavior at work is spinning back to the playground you can take charge by taking action.

1. Have an unexpected cookie break. No, it doesn't need to be with a glass of milk, grown up coffee or tea is fine. It will disrupt the tension and help folks get back to work quickly and easily.

2. Music in the office. This is called a "sound break" and as long as the music is upbeat and fun (no Justin Beiber unless your staff is under eighteen) it will help to lessen the stress.

3. Send an email with a joke of the day. Just make sure you really get a good laugh before you send it. Laughing is good for us and is also a pattern disrupter.

It is joyful and exciting to see that our leadership strategies not only impact businesses these tips spill over into families and there is a double benefit from taking the program.

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Article Tags: entrepreneur, leadership, pioneers, poke the box



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