Marthin Luther King Jr's Leadership Lessons

The larger-than-life leadership lessons that Dr. King gave the world that are as important for entrepreneurs today as they were during Dr. King's life. It's a great way to remember why the banks are really closed today.

 

Leadership Lesson One: You Must Have Total Commitment to Your Cause

Dr. King was a visionary. He was a man who had a dream bigger than the times in which he lived. That is, after all, what real visionary leaders are all about. His "I Have A Dream" speech brought awareness and humanity to the national consciousness about civil rights in America.

Dr. King's stance on political activism in a non-violent way made him a natural leader and an inspirational figure. He led a social movement of equality during a time when he wasn't supported by most. In fact, he was threatened and despised by many. But he stayed committed to the vision he held. Sadly, his leadership and dream ultimately cost Dr. King his life.

Leadership Lesson Two: Disrupting the Status Quo is Essential for Change

Dr. King is honored and revered today, but he wasn't embraced by society during his short life. However, Dr. King knew that his dream of equality (even when equality was not popular) was more important than the status quo. His actions backed his vision and he shook up the popular culture of the time. Sometimes doing things completely different is what's necessary for evolution and innovation.

Leadership Lesson Three: Have A Dream... Then Communicate it and do it

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation," spoke Dr. King as he began his address at the Washington Monument. Those were tall words for a leader to proclaim across an audience of over 250,000 people. But Dr. King had a dream and he couldn't be silent about it.

Dreaming without doing is for childhood. Real leaders have big dreams, take big steps to communicate them, and then they go take big actions! Dr. King's actions made him one of the great leaders of the 20th century, Time Magazine's "Man Of The Year" in 1963 and a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1964. 

Mahatma "Great Soul" Ghandi Quotes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six qualities that make a good sailor

It’s a sentence you hear all the time – “he’s a good sailor” – an innocuous complimentary description that falls away as soon as uttered, but what does it mean? What is a “good sailor?”







Intuition- The top of the list is intuition. We’ve all been on boats with people who just seem to know innately, more than anyone else, where the wind is and where it’s going to be. The boat goes faster when they are in charge and they have an anticipation and understanding that is on another level. Sure, some of it is from experience, but some of it isn’t. Intuition is a magical thing and great sailors have it in spades.
Solid understanding of fundamentals - Of course we would say this but it’s true – core fundamentals are critical to being a good sailor. Obvious perhaps, but so many sailors have holes in their game.  Knowing knots, points of sail, weather information, vocabulary and all of the other basics have to be second nature for a person to be a good sailor.
Jack of All Trades - MacGyver would have been a good sailor.  Things go strange on boats. Fittings pop out, things fall overboard, lines snap – there’s no telling how a boisterous sea might change your day. For this, an ability to think on your feet and improvise is the quality of a good sailor. There is nothing so comforting as being around good sailors who, when faced with a problem, simply start figuring out solutions based on the materials on hand.
 
Calmness - Truly good sailors are never the ones screaming and throwing tantrums. They are the ones figuring things out while someone else is screaming and throwing a tantrum. But beyond being calm under duress, good sailors are usually just calm in general. It’s a disposition that serves nearly every sailing situation and good sailors know it.
A Boat is a Boat - Someone who really knows how to sail can hop on any boat and make it hum. He or she will do a quick inventory of how the particular systems on the boat operate and in a matter of minutes will be an integrated crew member or skipper working as if they have been on the boat for years.
Experience - In sailing or anywhere else, nothing substitutes for sheer experience.  Miles under the keel in most instances can provide all that is needed to become a good or great sailor. Although experience might not be able to provide God-given intuition like the Russel Coutts and Jimmy Spithills of the world, it will certainly take you farther down the road than most.

Ten qualities of an effective team player

Teams need strong team players to perform well. But what defines such people? 

Demonstrates reliability - You can count on a reliable team member who gets work done and does his fair share to work hard and meet commitments. He or she follows through on assignments. Consistency is key. 

Communicates constructively - Teams need people who speak up and express their thoughts and ideas clearly, directly, honestly, and with respect for others and for the work of the team. 

Listens actively - Good listeners are essential for teams to function effectively. Teams need team players who can absorb, understand, and consider ideas and points of view from other people without debating and arguing every point. 

Function as an active participant - Good team players are active participants. They come prepared for team meetings and listen and speak up in discussions. 

Shares openly and willingly - Good team players share. They’re willing to share information, knowledge, and experience. They take the initiative to keep other team members informed.

Cooperates and pitches in to help - Cooperation is the act of working with others and acting together to accomplish a job. Effective team players work this way by second nature. 

Exhibits flexibility - Teams often deal with changing conditions — and often create changes themselves. Good team players roll with the punches; they adapt to ever-changing situations. 

Shows commitment to the team - Strong team players care about their work, the team, and the team’s work. They show up every day with this care and commitment up front. 

Works as a problem solver - Teams, of course, deal with problems.  Good team players are willing to deal with all kinds of problems in a solutions-oriented manner. 

Treats others in a respectful and supportive manner - Team players treat fellow team members with courtesy and consideration — not just some of the time but consistently.

Leadership

What is leadership? The word "leadership" can bring to mind a variety of images. For example;

• A political leader, pursuing a passionate, personal cause.
• An explorer, cutting a path through the jungle for the rest of his group to follow.
• An executive, developing her company's strategy to beat the competition.

Leaders help themselves and others to do the right things. They set direction, build an inspiring vision, and create something new. Leadership is about mapping out where you need to go to "win" as a team or an organization; and it is dynamic, exciting, and inspiring.

According to the idea of transformational leadership, an effective leader is a person who does the following:

1. Creates an inspiring vision of the future.
2. Motivates and inspires people to engage with that vision.
3. Manages delivery of the vision.
4. Coaches and builds a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision.

The words "leader" and "leadership" are often used incorrectly to describe people who are actually managing. These individuals may be highly skilled, good at their jobs, and valuable to their organizations – but that just makes them excellent managers, not leaders.

Leadership can be hard to define and it means different things to different people.

In the transformational leadership model, leaders set direction and help themselves and others to do the right thing to move forward. To do this they create an inspiring vision, and then motivate and inspire others to reach that vision. They also manage delivery of the vision, either directly or indirectly, and build and coach their teams to make them ever stronger.

Quotes by Nelson Mandela

                                                                 Source: Google Image

   Source: Google Image

   Source: Google Image

                                                               Source: Google Image

                                                              Source: Google Image

   Source: Google Image

   Source: Google Image

   Source: Google Image

   Source: Google Image

   Source: Google Image

Top 5 Most Powerful Female Leaders in The World

1. Angela Merkel (1954- Present)

Angela Merkel became the first woman Chancellor of Germany at her election in 2005. She was re-elected in 2009, in 2013 and again in 2017, making her one of the most powerful European leaders since World War II.

Source: Google Image

2. Dilma Rousseff (1947- Present)

Dilma Vana Rousseff is a Brazilian economist and politician who was the 36th President of Brazil, holding the position from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016, becoming the first democratically-elected female president in the world to be impeached and removed.

Source: Google Image

3. Melinda Gates (1964- Present)

Melinda Ann Gates is an American philanthropist, former Microsoft employee, and wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates. She is co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She worked at Microsoft, where she was project manager for Microsoft Bob, Encarta and Expedia.

Source: Google Image

4. Hillary Clinton (1947- Present)

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is an American politician who was the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, U.S. Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, 67th United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, and the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election.

Source: Google Image

5. Oprah Winfrey (1954- Present)

Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she has been ranked the richest African-American, the greatest black philanthropist in American history, and is North America's first multi-billionaire black person.

Source: Google Image

Leadership Leads to Safety on Board

                                                                 Source : Google Image

                                                                     Source: Google Image

“As a Master, I have to be polite when the crew ask some question or suggest something. Like when a Junior Officer asks “Sir, what is this?” I say “Okay, come here, I will teach you back to the basic”. But if I say “What? You don’t know this? You are already an officer!” then later on, when he is on navigation duty at night, because of my actions he is afraid to call me up to the bridge even in a situation where it’s already dangerous. This is not safe, not safe for the vessel. It is better that I motivate him to safety by speaking calmly and accepting his reason for asking me.”  

          Leadership is an utmost important trait to make the crew members comfortable enough to communicate with their officers. It is a well known fact among the seafarers that all crew members, on their different work stations on board, at all times possess information that may guarantee the safety of the vessel. A recent research has confirmed that crew members very often hesitate in approaching ship management with questions or reports of safety issues, near misses, incidents and accidents because they are afraid of sanctions and bad reactions. In other words, when ship management are too strict or otherwise behave in ways that make crew members feel afraid of them, safety communication closes down.  

                                                                   Source: Google Image

Source: Google Image

Relational leadership refers to the presence of trust, mutual respect, and a willingness to openly discuss and accept different points of view between individual senior officers and crew members. Also, when two people demonstrate open communication and harmonious relations like this, the whole work group will be influenced to copy the same behaviour. Indeed, when the ship management also displays such open and flexible leadership behaviour, the crew will not be afraid to be proactive and to approach them to discuss safety issues and action plans. This is how good leadership motivates safety on board. 

Source: Google Image

What is Good about Teamwork?

         Great people who work together as a team creates magic! Okay, this may sound a little exaggerated but sometimes it's true.

Source: Google Image

Source: Google Image

Creativity thrives when people work together in a team. Unique perspectives coming from each team member during a brainstorming session creates more effective selling solutions. What we have learnt by doing solo assignments compared to the experience gained during group projects is different. Teamwork creates enthusiasm for learning which solitory work usually lacks.

                                                                                                              Source: Google Image

Teamwork has the power to teach us conflict resolution skills. Conflicts inevitably happen when you put together a group of unique people. In our careers in the future, we are meant to meet colleagues from various backgrounds with different working habits and styles. Even if the noteworthy opinions and suggestions may lead to the success of an assignment, a resentment might also be generated which can quickly turn into a conflict. The team members are then forced to resolve the conflicts themselves instead of turning to management. Learning conflict resolution firsthand is a skill that employees can use to become efficient officers down the road. 

                                                                       Source: Google Image

Another good thing about teamwork is that it encourages healthy risk-taking. A person working solo on a project would probably not want to stick their neck out for an off-the-wall idea. It's because of the fear of failing as the employee would have to take the full brunt of the blame. As much as we do not get full credit for a successful team project, working with other people spreads out the responsibility of a failed project. In a nutshell, teamwork gives the opportunity to the members to think outside the box.

I am sure I have actually awaken a little if not a lot, of the teamwork spirit within each and everyone of you reading this article. If not, treat yourself to watch a Bollywood teamwork themed movie starring Shah Rukh Khan, also known as King Khan as the lead actor which is seen completely in a different avatar from his usual romantic role.

                                                                            Source: Google Image

Unique Leadership Traits of the Former US President, Barack Obama

"A leader is the one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way". The John Maxwell's quote can best describe the leadership portrayed by the former US President, Barack Obama.

                                                                 Source: Google Image

            Barack Obama boosts of qualities and habits of an effective leader which made him a leader of the highest repute across the globe. He is highly admired by even the countries that are not having friendly relations with the USA.

                                                                   Source: Google Image

         That is why it made me to look deeper into his valuable leadership traits which I am putting forward today. The one very striking way of Mr Obama delivering his speech is that he talked with the first person plural "we" rather than "I". The We-not-I attitude is a very intelligent way to engage the audience. This unique way of making people involved in a conversation will make them believe that they have actually done something together for a positive cause. Countless times in his speeches, Mr Obama used "we" in making people of a particular city or the whole USA to believe that they have contributed something which they can be proud of.

                                                                 Source: Google Image                      

                                                                   Source: Google Image    

            It might be easy for certain leaders to deliver a speech to a group of audience but to communicate in person with the same group of people is another thing. That is why I cannot help but to mention his art of communication. Mr Obama is a leader par excellence when it comes to communicating with any person regardless of their background, age, race and gender. His entire campaign was a classic case of how to communicate with virtually each and everyone in the USA who is eligible to vote, gain his confidence and send the message across in clear terms. And that is the reason his winning of election in both 2008 and 2012 hands down is of no surprise to me.

            A  leader is a person who is never satisfied with even his own work and always look to achieve more. With a host of things to do in his bucket list, he turned an ending into a beginning for the next project dozens of times. How does he do that? He used the positive public reaction and sentiment to begin a fresh project so that the buoyant mode keeps the momentum going and help in completing the new task with ease."Let's get back to work". This phrase is very commonly heard in Barack Obama's speeches. That's his way of celebrating a victory in a battle or just after inauguration of a new project. 

With all said and done, I'm going to watch the US reality TV shows which had Barack Obama as a guest starting with ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel"Live!, NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno and followed by Fallon's Tonight Show to get more insights about Obama's smart way of communication and engaging the audience which makes him a unique leader.

                                                                 Source: Google Image