Lucky for me my gear held. I stopped and assessed my situation – nothing broken – but now faced a choice. I could be lowered down and deal with the failure or climb back to the point of the fall and attempt to reach the summit. I chose to make the effort and try again. Much like our business goals, we get close at times, and then something happens that seemingly prevents us from accomplishing what we set out to do. At that moment – that crux – we need to assess and make a decision.

Once I got back to the point where I fell, I reset the gear and rope in case there was a repeat. This time I was focused with lots of adrenaline to solve the problem of working my feet and hands in a sequence to reach the summit and anchor point – and I did. What a feeling when I reached the top and clipped in, thus completing the climb. My belayer then lowered me to his position and we again assessed my situation – all good.

In our personal and business lives we are faced with situations that require assessing and making a choice. I know that I had to complete the climb or forever deal with the regret. Even though my climbing partner and I were a team, this for me was an ILM or Interesting Leadership Moment and not one of bravado. A choice had to be made with strong consideration for the safety of both parties – ego put aside. It may be a simplistic analogy, but most profound realizations are. As I was going through the steps to resolve the situation one way or another – I realized how important it was to step back and assess when you have a “fall” professionally as well. Sometimes it makes sense to climb on, other times, you should get new gear, more experience, or even move to another mountain.

“When Calm, Prepare for the Storm. When Chaotic, Remain Tranquil.”
16th century Japanese Samurai [1]

When searching for new ways to reinvigorate our teams, we often think a totally new approach is necessary. However, when delving into any realm in search of answers -religion, politics or even leadership development – certain universal truths become apparent that have been present for thousands of years. With a bit of tweaking, these ancient core principles and strategies can be reinvented for effectiveness in today’s business world.

Enter the Warrior Sage. This archetype can be found in many cultures. In Japan, it is exemplified in the Samurai tradition by figures like Miyamoto Musashi and Yaguy Munenori. In India, enlightened leaders such as Rama, Dronacharya and Arjuna have inspired millions. In Western culture, King Arthur, Joan of Arc, and Queen Cordelia are examples of great Warrior Sages.

These Warrior Sages embodied principles that gave them access to their intuitive wisdom and fortified them in the face of their challenge. How can we apply the warrior sage characteristics of great courage, strength and wisdom for leading people to victory today? Several patterns emerge from studying these sages that drive performance in current organizations:

A Warrior Sage uses wisdom to defeat an enemy (or fight for a cause, or succeed in business). Surprisingly, warriors do not have to take up arms. True wisdom grants you the ability to apply other means of achieving victory as seen in the cases of modern, non-violent leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Had they taken up arms against their opposition, they certainly would have met with defeat. To deny that they were great warriors endowed with courage, strength and wisdom is to deny the great depth of character they exhibited in leading their followers to victory. On the other hand, if arms weren’t taken up against a tyrant like Adolph Hitler, the Allied Forces would have met certain defeat during World War II.

Does your management team possess the wisdom to choose the appropriate means for victory? We would love to hear examples of when your “warrior” leadership remained calm in a storm and chose the correct strategy to win.
Look forward to hearing from you,

Eric

It is time to examine that prospect list and “give up the ghost”. Until a desired client is ready to commit to giving you a meeting, they are merely a lead and not a prospect. Leads are good too, but make sure you are
differentiating the two and appropriating resources accordingly.

Another barrier to peak performance occurs when we continue pursuing a “prospect” for the wrong reasons. Maybe they were good clients in the past. Maybe their business is in our comfort zone. Maybe they are the type of client we wish we could land, but lack the product to meet their needs. Whatever the reason, you need to take a critical look at the potential opportunity and be realistic. What are the chances this effort will be converted to sales!
At Smart Performance Strategies, we are guilty of chasing a few ghosts as well. I have wined, dined, invited, and pitched certain companies, who shall remain nameless, far too long. Tell us about one of your phantom prospects. You may see it featured in a future SmartCEO column!

Proceed with caution. With the current unemployment rate, you can afford to be selective. Hiring decisions made by small to mid-sized companies can be particularly tricky at this point in time. They are susceptible to hasty, biased judgments that result in costly mistakes. As the decision maker, you may have more job responsibilities than ever and less sophisticated tools at your disposal. There is tremendous pressure because a vacancy in a small company leaves a bigger hole to fill. The temptation exists to go with a “friend of a friend” or perhaps one of the first applicants you encounter. The result is a shortened, less thorough interviewing process resulting in a poor hire.

Another danger is that, in this market, you can bet you will be dealing with some experienced talent. They will have been around the “interview block” a time or two and know what you want to hear. They may be desperate for the position, which decreases the honesty factor and increases the likelihood of hiring someone who is not truly aligned with your company’s goals. Usually only a highly trained and experienced interviewer can determine if the candidate is the right fit for the job and has the potential to succeed.

Assessment tools can take some of the guess work out of the hiring process. Make sure you have identified the traits that are necessary for success and then test to see if the candidate has them. An external, objective opinion definitely increases the chance of hiring a candidate with good job fit!

Have you ever been “fooled” by a candidate? Share your story with us so we all can learn how to improve our selection process.