Insights for Leading

Whether you are writing a Social Media post, Newspaper article, book to be published, etc., the goal of every writer is to communicate ideas effectively to readers, and to achieve this, a writer must always do these three things: 1. CAPTIVATE : Readers are usually busy and impatient, so your writing must be attractive enough to get their attention. Headliners for the news are written with this principle in mind – to arouse curiosity. The topic and introduction (opening paragraph and/or chapter) of your writing must hook the heart of your reader. Make them want to read, and keep them engaged by maintaining an interesting style throughout. By all means, avoid monotony. 2. CLARIFY : Once the heart is captivated, the mind opens up for proper comprehension, so you must also ensure that your writing is clear enough to be understood. Be simple and systematic. Use words that readers can relate to without difficulty and avoid ambiguity of all sorts. Also, organize your work to

Let’s recall the last point on this subject of listening from Dr Hans Finzel's "TOP TEN WAYS TO BE A GREAT LEADER": Nothing stops the progress of an organization more quickly than leaders failing to listen. Followers want to communicate with their leaders. If you fail to listen to them, their very effectiveness and job satisfaction will be in jeopardy. You don’t have to agree with them, but they need to know that they were heard. How do you feel if you were listened to? I feel ... 1. I am important – instead of unimportant. 2. I am an essential part of the team – instead of marginalized. 3. I matter to my boss – instead of a waste of time trying. 4. I am visible – instead of invisible. 5. My voice is respected – instead of my opinions are not respected. 6. I am respected – instead of I am not respected. 7. I matter – instead of I have nothing to contribute. 8. Real change is coming – instead of nothing is going to change. Here are some action points

Using the the letters in the word L-E-A-D-E-R-S-H-I-P, Hans Finzel shares his advice for both the hungry new leader and the seasoned leader looking for help. In his best-selling book, “TOP TEN WAYS TO BE A GREAT LEADER,” he unveils practical steps which leaders who seek true greatness must master. The letter ‘L’ stands for ‘LISTENING’ and here are his thoughts on it: A lot of leaders get stuck in isolation because they are at the top of a large organization and lose touch with the front lines. Whether it’s people to whom you’re ministering, people to whom you’re providing a service, or people to whom you’re selling things, you have to learn that the end user is king. It is for that person’s sake that you do what you do. The higher you go in leadership, the more you’re isolated and insulated from those people on the front lines. That’s one of the biggest reasons you have to learn to listen to your people. For twenty years, I served as CEO of a global non-profit. I know what it i

The more you know about leadership, the faster you grow as a leader and the farther you are able to go as a leader. This simple truth inspired Andy Stanley to write THE NEXT GENERATION LEADER. Having been exposed to leadership quite early, privileged to lead a faith-based organization comprising tens of thousands of young people, and drawing on two decades of experience mentoring a rising generation, Andy has now identified five essential attributes of leaders who will shape the future: Competence, Courage, Clarity, Coaching and Character. You might think you already know what these are and how they contribute to leadership until you start to read his book. Here are some of his thoughts on Leadership and Competence: It is both natural and necessary for leaders to try to prove themselves by doing everything themselves. It is natural because, as a leader, you want to set the pace even as you demonstrate that nothing is beneath you. It is necessary because most of the time nobo

Have you ever read a post, article or book that you wished never ended? If yes, then that piece must have been crafted by a Highly Effective Writer. But what if you could write such a script that inspires people greatly to buy into your ideas? Here are some other secret habits that Highly Effective Writers utilize to do so: Habit 4.They write on subjects they know about Applying Jesus' principle, "We speak only of what we [absolutely] know ..." (John 3:10), Highly Effective Writers stay within the boundaries of their authority gained by knowledge and mastery of specific subjects. That’s why writing is not just about pen and paper; in fact, thorough research might take more time than the writing itself. Because HEWs know and esteem the power of their pen, they don't attempt to confuse or mislead people by pretending to know everything and arguing ignorantly in their writing. They also understand that their creative juice flows much more ea

Effective writers distinguish themselves from others by creating excellent pieces that wow readers and provoke results all the time. They are the ones who ultimately shape beliefs, behaviours, feelings and actions of people through writing. Beyond the finished works of pen masters that their audience admire, here are some of the behind-the-scene practices that makes them highly effective: 1. They read consistently – Just like athletes exercise their bodies, effective writers ‘head-xercise’ their minds. Output is impossible without input and it is impossible to be a good writer without being a good reader. Reading not only provides information, it provokes inspiration, so effective writers read voraciously, intensely, and consistently to stay mentally fit. 2. They meditate consistently – Ask any writer who writes very well and he will tell you that he keeps a busy mind – perhaps, even unconsciously. They are always thinking productive ideas, most times processing what they rea