Part of being a good leader, is being a good follower. You can’t always be the boss. Sometimes you have to park your ego and title, and follow someone else. If you can’t do that, you can’t lead.
You can’t lead others if you can’t lead yourself
Leadership starts with yourself. Can you make yourself a better person? Can you lead yourself to a better place? Self-discipline, self-awareness. The more you lead yourself better, the more you’ll be able to lead others.
Having a bad day? Just get something done.
Having a bad day? Bad news after bad news? Don’t fret. Focus on getting one small task done. Anything. Just finish it, and at least offset all the irritation of the day with a small feeling of achievement. Get something, anything, done.
Don’t let the impossible interfere with the possible
There are plenty of things you wish you could do, if you only had more money, more time, more people. That’s just the way it is. Don’t let the things that you can’t do distract you what you can do. If you can’t do it, leave it. Focus on what you can do.
Don’t throw good money after bad
Sometimes you launch a new business or product. You believe in it to your bones. But things don’t go as planned, and after six months you find yourself having spent R100,000 with no profit in sight. You must now invest a further R100,000 to keep it going and have a chance of finding success. What…
Cash is more useful than assets
Ever heard of the term: “Asset rich, cash poor”? It refers to a situation where you have lots of assets, but no hard cash. For example, you may own R100million worth of properties, but only have R10,000 cash in the bank. This is a very fragile situation, because if you have any emergency expendenture you…
Don’t underestimate animal spirits
“Animal spirits” is the term used by the British economist, John Maynard Keynes, to explain financial and buying decisions in conditions of uncertainty. It basically describes the psychology of the market. Positive – Everyone is buying, shares are going up. Negative – Everyone is selling, shares are going down. Keynes argument is that the animal…
Entrepreneurs have three kinds of stress
Operational stress – the worries that go along with making stuff. Product deadlines, service providers, staff. Financial stress – the worries that go along with cashflow. Fund raising, payroll, chasing client payments People stress – the worries that go along with working with people you don’t like. Difficult shareholders, dishonest partners, rude clients. Operational & financial…
Toughen up
Feeling sorry for yourself? Lost a big client? Laying off staff? Can’t get startup off ground? Not seeing enough of your family? Not making enough money? Whatever your gripe, toughen up. Imagine you are one of the millions of folks that can’t read this post, either because you can’t afford R10 worth of airtime, or…
Don’t be a sulker
If things don’t go your way, be cool. Don’t go into a sulk. Don’t be grumpy and mope and gripe that you didn’t get what you want. Rather get over it and move forward. Smile on your dial and focus on the next thing. No one likes a sulker. Don’t be a sulker.
People believe what they’re paid to believe
Upton Sinclair once said, “Getting a man to believe X when his salary depends on him believing Y, is very difficult.” This observation explains 99% of all irrational corporate behaviour. Salaries erode common sense. Remember that when asking someone their opinion. They will tell you a story that affirms their salary, not necessarily reality. People…
Pick up the phone and make the call
It’s too easy to rather add the phonemail, or email, to tomorrow’s to-do list. Why delay? Why not just make the phone call right now? Every delay has a ripple effect on all events from that moment on. More delays. More chance you may fail simply because the other guy moved faster. Don’t delay. Pick…