Resilience is a popular attribute in business literature. It is a trait that should be cultivated in each of us to develop our mental tenacity to govern our behavior. It reflects our stamina and stability and the survival instinct within us. We should be fortified by framing a mindset to resist tough times. We are not saying that we will be challenge proof, but challenge resistant, enabling us to bounce in the presence of hard times and hard surfaces.

When we watch the evening news, we are bombarded with stories of violence and other forms of despair and negative images. They can be depressing to the extent of disconnecting our ability to see hope in these dire circumstances. Invariably, there is a human-interest story which represents triumph of the human spirit, kindness and generosity and our ability as humans to bounce back and rise above our situations. Searching for these human-interest stories on the nightly news will reveal heartwarming examples of resilience

This trait of resilience is what enables us to have that bounce back ability in the face of adversity. Look for instances around you where you can draw from the resilience of others and activate resilience within you.

Bounce

Your enemies planned to trounce you

And claim victory in the rout.

They were ready to announce to

Everyone, they took you out.

They wanted to dim your brilliance

So, they created what amounts

To a test of your resilience;

To hold you down for the count.

It’s a set-up, but don’t let up;

When you are shoved, thrown to the ground.

Time it perfectly and get-up,

You must rebound, you can’t stay down.

Be elastic, times are drastic,

As predators prepare to pounce.

You must be enthusiastic;

Stop, drop and roll and then you bounce.

You must be intact on impact;

Plan to repel, so when you fall;

You will react and on contact;

You will bounce like a rubber ball.

When pushed and ambushed pay the toll;

For pound for pound and ounce for ounce;

You are mentally in control;

Get ready, get set and then bounce.

Copyright © 2018 Orlando Ceaser

Personal Reflections

1. Have you developed the habit of watching human interest stories?

2. Reflect on an episode where you demonstrated resilience when you thought you were down for the count.

3. What techniques do you use to pick yourself up?

4. What part does faith play in your bounce back ability?

5. Visualize a moment where you surprised yourself by being resilient.

6. How have you or how can you pass the trait of resilience on to others?

7. Take the time today to encourage someone who is going through a hard time, to develop their resilience.

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A song from the 1960 has been on my mind for many years. It is a timeless classic about speaking to God concerning one of the needs of the world. Jackie DeShannon’s song the, What the World Needs Now, answers the question with the word love. Her response is love sweet love, it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. This was true in 1965 when the song was released, as it is today. I also fell in love with the Dionne Warwick’s version and the power of the message resonates with me to this day.

I am positive that the song inspired me to write a poem entitled What the world needs now is leadership. Before you laugh me off the page, listen to my rationale. What the world needs now is leadership. I am not viewing it on the same plane as the love response by Jackie DeShannon, but I do believe that effective, compassionate, servant-oriented leadership can address many of our societal ills. Already, poverty and hunger have massive resources directed to their elimination. Granted we have a long way to go, but some progress is being made. Social and moral collapses, crime and ignorance and other situations, such as ineffective systems detrimental to our way of life can be improved by effective leadership.

Everyone can make a difference. Think of ways where you can step up and flex your leadership muscle on a local level to make a difference. Read the following poem, What the world needs now is leadership, thinking of how and where you can influence a person or change your environment, one person at a time.

What the World Needs Now is Leadership

What the world needs now is leadership

A quality we need to equip

Everyone to have love at their core,

To grant us peace and turn us from war.

Lord, we don’t need someone conceited,

Who’s only out for personal gain.

Whose actions should not be repeated,

When people live in a state of pain.

What the world needs now is leadership;

Inspire us to rise when we slip,

For we are moving forward to grow

And spreading love wherever we go.

While we are carving a legacy

We seek the truth and we should demand,

That people starving in poverty,

Are fed, so that they will understand.

What the world needs now are leaders, we

See neighborhood where homes can be

Safe, where the residents do not fear,

Each other and people persevere.

We need folks in power whom we trust;

Competent and sensitive each day.

They are confident, moral and just,

While helping to show others the way.

What the world needs now is leadership

Don’t ration compassion but equip

The brave ones so that they can save one,

As we work to get the business done.

Copyright © 2020 Orlando Ceaser

 Personal Reflections

1. What leadership actions will you take today?

2. Where will you coach or mentor someone or deliver words of advice?

3. Where will you lead by example?

4. How can you serve others better?

5. Where can you make others better and improve their situation?

More leadership information at OrlandoCeaser.com.

The ‘O’ Zone Blog: myozonelayer.com

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We spoke earlier in the week about the value of structure. Because of the amount activity that is thrust upon us, we must develop the organizational skill to streamline and simplify our workload. We must acquire the ability to simply.

In professional basketball, there is a discussion around workload management. Some players, for a variety of reasons, need a strategy around the number of minutes they play in a game. Their concern is their availability to be more productive in the playoffs. This translates to our workplace, by saying there are only so many things we can do.

One of my mentors was a manager in procurement. One day his manager told him that he had to take on a special project which would demand 30% of his time. He asked, what 30% of his current job responsibilities must be eliminate. He knew that he could not be all things to all people and that he could not manage his current workload plus an additional 30%. There was a need to simplify.

Simplification involves procedures, projects and time allocated to people and programs.

It also impacts the stress and pressure we face daily. When we simplify, we have more time and quality with individuals who mean the most to us. We can focus on that which is most, on the things that matter most. When we simplify, we can pay attention to our health and well-being and our relationships. When we simplify, we create a structure and the mean for success. In our personal and professional lives.

Simplify

The world is slowly getting next to me,
The elevation in complexity;
Few things contract while many more expand,
As matters get rapidly out of hand.

While undulating in windstorms of stress;
They’re inundating me with more work than less.
I hear a barely audible cry,
A whisper to slow down and simplify.

We move in the fast lane and at these speeds,
Too hurried to address another’s needs.
I glance at headlines as I rush to meet
The deadlines and details as I compete
In a world that exceeds to multiply,
When it’s more efficient to simplify.

Too many struggles are coming my way
I have to juggle more items each day.
I wonder openly, how long can I
Keep driving myself and not asking why,
Collapsing my life and rushing to die,
When I have the power to simplify.

So much to schedule, so much to track.
I can’t let my head rule when under attack,
On my emotions I must rely,
To prolong my life I must apply
Holistic strategies, so that I
Can balance my world and simplify.

Copyright © 2001 Orlando Ceaser

Personal Reflection

1. What do you need to simplify in your work?

2. What do you need to simplify outside of the job?

3. Who can help you restructure your areas of responsibility?

4. What areas or activities required your attention, but you are unable to address?

5. What are your top priorities?

6. Which areas are receiving too much time and attention?

7. Who is taking up too much of your time?

8. How can you develop them or shift them to someone else?

 More leadership information at OrlandoCeaser.com.

The ‘O’ Zone Blog: myozonelayer.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=orlando+ceaser 

Our lives are consumed with risks. Living in today’s world is a risky proposition. Factors within and beyond our control surround our very existence. We cannot engage in the practice of paralysis by analysis when action is required. We need risk management skills, applied to the major areas of our lives to enable us to be successful. There are books, programs and an entire discipline around risk management that contain information to use to our advantage when there are major threats.

Regarding risk taking, I was encouraged by a manager to take manageable risks in my actions and decision-making. Developing the skill of risk-taking, in conjunction with courage and good judgment will be useful to you today.

We are faced with taking risks every day. Life is a risk-taking activity, necessary to move forward, needed for our very survival. Risk taking is also important for our growth and development, therefore cultivate the practice and skill to make you a more effective leader. You want to be your very best in the risk-taking. Remember, BEST stands for, Be Excellent Start Today. Read the We Take a Risk poem and reflect on the messages, as you navigate your daily challenges.

We take a risk

We take a risk,

For each day has warnings,

There is caution

When we rise each morning.

It’s a game of chance

When we leave the home;

There may be dangers,

That may be unknown.

We take a risk,

To a destination;

With private or public transportation;

When there’s major or minor surgery;

A planned encounter or emergency.

We take a risk,

Whenever we rebel;

When we strive for excellence to excel;

When we’re courageous and learn to question;

Challenge ideas or make suggestions.

We take a risk,

When ego makes us excessively proud,

And knowingly run with a certain crowd;

Whose objectives are objectionable;

Whose motives are questionable.

The risk is great, and the reward is small;

A gamble that could make us rise or fall;

For the consequences of an offense;

Could lead to payback, that does not make sense.

We take a risk,

When we’re lured into crime,

When we cut corners to shorten the time;

And sacrifice joy when we disobey

The words of wisdom the elders convey.

We take a risk,

To choose education;

For knowledge has a solid reputation;

Realizing there are no guarantees,

But the odds give us greater remedies.

We take a risk,

To advance a career;

To service others when their needs appear,

For each kind gesture is a souvenir;

That we listened to, a neighbor in fear.

We take a risk,

In our business deals

And savor adventure for it appeals

To our basic need to feel alive;

A jolt of power to survive and thrive.

Copyright © 2018 Orlando Ceaser

Personal Reflections

1. What risk will you take today?

2. What challenge will you confront?

3. What tough decision have you postponed?

4. What steps will you take to fully address the situation or incrementally chip away at the obstacle?

5. Review the risks that other individuals take to gain a greater perspective?

6. What are some of the risks taken by people in your family or individuals on the job?

7. What were some of the risk taking by the heroes you admire?

8. What risk will you plan to take today?

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Effective leaders have known for several years the value of caring about people and demonstrating this feeling through action. Empathy is helping people feel important and respected. People like to feel that their opinions are taken seriously and that they have input into matters affecting their work. People are individuals with a life that goes beyond the job and they want this fact to be acknowledged. Ironically, when people feel that their manager is not concerned about them and only care about the company and shareholder value, they may withhold their trust and the discretionary effort (effort that goes above and beyond the call of duty).

When people feel that their manager generally cares about them as individuals and shows this concern through their actions, they will go the extra mile in their work performance. This show of concern has a positive effect on their self-esteem and how they feel about their job. They may not be one of the 70% of people dread going to work each day, when they have a leader who practices empathy.

The Self-Esteem Destruction Kit is a parody. When you read it think of doing the opposite. However, there may be value in comparing your actions to those implicated in the poem.

Self Esteem Destruction Kit

(A parody of outlandish proportions)

Berate their achievement.

Tell them, they aren’t good enough

And don’t do what they should enough.

Don’t ever give them a compliment,

Reduce your expectations

And they’ll reach the substandard goal

You have in mind.

Ignore their vexations

And they will remind

You of their failures and invent excuses.

The verbal reprimands are good,

They do not leave marks,

And can hide internal abuses.

Tell them they won’t amount to much

Don’t spare their feelings,

As you discount their touch,

Tell them they are not appealing

And have not earned the right to one,

So, an opinion can’t be claimed.

And let them know that you’re ashamed

Of them, regardless of their marks in school

Just minimize their role, it was luck,

And their incompetence blamed

On malfunctioning genes

Inherited from remnants

Of a marginal gene pool.

Use words to provoke reactions

But judiciously use inaction,

Indifference to achieve results;

Ridicule them if needed,

Rile, defile and insult,

Distort, withhold affection;

Don’t offer favors, render rejection,

Show favoritism, be hard to please;

Make them uncomfortable, never at ease;

Be unpredictable, inconsistent,

Never give in to them

Always be resistant

To the things they say.

Ignore their voice

And always give others

Their right of way.

Shun their attention;

Avoid looking in their eyes,

Make them feel negligible

Incoherent, illegible,

And self esteem

Will take a subterranean path,

To symbolize submission.

And all but the strong

Will seek the back of the bus,

The end of the line,

And relish their position, inclined

To give those with equal footing

The advantage, always putting

Themselves last in a deprecating manner,

As they encourage others to pass.

They gravitate to second class

Status as they second guess

Their value and feel less

Worthy, when compared to peers.

They will be saddled with irrational fears

As you deny, discredit, debase;

They will systematically

Find a lower place.

Copyright © 2000 Orlando Ceaser

Reprinted from FREE by Orlando Ceaser © 2012

Watchwell Communications, Inc.

Personal Reflections

1. Are you guilty of performing any of the actions in the poem?

2. Identify the actions that apply to you and develop a plan to approach the person you have wronged.

3. Think of situations where you were the victim of some of the egregious actions.

4. Reflect on your behavior and discuss with peers or others, to ensure these actions will no longer apply to you.

5. Look for situations where an individual’s self-esteem has been damaged and offer words of encouragement and correction.

More leadership information at OrlandoCeaser.com.

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During your tenure as a leader, the gauntlet may include crises of various magnitudes. People will look to you to bail them out of difficult situations. They will require you to have closing skills to come to their rescue. In real estate, a closer is someone with the capability to wrap up the sale. In sports, The Closer is the person you can go to when the game is on the line, to take and make the most critical shots. This individual has a certain strength of the will to enable them to courageously execute this role. Everyone likes someone they can count on when times are tough. Especially, when there is a crisis and therefore a heightened sense of urgency.

Dependability and reliability are words to describe people’s confidence in the leader with a reputation for coming through at crunch time; the leader who comes through in the clutch.

What does it take to develop The Closer Mentality? How do you put yourself in circumstances where you can develop this series of skills? First, it requires practice to acquire the mindset to rise to the occasion and conquer the crisis. You must simulate pressure scenarios, in addition to real life examples to grow this mental muscle.

Secondly, you must have courage to take the risks to throw yourself into challenging environments, confident that you have the competence to succeed. When experience and courage enable you to acquire the skill; you should hone the skill, when you own the skill. And with ownership comes great responsibility and great rewards.

Coming Through in the Clutch    

It is late in the game and their team is behind;

The runners are always in scoring position.

A series of scenarios flash through your mind,

You choose the one to vanquish the competition.

You are often the hero, never the goat;

You challenge decisions to keep their dreams afloat.

The game’s on the line. You’re remarkably in touch.

You are standing with your customer in the clutch.

Carnivorous competitors want market share.

Businesses are contested on every side.

They need a unique position to shift the tide;

And a committed workforce inspired to share

Discretionary effort to strengthen their peers,

From wells of dormant potential, hidden for years.

The client is eager, their prognosis is such,

They will profit from you, coming through in the clutch.

A tidal wave of change is attacking the shore,

Conventional structures are taking a beating.

Their vital signs are strong, and their values are core.

The crucial conversations have them deleting

Old tactics tried and false, that were once tried and true,

As they evolve and execute, transcend and do

What is expected for customers need so much;

So, they need you to come through for them, in the clutch.

Copyright © 2014 Orlando Ceaser

Reprinted with permission from Leadership Greatness through High Performance Poetry by Orlando Ceaser

Copyright © 2018 Watchwell Communications, Inc.

Personal Reflections

1. Are you a person that people call on in difficult situations?

2. Describe an experience where you demonstrated The Closer Mentality?

3. Are there situations where you are reluctant to state your point of view?

4. What can you do to overcome this resistance?

5. Identify a situation where you will demonstrate dependability.

6. The Closer Mentality requires action, so that people know that it exists. Make it a habit to routinely look for instances where you can strengthen your reputation for dependability.

More leadership information at OrlandoCeaser.com.

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