I work for a digital agency that is owned by the one of the “Big Three” in the advertising/communication industry. I was lucky to be chosen to attend a senior management training program back in June of 2008 with 50 colleagues from sister agencies across the globe. Imagine spending a week in Massachusetts with leading Harvard Business School professors who expertly teach, manage and facilitate an intense 5-day dialogue with 50 of the smartest people in your industry. It was like a highly intensive “Executive MBA on Steroids.” It was a truly inspirational, high-energy journey of self-discovery! On the last day, we were asked to write a letter (a real letter on real paper with a real pen - not an email) addressed to ourselves and we were told these letters would be mailed in the New Year. My letter just arrived. I think it’s the first hand-written letter I’ve received in 10 years and definitely the first letter from myself. I thought I’d share it on this blog as we collectively embark on a New Year in 2009: Dear David, In order to be a better leader I remind you to:
Give up your addiction to CPA (continuous partial attention) Take control of your attention. Be present in the moment. Put away the Blackberry. Forget the past and the future. Concentrate on the NOW Remember balance. Beyond work, give of yourself to your family, friends and community
Be a Leader:
Don’t give up Be courageous Be connected Be empathetic Talk to people (in person and on the phone not just via email, IM and Twitter) Have fun Always reach higher Focus Be diligent about follow-through Be diligent about follow-through Be diligent about follow-through
Interesting to get a gentle kick-in-the-butt reminder from yourself 7 months later! What do you think? Any of this resonate with you? Tweet This
January 12 2009, 4:51pm | Original Link »
