"There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish."
Warren G. Bennis

There is no growth even in nature without planting new seeds. Successful leaders understand the common sense truth nature offers daily. If you want your team, organization and company to grow you have to create a cycle of new ideas, good environment, good management, and good marketing. Simple....yet somehow gets complicated with interesting notions.

Fear is the primary impediment of creativity and strong growth. Deming wrote of this with his point number eight "obligation of management" was to drive fear out of the organization. Fear of being fired, reprisals, losing status, or being different weakens the growth cycle of a company. Deming believed that quality, innovation, and creativity all required risk taking and the willingness to speak up.

How to grow the company as a Leader

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"The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective."
Warren G. Bennis

In a world where short term results are the measurement of success and the long term vision is not clear.....you lose the heart, talent and creativity of people.

To be a manager means to focus on "the tactics" of getting short term results. To be a leader means to move out the noise, problems and everyday fears so you and your team are moving to a better future.

This seems easy and it is quite hard because there are so many daily distractions and emergencies to pull you from that focus.

How to move into Leadership

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The easiest way to begin to move to leadership vs daily blocking and tackling is to:

*Allow others to do their job

*Know mistakes are learning opportunities

*You can't do everything

*Have "one clear focus" that will take yourself and your team to a better place

*Inspire those around you

*Keep the "one clear focus" for your team and...

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice." Wayne Dyer

This is one of the simplest statements and it is the hardest. The impact of this recession will be felt for a long time. The hard and easy part of being a leader during this time ....is to continue to be a leader in the face uncertainty and to maintain your motivation to move in a direction which may be unclear yet "feels right".

Feelings are taboo to speak of in leadership, business and organizations.....yet they are 'the secret sauce' of great leaders and are the source of our drive, the energy which moves us from common execution to uncommon excellence. It is the source which powers impactful leadership.

The important skill to learn is to differentiate between feeling and emotion. One is a source of great wisdom and truth and the later is to act out.

Feelings & Emotions in Leadership

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"Don't try, just be." Bobbie Goheen

Odd words for they seem in direct conflict with Yoda, who we all know is one wise gnome. And the truth of it is that the ability to move in the direction of your dreams and aspirations is directly related to your abilty to move, to make, to do...etc.

What gets in the way is the over thinking, over analyzing, over questioning...all which ulitmately fosters doubt and doubt inherently brings stasis.

Listening in Leadership is Key

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The ability to stay true to your nature, your call, your voice is the greatest practice you can have. Learning how to listen and follow is difficult because there is so much noise, fear, uncertainty and doubt about which holds all greatness back.

The practice "of being" requires making regular choices which are in alignment with you, listening to the inner critic with compassion, and staying true to the thrum which allows you to create in a way which is supportive of you and...