Leadership Tips from P G Vargis

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

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Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

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PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

The Ceramic Cup

I HEARD A story about a former Under Secretary of Defense who gave a speech at a large conference. He took his place on the stage and began talking, sharing his prepared remarks with the audience. He paused to take a sip of coffee from the Styrofoam cup he’d brought on stage with him. He took another sip, looked down at the cup and smiled. “You know,” he said, interrupting his own speech, “I spoke here last year. I presented at this same conference on this same stage. But last year, I was still an Under Secretary,” he said. “I flew here in business class and when I landed, there was someone waiting for me at the airport to take me to my hotel. Upon arriving at my hotel,” he continued, “there was someone else waiting for me. They had already checked me into the hotel, so they handed me my key and escorted me up to my room. The next morning, when I came down, again there was someone waiting for me in the lobby to drive me to this same venue that we are in today. I was taken through a back entrance, shown to the greenroom and handed a cup of coffee in a beautiful ceramic cup.” “But this year, as I stand here to speak to you, I am no longer the Under Secretary,” he continued. “I flew here coach class and when I arrived at the airport yesterday there was no one there to meet me. I took a taxi to the hotel, and when I got there, I checked myself in and went by myself to my room. This morning, I came down to the lobby and caught another taxi to come here. I came in the front door and found my way backstage. Once there, I asked one of the techs if there was any coffee. He pointed to a coffee machine on a table against the wall. So I walked over and poured myself a cup of coffee into this here Styrofoam cup,” he said as he raised the cup to show the audience. “It occurs to me,” he continued, “the ceramic cup they gave me last year . . . it was never meant for me at all. It was meant for the position I held. I deserve a Styrofoam cup. “This is the most important lesson I can impart to all of you,” he offered. “All the perks, all the benefits and advantages you may get for the rank or position you hold, they aren’t meant for you. They are meant for the role you fill. And when you leave your role, which eventually you will, they will give the ceramic cup to the person who replaces you. Because you only ever deserved a Styrofoam cup.”

Sinek, Simon (2014-01-07). Leaders Eat Last Deluxe: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't (p. 68). Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition.

PART II

Leadership Blind Spots

You should stop wasting your time.”

“Do something easier.”

“Are you sure all that work is going to pay off?”

My friend, it’s hard to avoid these comments from the often well-intentioned people in our lives, that stomp on our dreams and make us doubt our direction.

We’ve all received hard-to-hear feedback and critical questions from the people closest to us. And their questions start to develop doubt in us, don’t they?

So my question for you is maybe a familiar one, “Why try, if you’re going to fail anyway?”

Based on my 40-plus years of leadership, building companies and raising my family, I have one important reason for trying anyway:

When you try and fail, you learn. When you learn, you grow. When you grow, you expand your potential for success.

Keep that response in your back pocket the next time someone you know expresses doubt for your endeavors!

The best and most resilient people embrace this truth, as much on their worst days as on the days they’re flying high. And I want you to understand what it takes to go the distance without letting doubt and failure take over.

I want you to get some “grit”. I want to help you get some thicker skin and build your endurance for the hardest days on your journey for a bigger and better year.

- John Maxwell.

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Have a day of growth for the glory of God

p g vargis

www.pgv.com

 

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

Example of leaders

We are all called to be examples. However, some have a special responsibility. Israel was called to be an example to the world. They were given special blessings by God and called to be an example to other nations who would be attracted by their good reputation. As a result, people from all over the world would come to know the Lord (6:32–33, MSG).

Jerusalem, in particular, was chosen as an example ‘for my Name’ (v.6). God also chose as particular examples David and Solomon to rule his people Israel (6:6–7:10).

But other leaders also had a responsibility to lead by example. The Levites had a particular leadership role in the worship of the temple (5:2 onwards). The trumpeters and singers also had a leadership role (6:13).

Solomon leads by example in worship and prayer. ‘He knelt in full view of the whole congregation, stretched his hands to heaven, and prayed’ (v.13, MSG).

He tells others about God’s greatness and worships him with thanksgiving. Solomon’s prayer of dedication shows that Israel would often fail in this role. He prayed many times that God would forgive them when they turned back (vv.21,25,27,30,39).

After Solomon prayed, ‘God so filled The Temple that there was no room for the priests! When all Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the Glory of God fill The Temple, they fell on their knees, bowed their heads, and worshipped, thanking God’ (7:3, MSG).

Today, under the new covenant, we are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). As Joyce Meyer writes, ‘God wants to display His glory in and through us as dramatically as He did in the physical temple of Solomon’s day. When God’s glory is manifested in your life, others will look at you and say, “Wow, what a great God you serve,” because the power of His goodness toward you is visibly evident to them.’

Lord, thank you that you want to display your glory in and through me. Please fill me today with your Holy Spirit and enable me to follow the example of Jesus and be an example to others.

PART II

Leadership Blind Spots

ATTITUDES RULE!!!

The research is in and it's conclusive, Friend. The people with the most positive attitudes:

•           Live the longest,

•           Have the least stress,

•           Make the most money,

•           Enjoy the greatest health,

•           Achieve most of their goals,

•           Go the furthest in their careers,

•           Experience a purpose-driven life,

•           Turn others into peak performers,

•           Resolve conflicts without defensiveness,

•           Experience big-time success as leaders,

•           Live with a healthy sense of work-life balance,

•           Engage the full and willing cooperation of others,

•           Listen with empathy and communicate with clarity,

•           Refuse to let the negativity of others get them down,

•           Create the most positive work and home environments, and

•           Ask brave questions that build strong teams and positive relationships.

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

Hold Fast Your Confession

HEBREWS 3:1; 4:14 NKJ 1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

HEBREWS 10:23 NKJ 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Your confession is what you say. You should persistently continue speaking in faith, agreeing with what God has said, regardless of circumstances. If it never seemed like it was not working, there would be no need to hold fast, or hang on, to a confession of faith.

Some people are surprised when they act on God's Word and it does not immediately come to pass. But there is abundant evidence in Scripture showing that is normal. God never promised that everything would happen instantly. The time period involved gives us opportunity to walk in faith and please God.

Remember that authority is released through words. When we speak in DIS-agreement with what God says, we are giving authority in that area of our lives to our enemy. This is why Scripture tells us to struggle (if necessary) to keep speaking in agreement with God's Word.

Why does the Bible tell us to "hold fast" -- or you might say "hang on tight" or "hang on for dear life." Obviously, something or someone is trying hard to get us to turn loose. Who or what do you think that is?

SAY THIS: With God's help, I will keep speaking in agreement with the Word of God, no matter what the circumstances may say.

PART II

Rick Warren: 3 Pillars That Lead to Success in Ministry And Life

Justin Blaney, the founder of Innovate 4 Jesus, asked Rick Warren to think back to when he was first starting a church at age 25. “What is something that other 25 or 30 year olds can learn from what you knew back then that set you up to become what you are today?”

Warren doesn’t miss a beat as he responds, “Don’t focus on building the church; focus on building people.”

At the end of the first year as a pastor, Warren faced burnout, even fainting in the middle of a service. The second year of Saddleback church, he battled with depression. But in that second year, Warren says God taught him the lessons he needed to build the church into what it is today.

From that second year, Warren learned that great leadership is “all about character, not charisma.” If you want God’s anointing on your life, Warren says, it has nothing to do with strategy, marketing, systems, etc. Instead, “it has everything to do with who you are.”

Finally, Warren offers three pillars on which to build your life and ministry: “You must build your life on integrity, on humility, and on generosity.” Those three things, he says, are the antidote to the three great traps of leadership.

[PG Vargis]

A leader is like a river. Starts as a small stream. But gathers on the way other streams and becomes a mighty river – feeding people, cattle and agricultural lands and nourishing forests. It never stops working – day and night. A river exists for others and then vanishes.  You can be a Pampa river of Kerala or Ganges of India or Amazon. The choice is yours.

P G Vargis

=====================================================

Leadership note. Grow with me.

And share this with others. Let the world grow.

============================

PART I      DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE (COPIED)

What Does Hope Have to Do with Leadership?

"When you want people to learn new skills, it works best to work on one thing at a time.  Then you watch for every opportunity to praise their progress."

During the 13th century, King Frederick, the head of the Holy Roman Empire, conducted a most unusual experiment. He wondered what language babies would speak if no one ever spoke to them.

So he gathered together a large number of babies for his experiment. The caretakers were instructed to feed and clothe the babies, but no one was to ever speak to them.

Of course, King Frederick never learned the answer to his question. All of the babies died. Human beings cannot live without some form of human recognition or some sense of hope that things will get better.

The same is true in the business world.

1. The Cost of a Seemingly Hopeless Work Environment

Even though employees may not "die" physically in a seemingly hopeless work environment, they'll certainly die motivationally. In a study by William M. Mercer, Inc., and reported in Compensation and Benefits Review, 25% of the workers said they were capable of doing 50% more work.

So why don't they? They lacked hope. They didn't feel their contribution was wanted or rewarded. In particular, almost a third of the respondents gave three reasons for not doing more: 1) they weren't involved in the decision making, 2) they weren't rewarded for good performance, and 3) they saw no opportunity for advancement.

What's it like in your organization? Is everyone filled with hope and enthusiasm? Is everyone on fire, giving 120%? Or do you have some people that are  doing just enough to get by, feeling and acting somewhat hopeless?

If you answered the latter, if you've got some less-than-fully productive people on your team, you may be in the midst of a crisis.  A crisis of hope.

And it doesn’t matter if you’re leading an entire organization, a department, a team, or even your own family … you must remember

2.  It Is Your Job to Keep Hope Alive.   

Tom Malone, president of Milliken and Company, made that quite clear. He said: "I played football in college. I wasn't very big--only 150 pounds--and I wasn't very good. I got hurt a lot. I broke my arm once, my neck once, and my nose six times. When I tell people about it, they always ask me, 'Why did you keep doing it?'”   

“For the longest time I had no answer. Then one day it hit me. If there hadn't been any fans in the stands cheering me on--my family and friends-- I wouldn't have kept on playing and trying so hard. But there were, so I did."  

I agree. We're the fans in the stands for our teammates, our employees, our customers, our friends, and our family members.  And it’s our job to keep their hope alive.

 

But how can we do that? Some of the best advice I ever got came from Pope John XXIII. Even though he was a most unlikely "management consultant," he was right on when he wrote:   

3. “See Everything, Overlook a Lot, Correct a Little.”   

For the sake of brevity, I'll assume you do quite well on Pope John’s first two suggestions. Most people do. It's the third area where I see too many people kill off the hope in others. They correct too many faults at the same time.  

By contrast, look at how a golf pro teaches. When a person comes to him for lessons, he may have four or five basic flaws in his swing.  All of these flaws will eventually need to be corrected if he expects to hit the ball well.   

However, if the golf pro told his student about all of his flaws at once, the student would probably feel overwhelmed and hopeless. Instead, the pro points out one or two of the most glaring errors. As the student corrects those and begins to hit the ball better, he's encouraged to keep on learning more to get better and better. Then the pro gives him something else to work on.   

The same is true in business. When you want people to learn new skills, it works best to work on one thing at a time.  Then you watch for every opportunity to praise their progress.  

As the old saying goes, "Nothing succeeds like success." Success is a great motivator. When employees master one step and are praised for doing so, it spurs them on to the next skill they need to master.  

As you "correct a little," as you give your feedback, make sure you use tact.  So much of the time, the hope you build or kill in others is not so much a function of what you say but how you say it.   

Baltasar Gracian wrote, "Cultivate tact, for it is the work of culture...the lubricant of human relationships, softening contacts and minimizing friction." He's right.  

The ancient Muslims used to tell a story to illustrate the importance of tact. A sultan called in one of his seers and asked how long he would live. "Sire," said the fortune teller, "You will live to see all your sons dead." The sultan flew into a rage and handed the fortune teller over to his guards to be executed.  

He then called for a second seer and asked him the same question. "Sire," said this fortune teller, "I see you blessed with long life, so long that you will outlive all your family." The sultan was delighted and rewarded the fortune teller with gold and silver.

Obviously, both of the seers said the same thing. But one had tact; the other did not.

 

It's not good enough to have "truth" on your side. You've got to know how to communicate it as well. Then, and only then, will you keep people's hope alive, and then, and only then, will those people give all that they are capable of giving.

Final Thought:  Never deprive someone of hope. It may be all he has.

PART II

WELFARE FIRST Hyundai ensures its employees are empowered, respected and given opportunities to take risks to stay motivated at the workplace

How do you spot and attract talent? There is no universal rule to find the perfect employee. Each company devises its own system to spot and attract the right talent. Requirements also change every year.

HMIL has built a brand image over the years amongst engineering students who are aware of the kind of opportunities we offer. We map colleges every year to meet specific requirements that may vary every year. We assess students based on their competencies, attitude, geographic preferences and flexibility to adapt. Sometimes, selection is also influenced by the performance of past students from a particular college The best way to retain and nurture stars? All employees are provided a level-playing field. It is up to them what they make of it. Some employees put in extra effort and perform better than others, which becomes apparent as we go along. We have a number of initiatives to retain such talent like Future Leaders Programme, Step Up Programme, etc that includes higher studies in premier institutes, succession planning, job shadowing, to name a few. However, the key to retain talent lies in the extent of empowerment, flexibility to push boundaries and freedom to take decisions, which are part of the job offering at HMIL What kind of a workplace environment do you strive to create? We strive to create a happy workplace rather than the best workplace. We believe that happy employees are more productive and their enthusiasm is contagious. While we offer very competitive pay packages, we strongly believe that monetary emoluments are not the core motivators. A healthy environment, empowerment, respect and opportunities to take risks are often bigger motivators

What specific attributes/values do you look for in candidates being interviewed? Hyundai Group focuses on five core values – customers, challenge, collaboration, people and globality (global ability) – the DNA of our employee behavioural competencies. We like to see how candidates demonstrate these values and assess whether they would be able to integrate into our system seamlessly What skillsets are important when hiring for your company? Skillsets vary with position and job. However, what we do look for are certain personality traits that we believe play a greater role in the overall performance. Flexibility, adaptability, persistence, ability to be a team player etc are given as much importance if not more, as proficiency for a particular task Do you check a candidate’s social media profile when hiring and are you using social media for hiring? Yes, we do use social media while identifying suitable candidates, especially in lateral hiring, but that is just one of the many methods we deploy. A social media profile helps us understand the individual, provides an insight into his persona and his association with professional bodies or causes Are you hiring at the moment? Yes, we are hiring only for replacement positions Best facilities in your organisation? It is our constant endeavor to create a conducive environment which makes employees comfortable. To achieve that we focus on three key aspects – welfare, engagement and development. While we have one of the best canteens, transport medical and recreational facilities, we extend our services beyond these. Our emphasis is on their overall development and we engage with them through sustained programmes on health and wellness.