Original Thoughts - Surprise Inspiration
Sheelagh Whittaker’s Convictions About Leadership
January 25th 2010

Sheelagh Whittaker’s Convictions About Leadership were posted in today’s Globe and Mail’s Monday Morning Manager. I have developed a high speed scanning system when reading yet another expert’s take on Leadership - expecting to see alot of the same old jargon being tossed about and expecting to feel that same old flatness in response. I slowed down, reread and tore out the page. The difference - Whittaker’s convictions resonate as original thoughts and lived experiences - certainly wisdom likely earned. Here are but a few that stand out:

" With children and with employees, never say "maybe" when you mean "no"."

"If you have to force a decission, the decission probably should not yet be made."

"Good judgement is the most vital determinant of success. Judgement can be improved by determinedly learning more about an issue."

"Integrity is the source of both belief and freedom."

"Those who violate your trust are the losers. An appropriate response is not to cease trust, but to place your trust elsewhere."

"No one person is so brilliant that his or her ideas can not be improved by trading thoughts with another smart person."

"It is important to remeber that people’s behaviour toward you is not necessarily about you."

"Decisiveness is not the same as being certain. I am often decisive; I am seldom certain.

"Reading fiction and biography in quantity can help you think about how to live your own life."

"Bittereness is a destructive emotion, jealousy is demeaning, cynicism is a form of laziness and equity is a complex goal."

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