Happy Father's Day

Super Mom will take charge saving the world tomorrow while you are having your day off.

Go the Fuck to Sleep!

Adam Mansbach probably had a conversation with me some time this year, heard my night struggles about trying to get my son to sleep and made it an inspiration to write a book.

That's a made up story.

Anyway, the author created a funny children's story book for adults that clearly narrates a parent's struggle each night for their kids to go to sleep. To make the story more hilarious, Samuel L. Jackson narrates it. 

The ABC of Superlative Leadership

I just have to re-post this article from Read Bud because I find it useful for business or to anyone who just wants to be at the top of their game.

If you want to make the move from managing to leading, from being a professional to being an inspirer, from being one of the team to being a leader of the team, you need to know the ABC of Superlative Leadership.

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A is for Appreciative Cultures, the end result of a leader's work, when the culture he or she fosters becomes an appreciative value of the company.


B is for rock-solid Belief that your team can move mountains.


C is for Culture, which is the way people behave when you're not looking.


D is for the Drive for Power that makes you want to lead.


E is for Encouragement, like sun after the rain.


F is for Fun, an indication that the right work is happening.


G is for Growing your people. Like Sir Colin Marshall, head of British Airways, who personally attended every one of his customer care programmes, "Putting People First".


H is for Helicopter vision, because you need to see in three time zones: the near, the middle and the far.


I is for leader Identity, the ability to be comfortable in your own shoes.


J is for Joy because leaders rejoice in their own blessings as well as the successes of their team.

K is for Knowing your people, not just by name and number, but by strength and weakness, character and spirit, skills and potential, what makes them sigh and what makes them soar.

L is for Learning, because learning is change and learning is growth.

M is for Mission which leaders live as well as write. Like Bill Gates insisting that his staff at Microsoft, Germany, use the familiar "Du" instead of the formal "Sie".

N is for the Nobel complex, the belief that everything your people do is worthy of a Nobel prize.

 

O is for Opportunity. Like Edmund McIlhenny who returned from the American Civil War to find his sugar plantation and salt works in ruins except for a few hot Mexican peppers that had sown themselves. He used them to produce a sauce that is now known as Tabasco and sold around the world.

P is for Plain-talking because leaders need to be understood.

Q is for Questions, such as "What do you need me to do?" and "How can I help you work better?" and "What should I be doing?"

R is for Respect, the touchstone of every relationship a leader has.

S is for Symbols, the language of leadership. Like the CEO of a candy factory facing financial ruin, whose first symbolic act was to shorten the tails on the sugar mice.

T is for the Traits of courage and determination, patience and perseverance.

U is for Unleashing what's there. Like 3M, who allow their scientists to spend 15% of their time working on projects that interest them.

V is for Values, the guiding principles of the team, or "the Walkmans of the mind".

W is for the Way, the Chinese "tao", the route that leaders take and others follow.

X is for Xtraordinary because leaders get ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

Y is for Yes, because there is always a plus to be found even in the worst situation and the toughest setback.

Z is for Zero tolerance of failure, sub-performance and giving up.

 

Learn these simple principles, and there are no limits to where you can lead your team.



Empty Oprah Syndrome

Photo from Random Thoughts.

After 25 years of giving us daily informative, educational, funny and touching stories (not to mention the happy headaches)... Oprah finally said goodbye on television. It's been four days since Oprah's final episode and I bet lots and lots of people are starting to develop the EOS or Empty Oprah Syndrome. It is like you have lost a friend or someone dear to you who you can share your secrets, open up your feelings and ideas without being judged.

Oh, well, we can still see her in OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) and we can still read her updates at oprah.com and through her Twitter account (@oprah).

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Something to look forward to in cinemas this month is Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, of course, with Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) leading the group of pirates and Angelica (Penelope Cruz) in the search for the Fountain of Youth.

You can read the plot of the movie in Wikipedia.

Today's Life Quote

Kate doing her own grocery

Photo from here.

Kate is still down to earth! 

The Duchess of Cambridge, despite the title, still does her own grocery shopping wearing common clothes--jeans, sweater and ballet flats. I am just so proud of her... no royal air, just the plain and "commoner" Kate that we fell in love with.