Management leadership

I have a friend who has resolved not to call the attention of his boss on anything because it always either meets inaction or worse he gets blamed for it. He thinks his bosses are too concerned with processes and control, (purposely or unwittingly) failing to provide project directions. That's why, my friend concludes, their projects never go far from the planning stages. To my mind, my friend's managers fail as a leader. Clearly there's a difference between leading and managing.

Gen. Colin Powell, in a leadership primer, said that "The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership." Here's the primer.

Quotations from Chairman Powell: A Leadership Primer

1. Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.
2. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.
3. Don't be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment. Elites can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world.
4. Don't be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard.
5. Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.
6. You don't know what you can get away with until you try.
7. Keep looking below surface appearances. Don't shrink from doing so (just) because you might not like what you find.
8. Organization doesn't really accomplish anything. Plans don't accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don't much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.
9. Organization charts and hence titles count for next to nothing.
10. Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it.
11. Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission.
12. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
13. Powell's Rules for Picking People" - Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego and the drive to get things done.
14. Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.
15. Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probability of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired." Part II: "Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut.
16. The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise.
17. Have fun in your command. Don't always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you've earned it. Spend time with your families. Corollary: Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard.
18. Command is lonely.

Past my prime, six more years until my next prime

I'm now officially past my prime. I do not mean past the time of maturity when power and vigor are greatest or past the age of ideal physical perfection and intellectual vigor. I believe I'm still on the top of my game. Though I peaked a long time ago, my peak is a long wide plateau.

I mean I just turned to an age that is not a prime number. Curiously, my wife and two sons will be at their primes this year. I will be again in my prime in six years. Since there are an infinite number of primes, we will always get back to our prime no matter how we age.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia:

Pacman gobbles up the Hitman

Manny Pacquiao's KO over Ricky Hatton is so quick that Pac's mother did not have time for her fainting spell. You see, Aling Dionisia usually have fainting spells over his son's bouts. Nauna pang mahimatay si Hitman. Another thing, Aling Dionisia have not finished praying the Rosary when the fight ended. It was that quick.
---------------------------------
Martin Nievera's version of the National Anthem is too pretentious. Why can't he sing it as it was originally intended? Sir Tom Jones' simple rendition of God Save the Queen is simple yet classy, easily upstaging Martin's pa-artsy rendition. Martin's camp even had the gall to flash the logo of the National Historical Commission, implying that it has official blessing. The NHI blasted Martin's version and deplored the use of its logo. Kyla's version is still the best to date.
---------------------------------
Manny Pacquiao suffered a bit of public outcry over his malintended plan to transfer to ABS-CBN2. But given the way GMA7 handled the telecast, the public wouldn't have minded at all. There were too many commercials. It looked as if viewers were watching a show of commercials, with the actual fight as the commercial. Even the introduction of the fighters was split so more commercials can be inserted. The fight lasted a just total of six minutes but the telecast lasted up to 3pm. Go figure how many commercials were there.
---------------------------------
Manny is now introduced as coming from Saranggani. He cannot beat the Antoninos-Custodios in General Santos City so for political expediency he moved to his wife's hometown where he will run for congressman unopposed. Pretty wife, gifted athlete, unimaginable fortune, shoo-in for congress. Some guys have all the luck.
---------------------------------
Pacman's last four fights were held in four different weight classes. Early last year, he earned a hard fought win over Juan Manuel Marquez at 130 lbs. In the middle of the year, he wrested David Diaz's lightweight (135 lbs) belt. Then late last year, he jumped to 147 lbs to retire Oscar dela Hoya. His KO win over the Hitman is fought at 140 lbs. Bob Arum, a Harvard-educated lawyer turned boxing promoter, lost no time in declaring Pacman as the greatest fighter ever. Self-fulfilling prophecy?

Pols watching Pacman can bring swine flu to the Philippines

With the upcoming Pacquiao-Hatton fight, expect a lot of congressmen and other top officials to throng to the US to watch the event. I hope the government bans their travel in the light of the swine flu scare. It is best for these politicians to stay at home. They will save a lot of precious dollars and will not have the chance to contract the swine flu virus. Going there gives them the chance to bring back the virus here. We suffer enough from the pork barrel funds misuse, we do not need another pork-related disease.

Popoy's summer workshop

I registered Popoy for the McDonald' Summer Kiddie crew workshop. The Php650 fee covers the following: a cap, shirt, and a meal for the 5-day duration of the workshop. Popoy and his cousin, Dindin, will join the other kids in the worskhop in the McDo branch in Puregold-Agora. The workshop has three main activities per day - values formation lecture, some on-the-job training and art workshop. With a fun mix of learning activities, the kids will be taught how to man the counter, greet and serve guests and bus tables. There will be art activities like puppet-making. These activities are designed to promote positive values like hard work, friendship, team work, self-confidence and cleanliness while having fun.

This McDo program is noteworthy. I see that McDonald's competes with Jollibee not only with its products but on corporate responsibilities as well. This can only mean better service for everybody. Good job, Ronald.