My message to you

The year 2010 is ending. I wanted to take a moment and thank each and everyone of you that have came here to read my blog. To be completely honest I am very surprised at the response that I've had. When I started this back on December 14th, I never imagined that I would have come so far in just a couple of weeks.

Via my blog, I have met some really good people. I've been helped and assisted by people that I've never met. It's a nice feeling knowing that there are still people on this planet that can give without wanting anything in return.

I hope that my articles have been helpful, even if it's only been one person. I want my life to impact others in a positive way. I want people to come away being better for meeting me.

I am very excited for 2011. There will be a lot of changes but I believe that they will be exciting and will open new doors to me. I hope that this platform will continue to grow in size and reach. I am excited to continue meeting like minded people who are simply trying to impact others. I believe that the more people reach out and give, the better this world will be.

Here's wishing each of you prosperity and many blessings in the New Year. Don't be afraid to reach out and impact another life. No matter how small you may think the gesture, I can assure you that it will impact and ripple through those you touch. Utilize whatever platform you have to give back, whether it's at the office, your church, your community, your neighbor or even your own family. Anything you do is better then doing nothing. I challenge you to step out and give, I promise that you will not regret it. I believe that it will be a liberating experience that will make you want to do it again and again.

Once again, Thank you for your time and contributions to our blog, Voices of Leadership. It"s not just my voice, but a chorus of people wanting to change and lead by example. Leaving all of those around us, better for knowing us. Happy New Year, I''ll be back on January 1, 2011.

Sincerely,
Greg

The puzzle pieces

As I mentioned in yesterdays Post, I am talking about mentor leadership. Up until now, I have spoken more about groups and teams vice individuals. Yes, the groups and teams make up the whole picture, but we have to get the individual pieces in place for our teams to shine. How do we get the pieces to fit, so the picture is clear?

Layout Changes

I am experimenting with different looks for our blog. If you like it, let me know. If you hate it, let me know. If you preferred the previous layout, let me know. Your feedback is extremely important to me, I want to ensure that everyone is having a good experience when they come to Voices of Leadership. Thanks.

P.S., Don't forget to become a Fan on Facebook Voices of Leadership Fan Page on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter: @gregoryfarley

People or Raw Material?

Photoexpress

As we approach this new year, there is talk that the economy is slowly rising. The employer market is slowly shifting to an employee market. I'm willing to bet that there are a lot of people out there holding positions at jobs they can't wait to get out of. What do you see when you look at your employees? Are they raw material or are they people?

Let them Shine!

Photoexpress

“Sometimes creativity just means the daily work of helping others to see a problem in a different way.” ~ Joseph Badaracco.

I've mentioned empowering our people and the fact that creativity has become one of the most sought after skills in the business world. How can we unleash our people's creativity and therefore empower them to achieve new heights of success?

Are your employees in the Lobster tank?

I had the opportunity to go out to eat at Red Lobster today. As I was waiting to be seated I was sitting in front of the lobster tank. As I peered into the tank I couldn't help but thinking that we have many employees under us that feel just like those lobsters do with their claws taped together. Restricted, uninformed and waiting to be cooked.

“There's a basic philosophy here that by empowering...workers you'll make their jobs far more interesting, and they'll be able to work at a higher level than they would have without all that information just a few clicks away.” ~ Bill Gates

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

photoexpress

“What is the shortest word in the English language that contains the letters: abcdef? Answer: feedback. Don't forget that feedback is one of the essential elements of good communication.” ~ Unknown

When you receive feedback from your Superiors, Peers or subordinates you choose what you do with that feedback. You can learn from it or you can ignore it. Feedback is important if we are to get better as leaders. That is, if we actually utilize this often overlooked tool.

Positions of Trust

Lovrencg

Going to the boss and explaining to them that they have made a bad decision is not an enviable place to be. If you've pulled them out of the fire in the past they are a lot more likely to listen. But what if you have been wrong before?

A bull worth taming

Photoexpress

I just read this article that states that companies are not utilizing social media to garner customer feedback. An astounding 94% of companies to be exact.

This is crazy, why would you not utilize a medium that most of your customers are already using? If your customers are using Twitter or Facebook, they are there and are comfortable with those mediums. The wealth of data that could be mined in reference to your customer satisfaction would far out weigh any cost.

With the speed of business approaching the speed of light, you have to get that information fast and start to utilizes it immediately. Can you imagine the firestorm your customers and products could create in a matter of minutes on Facebook and Twitter? Social media is a bull that Leadership needs to grab and harness, the longer it goes rampaging out of control the more likely your business will not keep ahead of the social media curve and the benefits of improving your bottom line.