by Deborah Leverett | Dec 3, 2012 | Blog, Uncategorized
You’ve heard the sayings ‘change what you are doing and you will change the results’ and ‘change your beliefs and change your life’. These are powerful principles that work in individuals who will apply them. Did you know that these truths can be applied to your organizational culture? I define culture as the product of how things are done, what people believe and how people are treated. If you want to improve or change your culture, you have to change what you are doing, what you believe and how people are treated. The prevalent culture I see in large and small organizations are wrapped in one of these attitudes: complacency, compromise or competition (the internal kind). When leaders, managers, employees have grown complacent, they are still working; but they are not taking responsibility for solving problems or making improvements. You hear the same problems year after year, and the response is always a blame game. Always the fault of the customers, the vendors, the leadership, the other department, the manager, or the economy. It is an insidious attitude and everyone, even leadership, can succumb. Compromise is when you accept standards that are less than desirable, or even more dangerous is when you accept behaviors or attitudes that fall short of principled and ethical behavior. This mindset also continues in a gradual and subtle way, and you many not see the collateral damage until the culture implodes. Enron being a classic case. Organizations that promote internal competition to create a sense of urgency walk a dangerous line because this typically results in building silos, distrust and hidden agendas. Pogo’s famous...
by Deborah Leverett | Jan 10, 2012 | Blog, Uncategorized
significant: adjective 1. sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy Leadership that is significant, that challenges, changes and improves the status quo, is leadership that is trustworthy, built on a foundation of strong virtues, character and vision. It is the leadership that brings solutions to impossible problems, that care for the less fortunate, that bring dreams to life. This is the leadership that our families, cities, states and nation need right now. It is a role that anyone can assume if they are willing to step up: take responsibility. One of the greatest deceptions of our lifetime is that personal freedom has morphed into irresponsibility because self has become the idol du jour. On January 28, 2011 Entera+Partners presents the first of 4 leadership development seminars for women of faith: Significant Leadership. The 4 seminars are: 1. The Call of Leadership 2. The Process of Leadership 3. The Work of Leadership 4. The The Measure of Leadership Intended for women who sense a call to impact their spheres of influence, it will be a place to learn, connect with other like-minded individuals and to clarify direction. For details and to register: bit.ly/yNWxTV You can email me at dleverett@enterapartners.com or call 512.873.8500 if you have...
by Deborah Leverett | Dec 14, 2011 | Blog, Uncategorized
Surely, by now you have felt the effects of the season and you are either finding yourself distracted, unorganized, frantic and overwhelmed; or, you have made a plan, prioritized your time and are living with order in your days, enjoying all the activities and extras that the holidays bring and spending your time with those who count most in your life. If you are overwhelmed, you can begin a change today by practicing habits of order and organization. In order to recapture your time and sanity, try these 5 tips to avoid frantic days, missed appointments and frazzled nerves. 1. Decide on the top 3 priorities for the next 3 weeks. Someone once said if you have more than 3 priorities you don’t have any priorities at all. Identifying the most important will help you budget your time, and you will immediately sense peace of mind. Measure the use of your time with those priorities, and place the ‘big rocks'(i.e priorities) in your calendar first. These are the non-negotiables that you are not willing to forgo. 2.Know your personal limits: physical, mental and spiritual. You can’t live off cookies, coffee, cocktails and 4 hours sleep without paying a price: take care of yourself especially during high stress times. 3. Take 20 minutes and do a brain dump: write down everything you have to do, then prioritize, delegate, and, if your budget allows, hire help. 4. Throw perfection out: expect delays, misplaced orders and cancelled flights. This is just one frame of your life’s entire movie – get a little perspective and elevate your sense of humor. Others will be...
by Deborah Leverett | Dec 8, 2011 | Blog, Uncategorized
You probably have heard the saying that one’s true character is revealed in times of adversity. I have certainly found that to be true in my own life. In working with executives, I am discovering as the economy continues to tighten and bring uncertainty, more and more are willing to cut corners, to fudge the numbers, to make questionable decisions just to ensure the bottom line is still looking good. In light of the most recent Black Friday we see more and more people are crossing ethical lines to make sure they ‘get the goods’. In 1944, historian Arnold Toynbee, cautioned that the United States was on the verge of failure and that it would fall – not because of an external enemy – but that she would fall because of an internal moral collapse. Our moral crisis continues to intensify. Most of the decline in America is a result of the collapse of ethics, morality and standards. This has created an intense time of transition: we have left the old and we are not sure where we are headed. Transition always comes with unanswered questions that can lead to fear and anxiety. But it can also drive us in a more positive direction: to serious self- examination about our lives. It might even prompt us to ask what is our responsibility in impacting our culture? History tells us that no generation, nation or family can rise above its leadership. Most people – especially leaders – want to do good and avoid evil. But without an understanding of how to grow in moral strength, stressful circumstances can influence us...
by Deborah Leverett | Nov 11, 2011 | Blog, Uncategorized
Today, I want to give a shout out to my friend Monica Benoit-Beatty, the new COO of the Central Texas Girl Scouts of America. The GSA has played a critical role in the the development of the moral character of young women, myself included. It is where we learned about hard work, valuing others, developing personal skills, collaborating and honoring our country. Below is an essay written by Monica on the value of an organization dedicated to the character development of our next generation of women leaders. We cheer you and the GSA on to greater accomplishments, Monica! The Importance of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience The modern Girl Scout leadership experience allows for the personal development of today’s young women to be educated and empowered as they focus on three vital principals: discovering, connecting and taking action in the world around them. By discovering and understanding their personal values, they use their knowledge and skills to explore the world. Connecting with other girls who are also concerned about emerging issues allows them to take effective action to make a personal, local or global impact on a particular issue that benefits their respective community. From concept to proven results, young girls are learning vital life skills for personal success as they become the emerging voices and leaders of tomorrow. Whether it’s through personal dreams, career goals or community causes (or all three), the process and effect of today’s Girl Scouting experience helps to develop confident young women, resilient decision makers and outstanding role-models who are capable of leading themselves and others during uncertain times and unchartered territories. Girl Scouts...
by Deborah Leverett | Nov 1, 2011 | Blog, Uncategorized
After 20+ years in the field of leadership development, personal and organizational excellence; I ask myself why have we not seen leadership excellence in our nation, schools, healthcare industry, marketplace? Sure, there are pockets of greatness in every field, but where are the leaders who can take us beyond our current state of affairs? Many executives I have worked with have been extraordinary managers: they have a great sense of business, they excel at crunching the numbers and making them work, they can execute plans well. Extraordinary leaders? There is still too much short-term thinking and narrow vision with a preoccupation for individual achievement and accomplishment; not exactly qualities of an individual perched to transform a business, neighborhood, community or nation. I am convinced that the way we develop leaders is too much around training instead of development; personal style instead of character; skill development instead of personal excellence. Throughout history, the cornerstone of transformational leaders has been character in action – though far from perfection, they were individuals with virtuous qualities who understand that there is a difference between enduring virtues and shallow values; those who practice principles of private morality, decency and honor. Even these words seem old-fashioned, don’t they? This should frighten us most of all. Take some time for self-examination and take stock of your own personal character and long-term virtues: courage, selflessness, commitment, sense of duty and honoring others. We’re all in the same...
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