Leapfrog to Leadership
Make a list of the five most important things that constitute leadership. Okay, now pick the top two. Good, circle the one quality that you can’t do without. I bet that if you compare what you have circled with lists of leaders and high potentials around the world, the answer would be variations on the theme: know yourself!
On the walls of the great mystery schools of ancient 
Greece it commanded “Know Thyself”, and Buddha was quoted as saying “Imagine that every person in the world is enlightened but you, they are all your teachers, each doing just the right things to help you learn patience, perfect wisdom, and perfect compassion.”
So, what are you waiting for? The best strategies fall short when we step on our own feet. The smartest ideas lose their luster when there is constant friction and mistrust. The best laid plans of man and woman can end in disappointment and disarray when we sabotage our truth and integrity.
Question: Why do so many smart people explode or implode on their way to success and happiness? And the next question is "Where are you on the royal road to that proverbial pot of gold at the end of your personal rainbow?"
Did you ever want to help your employees find out what’s holding them back? Or holding you back? Ever want to kick a habit that won’t let go or one you think you have mastered, only to have it boomerang with great intensity? Ever want to create a new way of relating to colleagues but haven’t a clue where to start? Ever want assurance that the executive chosen to take your place when you retire can fill your shoes?
The times are demanding that we strive to know ourselves more deeply in the workplace, to use leadership development training as a course for life knowledge. It is no longer enough to read a P&L sheet quickly and easily, or know how to make a short term tactical decision. Now, to leap into 21st Century leadership it is time to know what pushes our buttons, what to do about it, how to help those we lead find better ways to communicate and collaborate. In his excellent book “A Whole New Mind” Dan Pink says it best, leaders now need to be pattern aware.
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