Dr Randy Pausch’s Inspiring ‘Last Lecture’

Below, you’ll find one of the most inspirational videos ever to come out of Youtube. Randy Pausch, a respected professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the USA, had only 2-6 months left to live at the time of giving his now famous ‘last lecture’. Watch the whole thing below!

Leadership Development

Leadership Development is any activity that enhances the quality of leadership within an individual or organization. That’s a wide ranging definition to suit an extremely wide ranging subject. Leadership Expert™ is a web leader in leadership development information – so I hope you find this hub page useful like thousands of others. Our specific leadership development articles are listed below and you can subscribe to our updates in the form at the bottom of the page.

Leadership Development Training : What is leadership training? How much does it Cost?

Leadership Development Programme : What is a leadership programme? How to build a successful one.

Leadership Classes : Are leadership classes an effective way to boost your leadership ability?

Leadership Training : Is formalised training always the answer?

Leadership Courses : The trend towards personal study is increasing.

Leadership Coaching : Is one-on-one coaching the solution to the leadership problems of large companies?

I’m not an organisation. I’m an individual. How can I improve my leadership skills?

Like many things in life – if you look in the right places, you’ll always be able to find a great resource for a bargain. Leadership development is completely intertwined with the idea of self-investment. All excellent leaders regularly invest in themselves – sometimes to great expense. But if you follow our guidance, you’ll be able to build your skills for the minimum cost.

Public Speaking Skills

If you’re looking to improve your ability to deliver confident or inspiring presentations or speeches, we suggest the effective e-course Public Speaking Extraordinare, which we think represents good value at £25/$37.

Leadership Philosophy

Leadership comes in many different shapes and forms.  As leadership comes in different shapes and forms, so do leadership philosophies. There are people from all walks of life who have their own philosophy on leadership.  Who’s to say which is right and which is wrong?  But if you expand your mind and allow your leadership to grow, you will benefit any organization.

Followers expect leaders to show them the standard and train them to reach it. They expect leaders to lead by example. Additionally, they expect leaders to keep them informed and take care of them. Being a leader will require you to ask others to make extraordinary sacrifices to achieve goals. Leaders may have to call on them to do things that seem impossible. However, “If leaders have trained their people to standard, inspired their willingness, and consistently looked after their interests, they will be prepared to accomplish any goal, anytime, anywhere” (Reeves, 2004).

Leadership philosophies are based on opinions and experiences of an individual, which is why philosophies may not necessarily coincide even though you may have the same common goal. The best thing about leadership is that it will always evolve if you expand your mind.  What maybe your leadership philosophy today may not necessarily be your leadership philosophy tomorrow.

Many of my philosophies were influenced by traits that are used by the U. S. Marine Corps and standard maxims, which will work well in any organization and some of them are: justice, judgment, dependability, initiative, decisiveness, integrity, enthusiasm, loyalty, and courage just to name a few. Another important skill that must be implemented for all of this to work is applied knowledge.

Justice teaches you to be fair and consistent.  No one can ever say that you are showing favoritism.  Using judgment gives you the ability to think about things thoroughly and rationally.  Good judgment leads to sound decisions, and sound decisions leads to better quality.

Dependability “is the willing and voluntary support of the policies and orders of the chain of command” (Wright, 1984/2002). You must show that you are dependable, and it is needed because it shows you can be relied upon to your superiors as well as your employees.  It means you can be trusted to complete your job.  It also means that you will be trusted by your employees, which will build a better rapport and enhance communications between you and them.

Initiative runs hand in hand with dependability.  Showing initiative means doing something before you were instructed to.  It shows you are dependable and can think ahead and look at the big picture instead of what’s in front of you.

A decisive person shows they have the ability to make good decisions without hesitation.  It allows you to get the facts, analyze them and come to the best possible decision while maintaining a high level or professionalism.

Showing enthusiasm shows a sincere interest and enthusiasm in the performance of your duties.  It will make your employees more enthusiastic and motivated about their work, which will lead to better productivity and working atmosphere.

Having loyalty shows you are devoted to your organization, seniors, peers, and subordinates.  You have a sense of responsibility to everyone who is involved in the organization.  You are loyal enough to know if things begin to get unethical, you know how to separate yourself from it, and continue to do the right thing.

Integrity is one of the most important traits within my leadership philosophy.  People can take many things from you, but integrity is something you can only give away.   It shows that you are truthful and a person of your word.  When integrity is consistently applied, it will build good morals and ethics within any organization.

The most vital leadership characteristic is courage.  Courage is the foundation on which all things start.  Having these other traits are pointless if you don’t have the courage to apply them.  Without the courage to succeed and the courage to stand up for what you believe, you should not be placed in any leadership position, because you lack what it takes to be a leader.  And if you lack what it takes to lead… who will follow?

Applied knowledge is the understanding of a science or art and applying it.  Knowledge means you have acquired information and you understand people, emotions, and actions.  Applying knowledge means you will take acquired information and share it with your employees to make them better, mentally stronger, and more eager to learn.

To support my leadership philosophy, I have maxims that I follow, which are known to the U. S. Marine Corps as leadership principles.  One of my maxims is to know myself and seek self improvement.  This is done by working to improve my weaknesses and utilizing my strengths based on thoughts and experiences.  I also must be technically and tactically proficient.  Before I can lead, I must be able to do the job.  If I can’t do the job, I can’t set the example.  Albert Einstein said it best, “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.” Lastly, I must know my employees and look out for their welfare. As a leader, I am responsible for my employees’ welfare and well-being.  Their welfare must come before my own.  To put yourself before your employees is to show disrespect towards them and the organization, which will ultimately lead to destruction.

Many leaders’ leadership philosophies are very different, but in any attempt to lead, you have to have a philosophy.  You may read many articles on leadership, attend leadership seminars, or even take leadership classes that offer many different philosophies on leadership.  However, I am not trying to change your philosophy on leadership… I am just trying to expand your mind.

Author: Darnell E. Patton is currently an active duty Marine. He has held many management and leadership positions, to include the legendary Marine Drill Instructor and Drill Instructor, Instructor. He has a BS in Management, a BS in Finance, and his MBA with specialization in Human Resources.

Expert Business Leadership Advice

Business leadership advice is not about promoting any single quality so much as it is about a number of qualities that come together to create something much stronger than any of those qualities alone. Business leadership is not so much about managing others and “taking charge” as it is about motivating by example.

So if business leadership is something that is difficult to pin down, what steps can you take so that you will find yourself recognized as a leader in this, the 21st century? What can you do to incorporate the principles of leadership into your life so that you will be able to achieve your goals and rise to the top in your organization or your career field?

One step is to look at those leaders who you admire. Whether you’re inspiration comes from political leaders – those who have been able to unite the people of their country during difficult times – or from leaders within your own field, when you are looking for information that will help you to take on a team leadership role, it’s important to understand what makes someone a leader.

In other words, when you are thinking about business leadership, it’s important to take the time to understand courage, determination, and to learn more about the ways in which leaders speak to those who follow them. Ultimately, what you will find is that by embracing those qualities within yourself, you will be able to persevere and to reach the goals that you have set for yourself and for those who you are working with.

Ultimately, what you are likely to discover is that, in order to differentiate yourself in the 21st century and to take on a business leadership role, you will need to:

Learn to set aside excuses. The majority of people who are in business find a way to come up with a number of excuses when something that they have been asked to do isn’t done. Leaders, on the other hand, focus on getting the job done.

Learn the value of making mistakes. When we make mistakes, it’s important to take advantage of the lessons that come out of them so that we can use that knowledge to move forward.

Learn to lead from within. When you are looking at business leadership characteristics, you’ll see that those who are in a supervisory role are not just watching others and telling them what they do wrong; instead, when they see a problem they jump into the trenches and work with their staff, helping them to solve problems and to find creative solutions.

Business leadership is about working with others and motivating them to do more – to be more. When you’re looking for a way to differentiate yourself from others, one of the best things that you can do is to work well with others, put forth your best effort at all times and to make sure that – at all times – you’re making an effort to bring a team of people together.

Finally, remember this: business leadership is about having a willingness to try something new. To set yourself apart from the crowd, you need to look at the big picture – and then to get everyone else to see it too.

Cecile Peterkin is a Certified Career and Life Coach. Feeling stuck in middle management or mid career? Claim your free assessment and complimentary coaching session at his career guidance website. Leadership ppt.