Week of 11/09/2008 - 00:00 to 11/15/2008 - 23:59

One fundamental motivational technique is to provide an easy to understand description of an improved future--a vision.  Communicating a vision is the most fundamental tool in a leader's arsenal.

The vision functions as a guide while your group or organization moves away from past beliefs, activities, and goals to a future more suited to the  changing needs and the demands of the economic environment.

Those that have read or listened to "Tribal Leadership" are familiar with stage 3, 4 and 5 tribes and their leaders.  Stage 3 is all about "me", with stage 4 being about "we" and stage 5 being about "we will change the world".

I found an interesting article on Businessweek about our new President-elect and his leading of the "we" generation.  There are business examples of this, too.  IBM and Avon are two companies that are mentioned.

Vision leads the leader, and I came across a few quotes that help to reinforce this concept.  Enjoy...

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

–Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

"A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral."

–Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

To quote a line from the movie "Cool Hand Luke"-"what we have here is a failure to communicate".

And that failure to communicate is leading to a breakdown in employee morale at a time of economic uncertainty and fear, according to a new survey by in Menlo Park, Calif.-based Accountemps.

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that focuses on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT).  In this podcast, Roy provides an overview of SWOT analysis and provides food for thought.

SWOT analysis has been used to compare companies, products, advertising campaigns, teams and individuals.  Watch and see how you might use this tool.