*KOGSTAR INNOVATIONS*

My Prayer Chair ....  Watch out for the part 2

Our thoughts determine our destiny. Our destiny determines our legacy. “You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your t houghts take you.” —JAMES ALLEN

Everything begins with a thought. “Life consists of what a man is thinking about all day.” —RALPH WALDO EMERSON

The word "leadership" can bring to mind a variety of images. For example: A political leader, pursuing a passionate, personal cause. An explorer, cutting a path through the jungle for the rest of his group to follow. An executive, developing her company's strategy to beat the competition. Leaders help themselves and others to do the right things. They set direction, build an inspiring vision, and create something new. Leadership is about mapping out where you need to go to "win" as a team or an organization; and it is dynamic, exciting, and inspiring.  Yet, while leaders set the direction, they must also use management skills to guide their people to the right destination, in a smooth and efficient way. In this article, we'll focus on the process of leadership. In particular, we'll discuss the "transformational leadership" model, first proposed by James MacGregor Burns and then developed by Bernard Bass. This model highlights visionary th

Transformational Leader There are periods in every organisation when radical change is necessary for survival and times when the organisation needs to be renewed or reinvented. This requires a different sort of leadership. Transformational leadership is often described as inspirational or charismatic. It is about getting people to do more than they believe they are capable of and inspiring people to sacrifice their own interests for the good of the organisation. Above all, it is about handling, and indeed initiating, change. Transformational leaders are inspiring because they expect the best from everyone on their team as well as themselves. This leads to high productivity and engagement from everyone in their team. The downside of transformational leadership is that while the leader's enthusiasm is passed onto the team, he or she can need to be supported by "detail people." There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to leadership; often, you must adapt your style to fi

Autocratic/Democratic Leader One way to explore leadership is in terms of the use of authority by the leader and the amount of freedom given to their direct reports. Clearly, as one increases the other will decrease and this will have a major impact on the way the leader leads. With this in mind, we can recognise two distinct styles of leadership: Autocratic Leadership – someone who likes to centralise and control. They derive their power from their position of authority and control. Democratic Leadership – someone who delegates authority, encourages participation and empowers employees. They derive their power from their personal qualities and team members’ respect. These two leadership styles are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Skilled leaders will blend the use of authority and empowerment of their team to different degrees appropriate to the situation. Some situations, such as an emergency, require quick decision making in an autocratic style. On the other hand, there are t

Leadership Styles Playing a successful round of golf is a useful metaphor for being a successful leader. Like golfers, managers must frequently match the tools they have at their disposal (golf clubs for golfers, ways of behaving for managers) with the particular context in which they find themselves . Here we outline some of the main classifications of leadership styles. You may think that comparing golf and leadership is a bit strange – but think about it a little longer. The skilled golf player has a wide selection of tools available, in the form of various woods, irons and putters, and yet must assess several other factors (crosswinds, distance from hole, etc.) before deciding which club to use. To do this, the golfer must draw on their own knowledge, skills and experience in order to fit the right club to the right situation. Consider a manager or a Head of School. They also have various tools available to them, in the form of different ways of behaving. Although many think of

Leader vs. Manager “Leadership and management are two distinctive and complementary systems of action. Each has its own function and characteristic activities. Both are necessary for success in an increasingly complex and volatile business environment…strong leadership with weak management is no better, and is sometimes actually worse, than the reverse. The real challenge is to combine strong leadership and strong management and use each to balance the other.” John Kotter Often a distinction is made between leadership and management, although sometimes, it would seem, for the sake of it. Individuals cannot simply be classified as either one or the other – both leadership and management skills are needed for success. At times ‘leaders’ will need to manage tasks and projects, and ‘managers’ will need to influence and inspire people. Managers are not confined to management and leaders are not restricted to leadership - the critical issue is about getting the right balance for the job yo

It’s Not How Hard You Try Work hard and you will be rewarded. It sounds simple. But remember what it was like studying for a test? Some kids studied forever and did poorly. Some studied hardly at all and made great grades. You can spend incredible effort inefficiently and gain nothing. Or, you can spend modest efforts efficiently and be rewarded. The purpose of what you do is to make progress, not just to expend yourself. Achenbach’s Pastries was a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, institution. The family-owned bakery had a loyal customer base and had operated profitably for more than four decades. In the 1990s the owners decided to expand—to offer deli sandwiches and other goods and to add new locations for both retail and wholesale sales. The bakery’s owners had never worked harder in their lives than they did after the expansion. And in return for all their hard work, they got less money and the threat of bankruptcy because they could not keep up with debts incurred in the expa

Creativity Comes from Within Everyone wants to think of something new—solve a problem no one else can solve, offer a valuable idea no else has conceived of. And every business wants to encourage its employees to have the next great idea. So when a business offers its employees a bonus for creative ideas, a flood of great, original thoughts should come pouring in. Right? We think that creativity, like any other task, can be bought and sold. But creativity is not the same as hard work and effort; it requires genuine inspiration. It is the product of a mind thoroughly intrigued by a question, a situation, a possibility. Thus, creativity comes not in exchange for money or rewards but when we focus our attention on something because we want to. Japan Railways East had the contract to build a bullet train between Tokyo and Nagano to be put in place in time for the 1998 Winter Olympics. Unfortunately, tunnels built by the company through the mountains kept filling with water. The company

Resist the Urge to Be Average Everywhere around you are average people. They entice you into being more like them by offering their acceptance and by leading you to believe that everyone else is already more like them than like you. But the “average person sales pitch” leaves out that you will be sacrificing your goals, individuality, and unique ideas and that you will lead a life determined more by the preferences of the group than by you. “A person who wants to be a leader must turn his back to the crowd,” says the sign on Ty Underwood’s desk. Ty runs a job placement service that works with laid-off and chronically underemployed workers. “When I got here there was an attitude that this was all a show to keep the agency’s funding. We’d show up, have the clients come in to fill out some papers, then send them on their way. Nobody behaving as if there was important work to be done, nobody behaving as if there was potential to be tapped here.” His first task was to change everything.

Seven Leadership Principles to learn from an eagle.. (1)  Eagles fly alone and at high altitudes. They don't fly with sparrows or other small birds. Stay away from (narrow minded people)  sparrows and ravens, those that bring you down. Eagles fly with Eagles. Keep good company. (2) Eagles have an accurate vision. They have the ability to focus on something as far as 5km. No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it. Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed. (3) Eagles do not eat dead things. They feed only on fresh prey. Do not rely on your past success, keep looking for new frontiers to conquer. Leave your past where it belongs, in the past. (4) Eagles love the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm’s wind to lift it higher. Once it finds the wind of the storm, the eagles uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an o

The 50 New Rules of Work You are not just paid to work. You are paid to be uncomfortable – and to pursue projects that scare you. Take care of your relationships and the money will take care of itself. Lead you first. You can’t help others reach for their highest potential until you’re in the process of reaching for yours. To double your income, triple your rate of learning. While victims condemn change, leaders grow inspired by change. Small daily improvements over time create stunning results. Surround yourself with people courageous enough to speak truthfully about what’s best for your organization and the customers you serve. Don’t fall in love with your press releases. Every moment in front of a customer is a moment of truth (to either show you live by the values you profess – or you don’t). Copying what your competition is doing just leads to being second best. Become obsessed with the user experience such that every touchpoint of doing business with you leaves people

The Top 10 Things Amazing Leaders Do It’s a word I’ve passionately built the past 20 years of my life around–reminding so called ordinary people that they are called to lead. And create. And contribute. And win. These are strange and gorgeous times. Tons of challenges. Dazzling possibilities. And I viscerally want you to leverage these times to fly. To express your talent. To do your dreams. To make the world better. To help you Lead Without a Title, I’ve distilled 10 of the most valuable and practical insights on leadership that I’ve taught to our global corporate clients like Starbucks, IBM, Nike, GE and FedEx. These ideas have helped them do some great things. My deep wish is that they deliver the same results for you. #1. THE JOB OF A LEADER IS TO GROW MORE LEADERS. I’ll be blunt: if you’re not building more leaders, then you’re not leading, you’re following. Your job (regardless of whether or not you have a title) is to help people do work they never dreamed they could do. Y

Ten Lessons from the HEN: 1.She first lays enough eggs before sitting on them: Good planning 2.When she starts sitting on her eggs, she minimizes movement: Discipline 3.She physically loses weight while sitting on her eggs due to decreased feeding: - Sacrifice & self denial 4.She can sit on eggs from another hen: Indiscriminate & generous. 5.She sits on her eggs for 21 days: Patience. Even when the eggs do not hatch, she will still lay eggs again: Faith, hope & encouragement 6.She detects un-fertilized eggs and rolls them out: Sensitive and discerning 7.She abandons the rotten eggs and starts caring for the hatched chicks even if it is only one: Wise, conscious and realistic. 8.No one can touch her chick: Protective love. 9.She gathers all her chicks together: Unity of purpose. 10.She can't abandon her chicks before they mature: Mentorship So, continue brooding on your dreams, for one day, they shall hatch and you shall see them grow. Never give up; kee

30 Lessons I picked From War Room (2015 Movie) I was finally able to get hold of the movie I had very much anticipated. I decided to extract some lessons from it and make it into a blog post for you. War Room is a movie that every single lady should watch, keep, make reference to every now and then and share with other people. Every scene has a take home message; every character has some attribute we can learn from. Lessons I personally picked from this movie may be an eye opener for you; they may also spur you into getting this movie for yourself and others around you. 1. “Victories don’t come by accident.” We map out deliberate prayer strategies to win spiritual battles. 2. There is usually a stray woman lurking around your husband; pray for him. 3. Marital conflict disturbs children psychologically. Parents need to be sensitive to the needs of their children emotionally. 4. As a wife, you should always consult your husband before making major family decisions. Even though Ton

There was once a great famine in the animal Kingdom. The Lion, who was the king of the beasts announced that he was sick. Every animal was called upon to go and greet him. When it was the tortoise's turn to call on the King, he paused at the entrance to his den and looked hard on the ground. He noticed that the footprints at the entrance of the king's den went inside only, and none was coming from inside. He then turned back and went home, saying to himself, "if the King is sick with Iba(Malaria) , my blood will not be his 'agbo'(Drug) ." Think Always.

Influence is an easy to understand but hard to implement strategy in interpersonal relationships.  The opposite is ‘resistance’, and a close cousin is ‘change’.  The confusing thing is that the meaning of influence sometimes gets mixed up with ‘manipulation’, a less than desirable behavior. Influence is generally regarded as the ability to change something or someone because you’ve built the trust needed to make it happen.  Influence just ‘doesn’t’ happen, so how does it occur? The 4 Stages of Influence  Those that influence the best are those that have the most humility.   Letting yourself be influenced by others.  When you open yourself to learning, listening and replying, you have begun the process of influencing another.  Going where someone is communicates their importance to you. Engaging in trusting actions.  It’s hard to influence others without being trustworthy yourself.  This step takes patience and time.  If you’re rushing this, then you’re likely engaging in subtle ma

Having the desire to help others is the calling that brings many into the “helping professions.” For others, it is the day to day service that we do for our families, children and others we work for/or/with. There is a fine line however when helping is not really helping, but rather a barrier that leads to stagnation or worse yet, fosters an unhealthy dependence. Indicators of when helping is NOT helping: 1. When the help we provide is not accepted by others The term I’ve used for years is when helping leads to “help rejecting complainers.” When our helping leads others to excuse themselves of embracing the help, then rejecting it, or avoiding it. This is not a judgment of our help or our intent, but of others’ readiness to change. They may simply not see the same way as you do. They may not value the same things. 2. When the help leads others to make the same poor decisions Any change effort has to be embraced as well as given. It is hard to understand why what would seem to be

One of the most frustrating aspects of barriers is that they are perpetuated by the person experiencing them. Let me explain: The Self-Perpetuation Cycle 1. An external barrier is seen as too overwhelming 2. We are too obtuse to solutions. 3. We’re too busy trying to get “validated” for our victim thinking about the barrier 4. We actively create a road sign on our back that says “barrier.” Seeing Something as Too Overwhelming What you see is not necessarily what is true or accurate. In the field of psychotherapy, a prominent evidenced based treatment (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) takes on the whole notion that what we automatically see, is not necessarily based on actual reality. The problem is that humans don’t often consider alternatives or evaluating the problem in the first place, thus leading to an automatic overwhelming feeling that fuels the barrier. No clarity on what/how to proceed is the outcome. Being Obtuse When barriers are taken for face value, sometimes we clo

Sustaining your strength and focus is more than individual growth. It is about how you interface with others. Maintaining our effectiveness is about how we lift others beyond their challenges and how we gain from the contribution. 1. Remember it’s not about you. If our emphasis is on others and not our own spotlight, then we avoid creating a codependency on what we do, and instead focus and celebrate what others do as a result of our vision and direction. 2. Integrate and Listen to Others. If we are talking at others rather than listening to them, then we are missing out on key contributions that others are making. The objective of leading others is to create other leaders. If we are listening to them, then we are allowing them to lead. 3. You’re not supposed to know everything. If you know everything, then why are you leading others? Leading with the Idea that you know everything, is closing off the necessary things and people that can teach us more about leading. If we are not bei

The act of leading is more than being the visionary, or acting thoughtfully for others.  It is predicated also on how loyal and unconditionally helpful you are to others. In many ways people cannot follow you if they can’t trust where you’re coming from.   Great ideas are best acted on when others in the room know where you stand with them.  Teams stall when they don’t know what to expect from you. Ways loyalty drives others When others feel you truly respect them. When you create a clear vision. Going out of your way to help. Taking interest in what people want to do. Being consistent Servant Leadership, unconditional positive regard, and thoughtful patience are all specific behaviors that can engage your loyalty to others.   Each time you consider the little things with others, you amplify your influence, and enlarge your leadership footprint.  

If you don't live it you don't believe it.  Paul Harvey

You will become  on the outside what you believe on the inside.