Listening Leaders Archived Edition

January 4, 2006,

LISTENING LEADERS MAKE & KEEP RESOLUTIONS

Listening Leaders® actively pursue the annual on-going challenge of making and keeping resolutions. As a result they represent the most productive of three groups of individuals. First, true and strong leaders make concrete and meaningful resolutions with a game plan designed to fulfill and keep them. They are the ultimate truth-tellers and truth-keepers.

The second group of individuals consciously chooses to make no resolutions, and therefore never face the challenge of keeping them. As they make no promises, they never challenge themselves to change or grow and, of course, they only deceive themselves.

Unfortunately, individuals in the third group have no difficulty in making a multitude of resolutions, but inevitably they keep very few. Thus, they deceive themselves and everyone.

So now that we are in the fourth day of the New Year, we offer all Listening Leaders® four secrets to making and keeping meaningful annual resolutions.

First and foremost, listening truth-tellers and truth-keepers make resolutions that are absolutely meaningful to themselves, and which are not necessarily imposed by others. As David Purdy, President of Wealth Management Midwest, LLC so wisely suggests, “Make resolutions that are imbued with strong emotions and are connected to your deepest values. When you have emotions and values tied into your resolutions, the likelihood of achieving your resolutions will rise dramatically ”.

Second, successful resolution keepers understand that resolution failure is guaranteed by making too many resolutions and/or making resolutions that cannot be met. Consequently, they limit their resolutions in significance, number and feasibility.

Third, they announce their resolutions to interested and supportive members of their Target 25. They have discovered it works to invite the assistance, reinforcement, and applause of others. In the process, it is important to make it clear that one is only inviting positive support, not undue pressure.

Fourth, successful resolution makers and keepers establish measurement benchmarks and rewards for their personal accomplishments. They establish and record a starting mark with time-line goals and measured accomplishments along the way. It is no surprise that practical and successful resolutions are heightened by those who establish precise and specific starting marks, along with recorded accomplishments and reward marks, and goal-line marks.

In our quest of “Advancing listening leadership throughout the world.”, we invite and challenge Listening Leaders® everywhere to raise their listening bar, refine their listening related resolutions, and follow the established four-step process to enhanced listening and leading throughout 2006

LISTENING LEADER KNOWLEDGE NUGGET: Listening Leaders® make and keep important resolutions.

During this season of review and promise, we are reminded of the unknown sage who observed, “After all is said and done, a lot more will be said than done.”

Although the importance of celebrating new birth, resolutions and promises have been recognized for thousands of years throughout the world, some miss the full picture. As Eric Zorn, correctly and wrongly suggested, "Those who refuse to make New Year’s resolutions because they always break them anyway miss the point. Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self-assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and, ultimately reinforces humility. Breaking them is part of the cycle.”

Fortunately, Listening Leaders® place the importance of New Year’s resolutions and promised renewal in its proper historical perspective. For as Charles Lamb observed, “No one ever regarded the first of January with indifference. It is that from which all date their time, and count upon what is left. It is the nativity of our common Adam.” Confirming the point, Sir Walter Scott noted, “Each age has deemed the new-born year, the fittest time for festival cheer.”

More to the point for every Listening Leader® who is resolved to grow in 2006 is the insightful wisdom of Henry Ward Beecher, who recommends: “Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. …but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were or are past.”

So to our Listening Leader® friends and resolution makers and resolution keepers throughout the world, we wish you enhanced listening, prosperity, and a Happy New Year in a variety of numerous languages:

“Feliz A˜o Nuevo!” (Spanish); “Feliz ano novo!” (Portuguese); “Bonne année!” (French); “Gutes neues Jahr!” (German); “Gelukkig nieuwjaar!” (Dutch); “Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!” (Welsh); “Buon Capo d’Anno!” (Italian); “Godt nytar!” (Norwegian); “Godt nytar!” (Danish); “Gott Nytt Ar!” (Swedish); “Hauoli Makahiki Hou!” (Hawaiian); “Shanah tovah!” (Hebrew); “Szczesliwego Nowego roku!” (Polish); “Wilujeng Tahun Baru!” (Sudanese); “Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun!” (Turkish) “Elamat Tahun Baru!” (Indonesian); “Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!” (Japanese); “Sun nien fai lok!” (Cantonese); “S Novym Godom!” (Russian);” Happy New Year!” (English).

LISTENING LEADER TIP OF THE WEEK: Write down and announce your listening resolutions to the world.

GOLDEN CIRCLE LISTENING LEADERS QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man ~ Benjamin Franklin
An optimist stays until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves ~ Bill Vaughan
Every man regards his own life as the New Year’s Eve of time. ~ Jean Paul Richter
It wouldn’t be New Year’s if I didn’t have regrets ~ William Thomas
The merry year is born, like the bright berry from the naked thorn ~ Henry Coleridge
Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

A LISTENING LEADER GIGGLE:

We heard about a man who resolved to change his ways in the coming year after he and his wife were discussing their future and their New Year’s Resolutions. Seems the wife asked the simple question, “What would you do if I died this year? Would you get married again?”

“Of course not!” the husband replied. To which, with a pout, she asked, “Why not, don’t you like being married?”

Ignoring the direction of this conversation, he responded, “Of course I do! Okay, okay, I’d probably get married again.” Then the Q & A picked up steam.

She asked, “Would you live in our house?” He said, “Sure, it’s a great house.”

She asked, “Would you let her sleep in our bed?” He asked, “Where else would we sleep?”

She asked, “Would you let her drive my car?” He responded, “Sure. Why not? It’s brand new.”

She asked, “Would you replace my pictures with hers?” He said, “That would seem like the proper thing to do.”

She asked, “Would you let her wear my jewelry?” He said, “No, I am sure she would want her own.”

She asked, “Would you let her use my golf clubs?”

He foolishly said, “No, of course not! She’s left-handed.”

A LISTENING LEADERS KUDOS:

As 2005 has passed we extend our warm Kudos to every Listening Leader® who shared the insights of our award winning book, LISTENING LEADERS, and significantly served others throughout the year. For everyone who committed their time and energy to listen to everyone who crossed your path, we applaud you! For every Listening Leader® who enabled Listening Leadership®, of others, we salute you! For every Listening Leader® who is resolved to listen and lead even better in 2006, we commend you!

WE ARE LISTENING TO YOU:

Together, we can change the listening attitudes, skills, and knowledge of leaders throughout the world. We appreciate and invite your assistance in expanding our listening leader’s connections. Simple steps in advancing this important movement include:

To help you and your colleagues, family, and friends fulfill your 2006 Listening Resolution, we invite a review of our Listening Leaders book which is available at www.listeningleaders.com/leader
Forward this newsletter to your children, grand children, friends and colleagues. More important, invite them to Subscribe to the “complimentary and weekly” newsletter by going to www.listeningleaders.com
Send us your listening leader insights, examples and stories.
Start a Listening Leaders Reading and Discussion Group. Invite your Librarian to purchase our Award winning LISTENING LEADER book.
As meeting, conference, and convention attendees spend the bulk of their time listening, please let others know of our availability to Keynote Conventions and customize Listening Leader Workshops.
Invite us to identify specific needs for listening development of leaders in your organizations.
Ask about our proven listening leader training programs and our customized in-house train-the-trainer strategies and our new Certification program.

We can help, we are committed, and we are listening.

Listen, Lead On & Make Today Count! – Manny & Rick

__________________________________________________________________

LISTENING LEADERS: THE TEN GOLDEN RULES
TO LISTEN, LEAD & SUCCEED

By Dr. Lyman K. Steil
& Dr. Richard K. Bommelje

Publisher: Beaver’s Pond Press
(ISBN 1-59298-073-2)

A pioneering book that directly connects listening with leadership.Based on more than 50 collective years of work with listening leaders throughout the world, Dr. Steil and Dr. Bommelje have created 10 practical, proven, and priceless rules to enhance everyone's listening and leadership success. Although outstanding leaders are outstanding listeners, most leaders have neglected the development of their listening attitudes, skills and knowledge.

“This is the most significant book ever written on listening and leadership and will profit leaders at all levels in all types of organizations and enterprises.” Dr. Ralph Nichols, Father of the Field of Listening

ORDER YOUR COPY at www.ListeningLeaders.com or www.amazon.com

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Dr. Lyman K. (Manny) Steil
25 Robb Farm Road
St. Paul, MN 55127
651-483-3597
LKS@ListeningLeaders.com

Dr. Richard K. (Rick) Bommelje
8530 Amber Oak Dr
Orlando, FL 32817
407-679-7280
RKB@ListeningLeaders.com

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