Thursday, July 16, 2009

TAKE ACTION

First Reaction/ First Glance
Imagine yourself just waking up from a 30-minute to 1-hour nap and you’re refreshed and ready to tackle whatever is in front of you.

Now imagine that instead of waking from a short nap, you oversleep and it's one year later. In this case you hardly remember what has happened in the past and you’re so refreshed you throw off your covers and you’re ready to use all your knowledge and skills from the past, but then you walk outside and everything appears different.

What causes you to think that? Is it just a dream? Are you ready to explore? Or are you fearful?

Of course all of these questions are valid as well as the evidence that you find to support your beliefs.

The Learning Process
I would like to take you back into history and share a short story I just recently read.

It was during the battle at Gettysburg in the Civil War when a young soldier by the name of Colonel Joshua Chamberlien was leading a group of men that started with over one thousand soldiers in a battle to take over and defend this famous landmark.

With his army depleted and down to 300 tired, battered men and with only one or two rounds of ammunition left, he gathered his troops and decided to take action. Full of confidence and with two of his brothers by his side he yelled out, "Charge!" and with that all of his men jumped the wall, which seemingly was their only chance of survival, and charged General Lee and his Confederate Army.

Even though they were greatly out numbered and with little ammunition their sheer action caused General Lee and his Army to retreat giving Colonel Chamberlien and his Union Army a key victory in the war.

Moving Forward Today

Why is this relevant to you and the people you lead? Just like Colonel Chamberlien, we are faced with an outcome none of us can predict. We can choose fear, we can talk about that dreaded "E" word, or we can take action by looking and finding new ideas that will allow us to continue to "deliver excellence" in a fearless environment.

Managing your team today is probably different that any other time period you have experienced in your life time. More than likely you have had to make many tough decisions, decisions that perhaps caused frustration and anxiety in your work place. However in times like these we must prepare for the future so your teams are prepared for the even better times that lie ahead.

So when you awake tomorrow take some time to think differently than you have in the past, step out of the normal and take action.

Your Team will become stronger and more united than ever, I'm sure of it.