Achieved Strategies

What’s at the Heart of Conflict

Posted on01. Mar, 2011 by Shawn Murphy.

2

At the heart of conflict are two “needs.” If not acknowledged and dealt with they will slowly destroy a leader’s ability to build and keep relationships: the need to be heard and the need to be right. Need to be heard When people collide over differences, the knowing leader knows the importance of letting others [...]

Continue Reading

A Self-less Leadership Act

Posted on28. Feb, 2011 by Shawn Murphy.

3

We live in a world where the praises of success quickly fade away to the question of “What will you do next?” This isn’t a cynical statement, but merely a statement of fact. Much is demanded from us in this rapidly changing society shaping our world – or is it the reverse? Nonetheless, we are [...]

Continue Reading

Confidence

Posted on17. Feb, 2011 by Shawn Murphy.

3

Lately the topic of confidence has surfaced in a variety of my conversations. Confidence is an intangible. It’s not something easily obtained or explained how you got it when you have it. I like Webster’s definition: A feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances. To be conscious of confidence you [...]

Continue Reading

Values-Rooted Leadership

Posted on15. Feb, 2011 by Shawn Murphy.

1

Values are tricky. We have personal values that may not be articulated, but drive who we are, what we do, and how we respond to others. We take our values into any situation where they act as a barometer for what we consider to be right or wrong. It gets a little tricky when we [...]

Continue Reading

Letting Go of Control

Posted on10. Feb, 2011 by Shawn Murphy.

9

When you’re paying attention to what’s going on in life, truths can be revealed. The kind of truth that is visible when you pause long enough. It’s a quiet space – the pause. They’re easy to miss. But when you experience them….In that pause the reality of the truth snatches your attention and it’s loud [...]

Continue Reading

One Crucial Thing CEOs Do or Ought to Do

Posted on08. Feb, 2011 by Shawn Murphy.

5

I ran across a question in my local paper on Sunday that answered the question, “What do CEO’s actually do?” The answer reflected what any leadership book for an MBA program would say: strategy, promote the organization in media, interact with the community and so on. Rather banal answer. So, E.M. of Sioux City, Iowa, [...]

Continue Reading

How Leaders Influence Meaning at Work

Posted on07. Feb, 2011 by Shawn Murphy.

3

Recently I wrote about the blinding impact of a leader’s obsession to achieve goals. Such obsession can easily turn into a myopic perspective yielding management edicts that distract and deflate employees. There is no room for leadership when obsession dominates. The persistent, unreasonable preoccupation of an idea will drive a manager to place higher importance [...]