The fight or flight instinct is one of our most basic survival tools. Everyone was running on 9/11. Most ran away from trouble. The heroes ran toward it. And the leaders helped others run in the most appropriate direction.

What does 9/11 teach us about leadership? I’ve found five compelling things:

1) Servant Leadership: The incredible selfless courage of first group of those responders to this unforgettable tragedy. They rushed into the twin towers even they knew they were risking their own lives.

2) Leaders must be willing to make sacrifices: They risked their lives in order to save the lives of others.

3) Leaders inspire by ACTION: Their noble acts commanded the admiration of the nation.

4) Great leaders put the needs of others first.

5) Leaders face unknown crises: Leaders lead by example in any circumstances. They clearly understand their core values and make the right decision based on those values.

We owe it to all those who died or lost loved ones that day, to be THE BEST leaders that we can be. The lesson is that we need all sorts of leaders: those that will lead others into harm’s way, those that will lead others out of harm’s way, and those that will lead the leaders. Whichever way you choose to lead, remember that everything communicates: what you say, what you do, what you don’t say, what you don’t do, and which way you run.

Live with passion!

~Farshad Asl

Proverbs 24:14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

What is the meaning of HOPE for a true leader?
“A confident expectation and desire for something good in the future”
Hope for a leader is not only desires something good for the future; it expects it to happen. And it not only expects it to happen; it is confident that it will happen. There is a moral certainty that the good we expect and desire will be done.

Now what does “the full assurance of hope” mean for a leader? It means hope which is fully assured. Hope which is confident. Hope that has moral certainty in it. It is not finger-crossing hope.
It means that it’s going to happen!

Vineet Bansal has this nice poem about hope:

Hope is bright shining light which keeps darkness at the bay
Hope is gentle cold breeze on a hot summer day

Hope is to remain positive when going gets tough
hope is seeking more when others think u had enough

What hope means

Hope is dreaming of tommorow
Hope is simmering under sorrow

Hope is sparkles when tears in our eyes
Hope is a beautiful thing & beutiful things never dies

What hope means

Hope is as light as a feather
Hope keeps all of us together

Hope is ubiquitous and free of cost
hope is the last thing ever lost…..

Great leaders always have HOPE and they give HOPE… One of my favorite quotes about leadership is from Napoleon: “Leaders are dealers in hope.”

Whoever you are, whatever the pattern of your life, whatever your roles, be a dealer in hope and start trading now!

Live with passion…and always live by HOPE!

Leaders with excuses can quickly become the lid of the organization.

As the saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. Many leaders understand that they need to change, why they need to change, and even how and in what direction they need to change. But they have all the excuses in the world about why they can’t really do things differently. Excuses, therefore, drag leaders toward failure and mediocrity—toward an insane pattern of behavior in which the same mistakes get made again and again. As a leader, your job is to counteract the tendency to let excuses substitute for action. Or don’t, and you and your team can trade excuses about why you and your team failed.

No Excuse Leaders don’t offer, nor do they accept excuses. No Excuse leadership demands the character to demonstrate personal responsibility for one’s actions, and the courage to hold others accountable for theirs. Excuses attempt to conceal personal or professional insecurities, laziness, and/or lack of ability. They accomplish nothing but to distract, dilute, and deceive. It was Benjamin Franklin who said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”

One of my favorite quotes is by Edward R. Murrow; “Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts.” The fastest way to lose respect as a leader is to focus on optics over ethics. If you’re more concerned about political fallout than solving the problem, you have failed as a leader. Even though responsibility for decisions defaults to the leader, responsibility should be a thing of design, not default. It should be readily accepted and not easily denied – this is real leadership…No Excuse Leadership!
Leaders have no excuses, and break through to solutions and overcome barriers without complaining or relying on an excuse to protect themselves. Here are eleven key qualities of character that collectively define what it means to be a No Excuses Leader:

They are Persistent.
They are Humble.
They are Focused.
They are Driven.
They are Instinctual.
They are Honest.
They are Selfless.
They are Confident.
They are Dutiful.
They are Determined.
They have NO EXCUSES in life…They understand that every challenge in life can be a great opportunity to excel!

Live with passion!