Reed Markham, PhD Quotes

Leadership without support is like trying to make bricks without enough straw. True leaders reinforce their ideas and plans with strategic partnerships, alliances and supportive audiences.

In a football game and in the corporate workplace there is a huge difference between teams that achieve great success and teams that become dismal failures. The answer is effective communication- teams that can openly share ideas, focus on the task, and communicate proactively should not be surprised by their achievements.

Strategic communication is at the core of effective leadership. Through a leader's use of verbal and written symbols employees are motivated or deflated, informed or confused, productive or apathetic. A leader's ability to carve off the verbal fat and get to the meat of an issue, idea or plan will find success at every turn.

The communication style of leaders helps us distinguish great leaders from the wannabes. When facing a problem the great leader says, "Let's find out," while the wannabe says that "nobody knows." Great leaders communicate commitment while wannabe leaders make promises. Great leaders have the capacity to listen while wannabes can't wait for their turn to talk. Great leaders say "there is a better way to do this, while wannabes say "this is the way we have always done things around here." Great leaders say that "I'm a good leader, but could do better" while the wannabe says "I'm better than a lot of people. Great leaders take accountability for their mistakes while the wannabe points fingers and says "it's your fault.".

A good leader inspires other men and women with confidence. A great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves.

Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity.