I write most Fridays on leadership. And I can’t believe it’s Friday already. This was a hectic week at a high technology conference in Austin for Dell Computers.
This article on leadership from the New York Times popped into my reader this week. It puts forth an interesting concept. Balance.
Are you decisive? Good, right? But what if you are too decisive without the balance of an open mind. I remember taking my first marketing job back in the 80s. I had a fixed model in my head about how to go to market with a computer add-on product.
The model wasn’t good. But then, neither was the product. Oh, well.
Today we talk much about collaboration. Millennials wish to collaborate, we’re told. That’s all good. But what if we collaborate so much that no decisions are made. Not so good, right?
Ancient wisdom from Greece, the Middle East and the Far East all extol the beauty, grace, and necessity of balance.
We would rather work for a balanced leader than an unbalanced one. We ourselves probably feel better at night when we have been more balanced during the day.
Let’s take the idea a little further. Jon Swanson on his 300 Words a Day blog wrote about writing and telling stories aloud. Good point. My daily studies include both reading from the Bible and listening to teachers on podcasts. A balance of written and oral. I mostly write, but on my business side I used to have a fairly popular podcast (search Gary Mintchell on iTunes). I’ve let it go on vacation. Recently I’ve decided to put the effort into resuscitating it. Maybe I should do one for this blog.
The point being–can I achieve a balance of written and oral communication?
I’d rather find more balance in my life, though. Breathing mindfully is a start. Bringing myself back to center when I feel out of balance. Or changing what I eat to balance my body. Or doing better at Eagle Pose in Yoga.
Balance is a good thing for the leader in us.
Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 