Frank Uncovers Excellence in Leadership

© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

More than ten years ago, in an article in the September 1994 issue of Scientific American, Wayt Gibbs, staff writer, said “Despite 50 years of progress, the software industry remains years, perhaps decades, short of the mature engineering discipline needed to meet the demands of an information-age society”. Well, here we are in 2005 and we’re still having problems.

“David I” - David Intersimone (Vice President of Developer Relations and Borland’s Chief Evangelist) in his blog

The complexity of software and the used code bases increases constantly—but what about testing? If you look around there are many products on the market which shouldn’t have been sold in the first place. We all can easily name at least a handful… And not just software!

But why has testing become such a weak part of product development?

Is it because of costs? Time constraints? Laziness?

And how guilty are consumers with their demand for newer products, faster and faster?

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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

Do you get what you want? Is it fast enough? Do you feel like you work too hard, too many hours? Have no fun, no passion?
Let me ask you:

HOW SERIOUS ARE YOU?

Dead serious? Still halfhearted? Secret backdoors open? Still in the dress rehearsal? Or even waiting for a miracle?
Well, I’ve got news for you: it won’t get better, it’ll get worse!
Outstanding success only comes to those who are DEAD SERIOUS about what they are committed to create. There’s no messing with someone like that.

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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

A great many feel like they became a victim of stress. Stress is well known today as silent killer, being responsible for death, illness, lost productivity and conflict within both the work and home environment. Still—we fill our day with activities causing us more stress. Sometimes out of need—sometimes because we see it as pleasure.

It is important to understand how to work with stress instead of fighting it. Because fighting stress will just cause you more—stress…

Can you

• Define stress?
• Analyze stress?
• Create solutions instead of more stress?

Stress management is on of the many keys to improved productivity. And more fun in life

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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.

- Lou Holtz

Excellence in life deeply depends on the way you approach the different aspects of your life.
Your education, social background, ethnic, heritage, manners, and economic means; all make the person you are. But your attitude determines the person that you are tomorrow.

Do you know how to:

• Stay positive—no matter what?
• Change problems into growth?
• Manage your expectations?
• Develop by utilizing feedback?

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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

Business is always driven by focusing on improving efficiency; using new technologies, research, and so on. Improving efficiency is profitable, but as your competitors catch on and catch up the marginal rate of return diminishes.

Many companies attribute their successes to the use of innovations and ideas from their employees.

• But how many companies help their employees?
• Create a creative environment that allows employees not only to get on fire but also stay fired up?
• Share profits gained from employee inventions with their stuff?
• Have competitions—to award those whose ideas do not result in an immediate gain?
• How many ideas disappear—because of politics and envy?

How many awards have you received?

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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

It is important to develop the conflict resolution techniques to be able to handle any conflict situation, to arrive at a win-win solution. At work and at home! Conflicts won’t go away, however they can be managed to produce results. Of course sometimes the results are not what you want them to be…

When managed properly conflicts can be used as platform for growth and development.

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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

All managers learn the planning, leading, organizing and controlling model.

Those are the four established dimensions of management.

But there is a fifth dimension of management: the people that make up the business.

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© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008

Every business is made up of people, and how you treat those people determines how they will treat your customers.

As a good manager you should not only be interested in seeing people grow in what they do but also in who they are.

A Winning Attitude

It is important that you help employees to take ownership—mainly through self-interest. Get individuals to take responsibility for the influence that they have on circumstances around them. And then help them to learn how to use a “positive” attitude to influence those circumstances—so that they lead to increased productivity and profitability.

People Are Never the Problem

Help them understand how they unwittingly contribute to the interpersonal tensions that they experience. Next build strategies together with them to minimize those interpersonal tensions. This leads to a more relaxed lifestyle and work environment where people “play the ball and not the player”. Problems are solved as problems and the people involved still have their dignity intact.

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