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Senior Correspondent

The real problem with problems is they draw you into the past. Fixing problems is focusing on something that already happened.

The power of leadership is creating something new
not fixing something old.

On the other hand, preventing problems is a problem. Teams never win if defense is all they play. Organizational success is about doing not preventing.

Get real:

Fixing and preventing are necessary components of leadership. Sadly, fixing and preventing dominate organizations because it’s useful, measurable, and necessary.

Trajectory:

Leadership always has trajectory. You move forward or backward but never stay the same.

Standing still is a fantasy for those oblivious to decline.

Additionally, balance is a myth. Effective leaders always tip toward the future.

Positive trajectory:

Anger, fear, frustration, disappointment, even resentment are part of leadership. But the path to the future is paved with gratitude.

Gratitude frees you to create your future.

Gratitude energizes leaders and organizations to release the past and create the future.

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others,” Cicero.

The opposite:

The opposite of gratitude is arrogance, not ungratefulness. In addition, the companions of arrogance are anger, bitterness, and revenge.

I’ve walked the dingy path of ungratefulness that springs from arrogance. It’s a black-hole dragging you inward, downward, and backward.

Aggressive leadership:

Express gratitude aggressively. Benigni says, “It’s a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation.”

What if you don’t feel grateful?

  1. Consider gratefulness a behavior more than a feeling.
  2. Look at life through the eyes of those contributing to the cause. Think of what they are contributing not what you wish they had contributed.
  3. Don’t worry, gratefulness fuels excellence it doesn’t block it.
  4. ???

Who can you thank, today?

How can leaders remain focused on the future in a world where they must deal with past mistakes and present urgencies?

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