There are times when we just jump up with enthusiasm and volunteer for a task without thinking of what all is involved. Have you ever wondered; what does that mean? What does it mean to hurry on up and be the first one in line, or to rush on down to get the first copy of a new book you just have to get your hands on? Is the personality of that high strung get it done type individual the leadership type personality? Leadership is about the willingness to take on responsibilities and being held accountable for outcomes that are progressive and productive.

Though one may define leadership as being held accountable and other noun action verbs or words that describe leadership; it of course is much more than that. Recent studies and research conducted by: Development Dimensions International (DDI), convey to us that with the baby boomers going into retirement age there will be a shortage in middle to top leadership roles. Paraphrasing the findings of the study it further stipulates, that forty to fifty percent of the executives will be departing the workforce and that we currently do not have the people prepared to replace them. So how do we apply this information to the thought as to whether or not one is a leader?

In my view never has the time been more prime and ripe for the individual to be thinking of; what role will you play in making our world a better place to live. Someone once said you can never be a leader if you never have been in the role of being led or being the follower of a leader. You see, if you are a follower of a leader or a member of a team led by a leader along the way you have probably picked up some leadership development skills. Additionally, you probably developed some characteristics of personal enhancements that have prepared you to ultimately serve as a leader in a particular situation. The point being made is that leadership is inevitable when involvement and participation is inclusive in the process of implementing initiatives; whether personally, professionally and/or socially!

Recently, when speaking to a group of about three hundred youth I made the statement that if you are not well prepared academically; the twenty first century is going to be brutal! If you know that there is a shortage of middle and senior level executives in the workforce then the thought needs to be fostered on what will be your role in pursuit of finding one’s leadership role. It will come down to commitment and devotion to make change, change that will be part of producing a generation of competent senior level leaders.

What is meant by the brutality of the unprepared for the coming century? What is meant by that question is that competition will be fierce. Skills development will be more technical as technology will play a significant role in all aspects of human existence. Through the private sector companies will be seeking high level super humans to run their corporations. As public sector officials will be also looking for the very best to manage in the world of public administration. This is why it is important to develop a personal leadership planning agenda, in order to keep focus on the issues at hand.

If you are not sure where you lie on the organizational calendar of leadership; may I suggest that you take a hard look at personal successive planning. Personal successive planning will allow you to take charge of your own destiny and will provide you with the tools to guide you along in a world dying for leaders. Leaders that can lead based on millennium, generalization and futuristic thinking. One constantly needs to be working at observing the trends that are manifesting in organizations. As Corporations continue to merge with other corporations for their survival the paradigm shifting will be a test for the astute leader who decides early on I want to be a leader.

The future leader will need to play the role of being a scouting talent recruiter in search for that young crop of talent that have the skills to perform in the era of technology coupled with the dynamics of human relations. Technology will continue to play a major role in leadership development and executives will be required to train, rotate job positioning, specialized assignments and serve as a teacher, coach and mentor.

About the Author

If you would like more from Dr. Richard C. Baiz, D.B.A. on Personal and Leadership Development and his Leadership Institute click on the the link provided: http://www.leadershipinstituteofsuccess.comDr. Baiz is a Doctorate in Business Administration.

There is no question that as human beings we can become myopically focused on our own reality. In other words, we lose perspective.

After all, that is why reality shows are so popular today.

Because for 30 minutes, you can get a sneak peek into someone else’s myopic reality!

Watching this human self-absorption can be incredibly scary, amusing and entertaining all at the same time. But, while we are laughing at them, it’s hard to see how myopic we can also be with our own lives.

Without even realizing it, we lose perspective and become overly self-absorbed into our own reality; just like those on TV. Except we have a different script. Our script.

My script used to look something like this:

· I was playing the role of a high-powered executive at a major Fortune 100 company. I thought that the role required me to be singly focused in order to perform optimally. So over time, I gave up all else.

· I travelled every week and had little time or concern for people that weren’t moving as fast as I was. I ran at 6:15 every morning regardless of which city I woke up in. I had mostly condiments in my refrigerator and ate out for most meals. I often worked till 7 pm or later. When I got home late, cold cereal was often my dinner. I only connected with friends and family via my cell to and from airports in the early mornings or on weekends. Conversations with them often focused on my exhaustion. I missed so many social engagements that people eventually stopped inviting me to attend. Work was my only focus.

· Then one morning after I turned 40, I realized that I had nothing, despite a healthy salary.

I am sure there is a TV reality show waiting to be made on this script, or a movie …oh wait…the movie has already been filmed, it’s called “Up in the air.” You see, I was George Clooney with pumps.

Like me, George had lost perspective.

While I had reached a high level of success, ironically my single focus, myopic reality and my loss of perspective eventually worked against me.

Unfortunately, like many others, you may still believe that in order to be “at the top” you have to sacrifice all else.

But, you are wrong.

You see, when you sacrifice all else, you not only short change yourself and any semblance of having a life but you also short change your work, and the value that you bring to your work.

Leaders must have perspective. And you can’t have perspective if you have don’t have any balance.

Work is more productive, more creative, more engaging for you, those around you and for your company, when you have perspective.

Being so out of balance didn’t serve me, my work in Marketing, or my company over time. I clearly didn’t have, nor couldn’t develop, any perspective for the key consumer of my product who was a suburban mom who frequented grocery stores and was shuttling kids back and forth from activities. She was someone who lived a life that looked quite different than my own. I didn’t have to be her, but I did have to have perspective in order to understand her so that I could market to her more effectively.

I also didn’t have, nor didn’t develop, any perspective for my team members and colleagues whose realities were also different than my own. While I was actually the anomaly, my behaviors didn’t recognize this fact. Because of this, I wasn’t able to connect and lead them effectively. I had lost all perspective.

When you find that you are so singly focused on something and all else around you is either completely out-of-focus or non-existent, recognize that it’s time to regain perspective.

Try these steps:

Stop and reflect.

Moving from one activity to another without reflection is an indication that you are operating without perspective. Stopping helps you to reflect in order to prioritize and make conscious choices.

Step back or Step aside.

Simply by backing up or looking at things from a different angle allows you to frame a situation in a new way. The action alone can give you perspective. It may bring to question your previous approach and open up your curiosity to find a better way.

Ask yourself why? But don’t allow “have to” be your answer. At the root of losing perspective is that we begin to operate under some preconceived belief that we have no choice but to behave or do things a certain way. Don’t buy it. Don’t do things because you feel you “have to” or “should”. By asking yourself “why?” and making conscious choices about your actions you can regain perspective.

Firm up your boundaries.

Get clear on how you want to work; identify where you are going to spend less time and what’s going to take second position. This can be a weekly process that can adjust and change as you see fit.

Having perspective benefits you, your work and the people around you. Don’t buy into the idea that you have to lose balance, and in the process lose perspective, in order to make it to the top.

In fact, the top is the last place you want to be without perspective!

About the Author

Laura Lopez is an award-winning author of The Connected and Committed Leader. She is also a consultant, and a Birkman Method certified business and life coach who has been featured on the Today Show and Fox News. In addition, her accomplishments have been highlighted in several business periodicals including Personal Excellence, The Long Beach Business Journal, The Houston Chronicle, Latina Magazine, and Central Valley Business Times.