Imagine arriving to lead an international forensic team in Tsunami-ravaged Thailand days after with no time, no staff, and no money. With clarity of purpose, Detective Inspector Peter Baines ‘managed the chaos with certainty’ -- citing the example of Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s leadership during the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Unique challenges require unique solutions.
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The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami was one of the most devastating disasters to affect the world in modern times. The level of devastation is hard to rationalise in human terms and it is a great blessing to us to learn more about the suffering and the triumph of these times. Regarding disaster recovery we learned, ‘Hope is not a plan.’ Wishing people well in times of need when we can help might be good, but it’s not good enough. This is Baines’ biggest legacy.
The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami was one of the most devastating disasters to affect the world in modern times. The level of devastation is hard to rationalise in human terms and it is a great blessing to us to learn more about the suffering and the triumph of these times. Regarding disaster recovery we learned, ‘Hope is not a plan.’ Wishing people well in times of need when we can help might be good, but it’s not good enough. This is Baines’ biggest legacy.
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True leaders are identified by their actions and reactions -- what they do. After all, it’s said, ‘Leadership is a verb.’[1] These people lead without authority. They manage chaos with certainty. They have a way of staying calm through the storm; effective for the tasks at hand.
True leaders are identified by their actions and reactions -- what they do. After all, it’s said, ‘Leadership is a verb.’[1] These people lead without authority. They manage chaos with certainty. They have a way of staying calm through the storm; effective for the tasks at hand.
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They have clarity of purpose. Det. Insp. Baines describes the wall of water that took so many lives that it left very few families affected untouched. There are so many orphans. As a parent, you might identify with the struggle of trying to physically hold your child or children as the torrent swept through, rendering you powerless to hold them. Dealing with this level of grief would be overwhelming, if not for the most clear and clarified-within-your-own-mind sense of purpose. There are many competing priorities for our care and attention, including those in our personal lives; we must be clear at the core level what we’re doing it for otherwise any good work and effective personal leadership we have could easily be undermined, broken down, and vanquished, leaving devastating consequences.
They have clarity of purpose. Det. Insp. Baines describes the wall of water that took so many lives that it left very few families affected untouched. There are so many orphans. As a parent, you might identify with the struggle of trying to physically hold your child or children as the torrent swept through, rendering you powerless to hold them. Dealing with this level of grief would be overwhelming, if not for the most clear and clarified-within-your-own-mind sense of purpose. There are many competing priorities for our care and attention, including those in our personal lives; we must be clear at the core level what we’re doing it for otherwise any good work and effective personal leadership we have could easily be undermined, broken down, and vanquished, leaving devastating consequences.
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Value statements mean nothing unless they can be backed up in action. Words may sound powerful, and we’re apt to say many things that we don’t carry through with. Our true values are refined through the sieve of reality. They come to the fore when our resolve is tested. We truly know what we stand for when the heat is on. Words alone have limited power; action, however, speaks volumes and makes the difference.
Value statements mean nothing unless they can be backed up in action. Words may sound powerful, and we’re apt to say many things that we don’t carry through with. Our true values are refined through the sieve of reality. They come to the fore when our resolve is tested. We truly know what we stand for when the heat is on. Words alone have limited power; action, however, speaks volumes and makes the difference.
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Communication leaves a lasting impression; it’s our choice. It’s the choice of viewing leadership as people need it, rather than as a process to achieve things. Entering into relationship with people, as a way of leading, might not seem to be a very efficient way of leading but its effects are powerfully paradoxical.
Communication leaves a lasting impression; it’s our choice. It’s the choice of viewing leadership as people need it, rather than as a process to achieve things. Entering into relationship with people, as a way of leading, might not seem to be a very efficient way of leading but its effects are powerfully paradoxical.
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Det. Insp. Baines says leadership matters and results, not excuses, are what needs to be focused on. This has relevance in our personal lives as much as in our corporate lives, as much as any area of life. Far too often we make excuses for ourselves in seeking to improve one area we’re not happy with. We lack staying power, and Det. Insp. Baines explains this as a process that affects motivation and how to counter it toward results.
Det. Insp. Baines says leadership matters and results, not excuses, are what needs to be focused on. This has relevance in our personal lives as much as in our corporate lives, as much as any area of life. Far too often we make excuses for ourselves in seeking to improve one area we’re not happy with. We lack staying power, and Det. Insp. Baines explains this as a process that affects motivation and how to counter it toward results.
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Results matter, not excuses. We must have the commitment of courage to meet adversity head on every day. The leader’s challenge goes on. That is why we’re all leaders. Our challenges continue on and we never truly conquer them. At the end of the day, in Det. Insp. Baines’ own words, “we only get one go” at life.
Results matter, not excuses. We must have the commitment of courage to meet adversity head on every day. The leader’s challenge goes on. That is why we’re all leaders. Our challenges continue on and we never truly conquer them. At the end of the day, in Det. Insp. Baines’ own words, “we only get one go” at life.
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Copyright © 2008, Steven J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Copyright © 2008, Steven J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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