The Leader's Edge Jan 2009

January 2009 [printable view]

Putting Shoes on the Children
By Steven L. Anderson, Ph.D., MBA

Last summer I received a call from Erwin Gunawan, president of Matrix Seafood. Erwin had seen me give a speech on leadership and he asked me if I could help him. He already was the owner of a successful restaurant, Taste of Bali, an Indonesian focused eatery serving delicacies from his homeland. But Erwin is not a man who likes to sit still. He, and several of his colleagues, Sadikin Djumin, Tom Chang, and Meiliana Kuswanti, were in the early stages of developing an international seafood importing company. Erwin said he wanted my help because he said he was inspired by my message of leadership. He told me he felt overwhelmed by the prospect of starting this company.

I have to admit, I liked Erwin immediately. He is a charming man with an unusual combination of humility and intense drive. Therefore I really wanted to help him, but I also wished to make sure that the services we offered were a fit for Matrix Seafood. Since I believe that the mission of a company is critical to its success, I asked Erwin why he had started Matrix Seafood. His answer made it impossible to say no to his request. It also is an inspiring story that I want to share with our readers. (continued)

Happy New You Year!
By M.J. Clark, M.A., APR

It’s that time of year again. When those of us who are not in our ideal shape decide to give it another go and do our best to shape up. Eat less and better; exercise more. We all know what to do, but do we do it? Well, here’s a new year, and we’re going to try again, right?

First, let’s talk about the body. It’s our temple, right? Just like a house, that gets weathered and damaged by storms, deteriorating beams, and rusty nails, our body gets weathered with slips on ice, feeding it the wrong foods, and little or no exercise. (continued)

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“Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, but Words Will Never Hurt Me”
By Katherine Sprague, Psy.D.

Over the holidays, a good friend and I got to talking about the power of words. Having worked as psychotherapists, we both agreed that words are extremely powerful. We discussed how words can be inspirational but also damaging. She and I concluded that the old adage, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is absolutely erroneous. Words can be very hurtful and people are often unaware of when their statements negatively affect others.

Statements made by organizational leaders are listened to more than those made by other organizational members. Therefore, prior to speaking it is important for leaders to think about how their words will affect their employees and whether their statements will serve their intended purpose. By gaining a better understanding of the power of one’s words, leaders can begin to speak more strategically and to provide more effective feedback. (continued)