Be The Leader – Yes You Can

Editor's Notes

• #20: a keen sense of what to say or do to avoid giving offense; skill in dealing with difficult or delicate situations.
• #34: Mentorship:FiveWays to SucceedSince the Mentoring Lion and the Protégé Lion have an enormous impact on the resultingpartnership,each mentoring partnership will evolve in its own unique way.However,there aresome common characteristics to be found in successful mentor-protégé partnerships. Chiefamong the characteristics for a successful and satisfying mentor-protégé relationship is thededication and enthusiasm of each partner. In addition, the following have been found to beessential to successful mentoring relationships:• Mutual Respect: Both parties in a mentoring partnership must show respect forthemselves and for their partner. The Protégé Lion should acknowledge and acceptthe knowledge and abilities the Mentoring Lion possesses from years of experience.Simultaneously,the Mentoring Lion must recognize and appreciate the Protégé Lion’s desire todevelop his or her commitment to the association.To help foster this mutual respect,bothpartners should recognize and celebrate their successes on the mentoring journeyTrust: Trust is essential between the Mentoring Lion and Protégé Lion.Those workingtogether with the benefit of open and honest communication,reliability,consistency and asense of loyalty will experience the greatest degree of success.• Relationship Building: The mentoring process is a journey of knowledge and growth,and as such,there may be some obstacles along the way.In order to minimize these obstacles,both the Mentoring Lion and the Protégé Lion must communicate clearly and frequentlyto develop a firm,reliable comprehension of goals and expectations.As problemsarise, they should be addressed immediately and handled appropriately.The partnership’sdecision-making should be thoughtfully considered before proceeding.• Realistic Self-Assessment: Realistic assessment of abilities and expectations of the relationshipare other keys to success in a mentoring connection.The Mentoring Lion shouldencourage the Protégé Lion to make an honest analysis of his or her current capabilities,theamount of time and energy he or she expects the Mentoring Lion to commit to the partnershipand what the Protégé must contribute to further his or her own development. Inturn, the Mentoring Lion should provide honest, constructive feedback to the protégé’sanalysis.At the conclusion of this step,both the mentor and protégé will have a firm understandingof the boundaries and requirements of the relationship.• Time: A successful mentoring partnership requires time and attention. It is essential toschedule a regular, uninterrupted block of time for meetings, conversations or e-mails. Itis also an excellent idea for both partners to “check in” informally between scheduledmeetings or conversations.
• #41: TogetherEveryoneAchievesMore
• #42: Slide 1:Who Packs Your Parachutes ? Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. Slide 2:He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience! One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!""How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb."I packed your parachute," the man replied. Slide 3:Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today." Slide 4:Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." Slide 5:Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know. Now, Plumb asks his audience, Slide 6:"Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory-he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety. Slide 7:Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes. Slide 8:I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute. And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours! Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this could explain it: When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do-you forward jokes. And to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke.So my friends (and rellies), next time when you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile, just helping you pack your parachute...
• #43: Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make itthrough the day.He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachuteswhen his plane was shot down over enemy territory-he needed hisphysical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotionalparachute, and his spiritual parachute.We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you,congratulate someone on something wonderfulthat has happened to them, give a compliment, orjust do something nice for no reason. As you gothrough this week, this month, this year, recognizepeople who pack your parachutes.
• #44: Slide 1:Who Packs Your Parachutes ? Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. Slide 2:He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and nowlectures on lessons learned from that experience!One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!""How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb."I packed your parachute," the man replied. Slide 3:Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today." Slide 4:Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." Slide 5:Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know. Now, Plumb asks his audience, Slide 6:"Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory-he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety. Slide 7:Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes. Slide 8:I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute. And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours! Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this could explain it: When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do-you forward jokes. And to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke.So my friends (and rellies), next time when you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile, just helping you pack your parachute...