30 Blazing Flashes of the Obvious - 2nd Edition - 5 at a time

1. Move Your Organization Up the 'Wisdom Pyramid'
If you can assist your organization in moving from a focus on data and information to a concentration on knowledge, understanding and wisdom, then better decisions for both the short term and the long term will be reached.
2. Don't Postpone Joy
If there is something to celebrate, do it now. Don't wait until next week, next month, or next year to publicly congratulate those who have just accomplished something extraordinary.
3. Use Your Wit to Amuse, Not Abuse
Laughing at others is hurtful. On the other hand, laughing at yourself is healing for you and for others. Humor used well is wonderful for you and those around you. He who laughs, lasts.
4. Polish Your Negotiation Skills
People often ask me, "What is Colin Powell's greatest talent?" I explain how he brings together people often who are very angry with each other. By using humor and the spirit of cooperation and compromise, he finds workable solutions that everyone can support.
5. Beware of Clever, Manipulative Subordinates
This was the major leadership failure at CNN during the nerve gas debacle in 1998. The chief executive officer not only got snookered by some clever subordinates, but it also took him much too long to hold a few top people accountable for their unethical behavior in the production of CNN's "Valley of Death" special.

More from Major General Perry M. Smith, an American patriot