Practicing Reciprocity

Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, uses the phrase “emotional bank account” to describe the principle of reciprocity in relationships. The emotional bank account describes the trust that accumulates in a relationship. Of course, you need to make deposits before you make withdrawals, so before you think about getting, take the first step to give.   Practice reciprocity to build trust between management, employees, and key stakeholders. To serve as a role model, be the first to engage in reciprocal behaviors. What can you give on your side of the exchange?

Mike Mears (2009-03-20). Leadership Elements,  Kindle Edition.

Powerful thoughts

If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.

—Peace Pilgrim

10000 hour rule - Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell's latest book OUTLIERS talks about what separates the stars from everyone else. It isn't raw talent. It is sheer persistence--those who practiced harder did better, and those who practiced insanely hard became wildly successful.  Can the same be applied to Naval leadership?

        

Gladwell dubs this phenomenon the "10,000-hour rule." I think this can be applied equally to leadership. Becoming truly great at anything -- (leadership included) -- requires ten years of experience and 1,000 hours of practice per year. "Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness," he argues.

Becoming a leader requires "deliberate practice."

What are the elements of 'deliberate practice'? It's designed explicitly to improve performance -- the little adjustments that make a big difference. It's repetitive, which means that when it's time to perform for real, you don't feel the pressure. It's informed by continuous feedback; practicing leadership only works if you can see how you're improving.

Bits and pieces paraphrased (and others cut and pasted) from HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW.