Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.
Leon J. Suenes
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Dream Big
I sit here as the pines dance with the winds of change. Fog rolls off the great pacific ocean and I feel so very small and so very fortunate.
Monday Rylan Dan Crane turned 9 years old. Rylan is our first grandchild and only grandson of 6. How fast a decade goes, incredible! Rylan is an amazing worker. When he was 5 years old we were tearing down a show in Colorado and it was over 100 degrees. We hired a young man around 20 years old and his girlfriend to help us. He was trying to keep up with Rylan as they hauled out product and loaded it in the very hot trailer. He said, "That kid is working circles around me, how old is he, we smiled and said, 5." Rylan has many qualities. He gets along with everyone. Even his little sister Jacy, who sometimes pushes his patience. Rylan loves tractors, his favorite hangout is Mason Machinery in Aurora. His first words seemed to have tractor jargon in them. At the young age of nine he has driven several. Working the barrel races our family produces, and helping out at the ranch he has had many opportunities. Rylan is a grounds man!! He wants it the best and will tell the guys what needs to be done. He loves the mountains and hunting with his Dad. He is an excellent baseball and basketball player always giving 100%. We love him and miss him tremendously. Happy Birthday Rylan, see you in a few weeks, we will go Whale Watching!!
As Scott has said for nine years now, "Grand parenting, it's the best job you will ever have."
Life is a journey of events, age brings some of the most wonderful ones. It takes age to become a grandparent. Glad I am of age.
Dreaming of those 5 precious smiles.
Nana Danna
Monday Rylan Dan Crane turned 9 years old. Rylan is our first grandchild and only grandson of 6. How fast a decade goes, incredible! Rylan is an amazing worker. When he was 5 years old we were tearing down a show in Colorado and it was over 100 degrees. We hired a young man around 20 years old and his girlfriend to help us. He was trying to keep up with Rylan as they hauled out product and loaded it in the very hot trailer. He said, "That kid is working circles around me, how old is he, we smiled and said, 5." Rylan has many qualities. He gets along with everyone. Even his little sister Jacy, who sometimes pushes his patience. Rylan loves tractors, his favorite hangout is Mason Machinery in Aurora. His first words seemed to have tractor jargon in them. At the young age of nine he has driven several. Working the barrel races our family produces, and helping out at the ranch he has had many opportunities. Rylan is a grounds man!! He wants it the best and will tell the guys what needs to be done. He loves the mountains and hunting with his Dad. He is an excellent baseball and basketball player always giving 100%. We love him and miss him tremendously. Happy Birthday Rylan, see you in a few weeks, we will go Whale Watching!!
As Scott has said for nine years now, "Grand parenting, it's the best job you will ever have."
Life is a journey of events, age brings some of the most wonderful ones. It takes age to become a grandparent. Glad I am of age.
Dreaming of those 5 precious smiles.
Nana Danna
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Tipsy Tuesday
Effective leadership is what determines whether a business achieves, struggles or falls by the wayside. There are reams of articles, books, programmes and audios available. For me, there are at least 8 qualities that successful leaders have.
1. Responsibility
The best leaders take responsibility for making things happen. We all know just how easy it is to blame external factors and we probably all have done this at some time. You know the scenario. If only accounts, purchasing, sales and marketing, customer services, etc would do this everything would be okay. We might even blame the economy, the weather or even the competition. If you want to excel as a leader take responsibility for making things happen.
2. Integrity
Your success depends on others following. People will only follow if they believe they can rely on you to demonstrate high standards, be open, honest and truthful with them. They also expect consistency. When you are consistent (no matter what your leadership style is) people know what to expect.
3. Decision takers
We all have fears and doubts when it comes to making decisions. Will it be the right one, what happens if it goes wrong, how will I look or be perceived by others? These are just a few of the questions and dilemmas faced or going through their head. What sets successful leaders apart is their willingness to face fears and take decisions rather than procrastinate. They know that they will get their fair share of decisions wrong and will learn from them.
4. Deal with facts
Realism is essential if you are to be a successful leader. Realism is about facing up to whatever is going on, rather than expending energy wishing it was different. When faced with decisions, the best leaders will focus on the facts to determine what is realistic. Imagine you are faced with a poorly performing organisation. You might wish it could be fixed next month or next week, but the reality might be that it will take months and maybe years.
5. Vision and inspiration
The most successful leaders have the ability not just to create a vision but to communicate it in an inspiring way. They see the big picture and inspire others to work together to make it happen.
6. Optimism
There are some who are naturally pessimistic, while others are naturally optimistic. Successful leaders are part of the second group. They know that they cannot control every eventuality but they can control how they respond. They focus on solutions, not problems.
7. Resilient
No matter what you set out to as a leader, there will be set backs, disappointments and failures along the way. The most successful leaders are extremely resilient and when things do not work out as they hoped, they bounce back.
8. Excellence
Excellence in what they do is one of the defining qualities of successful leaders. They have a mindset of continuous improvement. They look for better, smarter ways of doing things. They are continual learners.
While leaders have numerous qualities, making a start on these 8 can get you off to a flying start.
Duncan Brodie helps professionals to be great managers and leaders. Take the first step to brilliant leadership by signing up for his free monthly newsletter at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Duncan_Brodie
Thanks for the wonderful tips for leadership this "Tuesday"
Happy Trails,
Danna
1. Responsibility
The best leaders take responsibility for making things happen. We all know just how easy it is to blame external factors and we probably all have done this at some time. You know the scenario. If only accounts, purchasing, sales and marketing, customer services, etc would do this everything would be okay. We might even blame the economy, the weather or even the competition. If you want to excel as a leader take responsibility for making things happen.
2. Integrity
Your success depends on others following. People will only follow if they believe they can rely on you to demonstrate high standards, be open, honest and truthful with them. They also expect consistency. When you are consistent (no matter what your leadership style is) people know what to expect.
3. Decision takers
We all have fears and doubts when it comes to making decisions. Will it be the right one, what happens if it goes wrong, how will I look or be perceived by others? These are just a few of the questions and dilemmas faced or going through their head. What sets successful leaders apart is their willingness to face fears and take decisions rather than procrastinate. They know that they will get their fair share of decisions wrong and will learn from them.
4. Deal with facts
Realism is essential if you are to be a successful leader. Realism is about facing up to whatever is going on, rather than expending energy wishing it was different. When faced with decisions, the best leaders will focus on the facts to determine what is realistic. Imagine you are faced with a poorly performing organisation. You might wish it could be fixed next month or next week, but the reality might be that it will take months and maybe years.
5. Vision and inspiration
The most successful leaders have the ability not just to create a vision but to communicate it in an inspiring way. They see the big picture and inspire others to work together to make it happen.
6. Optimism
There are some who are naturally pessimistic, while others are naturally optimistic. Successful leaders are part of the second group. They know that they cannot control every eventuality but they can control how they respond. They focus on solutions, not problems.
7. Resilient
No matter what you set out to as a leader, there will be set backs, disappointments and failures along the way. The most successful leaders are extremely resilient and when things do not work out as they hoped, they bounce back.
8. Excellence
Excellence in what they do is one of the defining qualities of successful leaders. They have a mindset of continuous improvement. They look for better, smarter ways of doing things. They are continual learners.
While leaders have numerous qualities, making a start on these 8 can get you off to a flying start.
Duncan Brodie helps professionals to be great managers and leaders. Take the first step to brilliant leadership by signing up for his free monthly newsletter at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Duncan_Brodie
Thanks for the wonderful tips for leadership this "Tuesday"
Happy Trails,
Danna
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