Learn From Great Leaders: The Benefits Of Responsibility And Dependability

Responsibility and dependability are two things that carry a lot of weight. When you are responsible for someone or something, you are the overseer of it. It is your job to take care of it until that responsibility is shifted away from you.

 

When you are dependable, others can count on you to keep your word and follow through with your actions. While these two things require a lot of work and effort, they also come with some benefits. A quick look into history can help demonstrate the benefits that came with the addition of responsibility and dependability for one man.

 

Before the United States was its own country, it was a group of states that was still ruled by Great Britain. During this time, George Washington was starting his life on his own. He began his military experience by serving and being a commander in the French and Indian War.

 

Years later, he ended up becoming an integral part of the Revolutionary War through his previous military experience and political position. After being named commander in chief of the Continental Army, he began the long task of gaining independence for the states.

 

History.com discusses Washington and his history. It says that “Washington proved to be a better general than military strategist. His strength lay not in his genius on the battlefield but in his ability to keep the struggling colonial army together...His leadership during the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge was a testament to his power to inspire his men to keep going.” When the war ended, Washington was declared a national hero. 

 

After signing the peace treaty, Washington gave up his position and returned to his home, excited to get back to his crops and plantation. However, the new country had different plans. 

 

Washington had become so popular during the war that he was the first choice for the new presidential seat. He eventually took the position and served two terms as president. After serving as president, he finally returned to his home where he lived the rest of his life, dying just a few years later at 67 years of age. 

 

Throughout Washington’s life, he carried a large amount of responsibility and showed his dependability. 

 

Because of how well he led the soldiers to victory and independence, he was given the benefit of the first choice for the presidential seat of the new country. Had Washington done poorly during his time in the war, this would have not been the case. 

 

Because of this, he is now a highly regarded individual in the United States. As the first president, his face is on our currency both paper and coin. There are many buildings and other monuments dedicated to his name. He is celebrated on his birthday every year and he is studied in all history classes. 

 

While being the first president wasn't what Washington originally intended to do with his time after the war, it ended up being a great reward for his hard work during the war as well as providing an increase in responsibility that has led to him being so revered.

 

While taking on responsibilities and being dependable in your own life will probably not lead to monuments being built in your name, there are benefits to showing and acting on these good qualities while you are leading. 

 

Washington is just one of the many examples of great leaders who show that you reap what you sow. When you put in the work and take your position seriously, good things will come out of it. 

 

The Best Leaders Thrive Through Struggle And Adversity

It is easy to be a leader in the good times. When there are no problems or conflicts there is nothing challenging you or forcing you to change and grow. However, the best leaders are able to thrive through struggles and adversity. 

 

A great example of a leader that thrived in struggles and adversity is Nelson Mandela. 

 

The nelsonmandela.org website discusses his life and influence. Mandela was a great leader in South Africa who worked to help the country get out from under the previous government’s hold. He was very involved in the country's politics and he consistently worked to begin the necessary changes. He helped with protests, strikes, and led an armed struggle.

 

For his actions, Mandela was jailed multiple times with the final time being for twenty-four years. Once he was finally released, he immediately threw himself back into the political field. 

 

Four years after leaving prison, Mandela became the first democratically elected president of South Africa. “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Quote by Nelson Mandela from his speech from the Dock on April 20, 1964.

 

A large part of what made Mandela such a great leader was all the troubles his country was going through. If there had been better leaders in power, he might not have gotten into politics or made it as far as he did. 

 

Even after being in prison for a large part of his adult life, every time he was released, he would be in the midst of things once more, attempting to make positive changes. Mandela's motivation to make things better for his people was his driving force but the trials that he went through only amplified his results. 

 

In your own life, you will witness many leaders. Most of them will go through struggles and adversity. Some of the problems will be because of their leadership position while other issues could be caused by personal or other problems. The best leaders will thrive and make it through these tribulations while the weaker leaders will not. 

 

In your own life, while you are in the midst of troubles, it can be very tempting to quit or give up. 

 

However, consider those in your life who need you to be strong and continue on. Your family, friends, and coworkers rely on you, to some degree. If you are in a leadership position, it is especially important that you continue on. Use the tribulations to your benefit. Allow them to inspire you to keep working and press on harder.

 

When looking at history, the most revered leaders were noticed in times of trouble. Wars and other political problems help bring out the best leaders to the foreground as they deal with problems that have possibly never occurred prior to that moment. 

 

Mandela is a great example of this. In different circumstances, he might have been just a normal guy. The world might have never known his name. 

 

Life will always provide difficulties and new problems.

 

The best thing to do is to keep moving forward and working hard. Look at the leaders in your life and see how they deal with struggles. What do they do when new problems arrive? Some people have more experience with handling difficulties but it can always be good to see what others would do in your place and how to strive through struggles and adversity.

 

Strategic Thinking 101

Being strategic is all about planning ahead, focusing on your goal, and taking steps to get to it. It is important to consider all angles and their possible negative outcomes. Being prepared for anything to go wrong and having a few backup plans is always helpful. 

 

By focusing on strategic thinking, you are making a strategy to get to an end goal. Throughout history, some of the most revered strategic thinkers were political or military leaders. Some examples of some strategic individuals include Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Jeff Bezos. 

 

Let’s consider an example to explore strategic thinking. You are a high school student and you are planning to sell cookies at the school bake sale. You want your cookies to be the preferred choice and sell more than any other item. Now that you have a goal, you need to get your strategy together. 

 

Consider your assets. You need to have good cookies. If your cookies only look good, you might get some sales but no return customers. In order to have good cookies, you need to either make or buy good cookies. 

 

This means that you might be spending some time improving your cooking skills by taking classes, seeking out a tutor, and practicing. Not only do you need to know how to bake them, but you need good ingredients. By buying very good baking products, your cookies will taste better. Once you have determined the best time to make the cookies before the sale, your assets are covered. Now to consider the next part.

 

Consider your consumers. What type of cookies are the most popular amongst the students and staff? If you cook some really great oatmeal cookies, but no one likes oatmeal, you won’t get very many sales. Do some research to figure out what product might be best. You can ask your peers or have them sample a few of your cookies to see what they like. Take their preferences into consideration. Once you know what cookies they like, you need to market. 

 

If the bake sale is not already well marketed, you will need to help it out. It is very hard to sell cookies if no one is there to buy them. Putting up some flyers, talking about it to your friends, and posting on social media is a great place to start.

 

Bring a few sample cookies around and inform everyone who tries them that more can be purchased at the sale. As you finish preparing for the sale, you could consider your competitors, your presentation of the cookies, how to handle rescheduling dates, and more. Now you are ready to sell those cookies. 

 

In the previously explored exercise of bake sale cookies, there are many things to plan out and many steps to take in order to increase the possible positive results of the high school baker. This is just a small-scale glance into strategic thinking. 

 

Napoleon Bonaparte’s strategizing was most likely very different from Jeff Bezos.’ Every situation will be different when coming up with a strategy but every part of it is based around planning and action. Strategies involve having set ideas in place that can be followed in certain circumstances.

 

When coming up with your own strategy, make sure to consider all angles. You are forming a road to your goal and you want to make sure that you get there. Anticipate your opponent’s moves, plan for reactions, and counterstrategies.

Take plenty of time to think through your plan and ideas. Don’t rush or get distracted when working on your strategy. With plenty of time and practice, you can become a master at creating strategies. 

 

Ashton & Demi: A Giant Step For Older Women?

So, Ashton Kucher, 27, and Demi Moore, 43, got married with her kids and ex-husband in attendance.

 

It’s great! It’s Bizarre! She’s a cradle robber! It’s a giant step for older women!

 

Which one is it?

 

How about ‘A giant step for older women.’

 

Well, almost.

 

It’s not unusual for older female celebrities to hook up with much younger men. Fame and fortune are powerful magnets. But men are visual creatures. What happens after her beauty fades? Not to worry. Loss of a youthful appearance is no longer an issue. With the variety of cosmetic procedures now available women with ample financial resources can look younger than springtime until the day they die.

 

To a shrewd, future-oriented man, an older woman with money promises long-term benefits. If her age is really ‘up there’ he can look forward to a bundle upon her demise. If the relationship or marriage doesn’t last, he’s likely to win a hefty settlement. So, what does a younger guy have to lose?

 

What’s significant about the Moore-Kucher union is that it has driven one more nail in the coffin of the ‘older woman younger man’ taboo that ‘common folk’ - older women seeking younger men but not endowed with fame or money - have to deal with in their quest for a suitable partner.

 

Sometime ago I gave a talk to a group of older women. After my presentation, a woman I’ll call Betty, came rushing up to share that she was 84, single, dating, and never tells her age. Furthermore, she had no use for men older than 60, and prefers them younger than that. ‘I can’t stand old geezers. They’re all dead. They are living but they are dead, if you know what I mean’ she explained in a confidential tone of voice.

 

I could understand why Betty preferred younger men. She looked fabulous -- a trim figure, she was intelligent, her eyes lit up when she spoke, and she had beautiful smooth skin. Clearly, she had it goin’ on. She could easily pass for 60. Why would she want to put up with a cranky old codger her age?

 

Here’s the problem: When Betty finds someone with potential, and age comes up, Mr. Potential is gone. I suspect that if Betty had money and celebrity, it would be a different story.

 

Let me relate a personal experience: At the pharmacy where I work, a customer I’ll call Mr. Smooth, in his mid-fifties, made it clear that he found me interesting, even though he knew I was married. One day the local paper ran a story about my new book and mentioned that I was 76. Before that, my age was mostly unknown because I never talked about it. The public disclosure of my age raised eyebrows, and whispers began at work. ‘She’s HOW old?’ Formerly friendly male co-workers began looking the other way. Sheesh! Be seen talking to an old woman? The guys will think there’s something wrong with me.

 

Back to Mr. Smooth. He must have seen the story in the newspaper because soon after, he appeared at my prescription counter. Glaring at me with disdain and disgust, he blurted out, ‘I can’t believe you are as old as you are. I just CAN’T believe it!’ He turned around and strode away never to be seen again.

 

A woman’s age matters to most men. Except when she’s 18 and he’s 81. Then it’s a different story. Society accepts it with a knowing look and a wink. If the relationship produces progeny, that’s really, really cool --until the kids lose their father before their sixth birthday.

 

Betty has it right. She knows what she wants. She knows what she has to offer. She’s not allowing antediluvian age taboos to stand in her way of finding happiness. Withholding the number of years she has lived, and maintaining a youthful demeanor and attitude, she refuses to bear the stigma of ‘invisible older woman.’

 

Joan Collins, Susan Sarandon, Tina Turner, Carol Burnett, Mary Tyler Moore, Victoria Principal, and now, Demi Moore, have defied convention and chosen younger men.

 

Eventually it will become chic for a fabulous older woman who doesn’t have a bank account or celebrity status to have a relationship with a fabulous younger man.

 

How can I predict that? Think about this. We are living longer, healthier lives. Yesterday’s 60 is today’s 40 for many women. Dr. Helen Harkness, in her book, Don’t Stop the Career Clock reinforces that reality with her perception of aging chronology that makes sense for today:

 

• Young adulthood: 20-40
• First midlife 40-60
• Second midlife: 60-80
• Young-old: 80-90
• Elderly: 90 and above
• Old-old: 2-3 years to live

 

Dr. Harkness’s vision of the stages of aging may take a while to catch on with mainstream thinking, but it will happen. In the meantime, fabulous older women looking for a guy who is still alive and kicking should not tell their age. Happy hunting!

 

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5 Awesome Leaders throughout History and What Made Them Great

There have been many leaders in history, but here are five whose greatness has stood the test of time. 

 

Julius Caesar

 

Caesar is the quintessential ruler and one of the most emulated and celebrated figures in history. A brilliant general, he was also a political mastermind and facilitated the end of the Republic and the birth of the Empire. The dude also deserves some serious street cred…he was stabbed 23 times before dying. 

 

George Washington

 

Truth be told, there was nothing particularly special about Washington’s generalship. However, he held a rag-tag army together through the Revolutionary War and played a key role in defeating the greatest empire of the day: Great Britain. What made Washington stand out as a leader is that after the war, a person of his stature and fame could easily navigated their way into the role of monarch for life. But Washington was dedicated to the idea of a republic, and refused to become more than a civilian leader—the first president of the United States.

 

Napoleon Bonaparte

 

What made Napoleon great were his qualities of military genius, perseverance, and contagious enthusiasm for victory. Say what you will of his supposedly diminutive size, but the dude practically conquered all of Europe. After he was deposed and exiled to Corsica, he secretly returned to France and rallied the army back to his cause. He almost went on another unstoppable rampage, but the battle of Waterloo shut him down. This time the British took no chances and exiled him to a small island off the coast of Africa.

Abraham Lincoln

 

One trait that makes a leader stand out is integrity, bravery, and calm in the face of fire; it takes a lot of leadership skill to hold a country together through civil war—but even more skill to help it heal and reconcile after the war is over. Lincoln—16th President of the United States—was also a great orator with firm resolution and belief in the American ideals promulgated by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

 

Mahatma Gandhi  

 

It’s pretty hard to win a battle with guns, tanks, and planes, but seemingly impossible to win it without firing a single shot. Gandhi led India against the rule of the British and preached ideas of non-violence, instead leveraging the power of protests and boycotting. What makes Gandhi stand out as a leader is his commitment to peace and his belief in the value of human life.