All these stories are Profiles in Courage last update: May 2007 | view homepage
	Every owner chooses to lead All small business owners have a key role in the unfolding of a future world at peace with one another. In these times: You can hear a cry for real leadership in our world. Greed, so empowered by media, runs rampant throughout our diverse cultures. Wall Street has failed us. So many within big business have failed us. Politicians, celebrities, and "big" personalities of every kind have failed us. We go to Oxford's Saïd Business School to meet Keith Grint. He has made a lifelong study of people and how people work together. He explains why we are so frustrated with the leadership who dominate the headlines. He makes it clear that it is time to turn away from the selfish people and look to each other -- perhaps even look in your mirror -- to find the heart of real leadership. Yet, to empower a grassroots effort to instill such leadership within our cultures, we need to know what leadership is and we all need hope and courage to try to make a difference; and as we learn, we need to encourage the best models of leadership among us. Dr. Grint says that having a vision is certainly a starting point but that the "vision thing" has been overrated. Anybody can have a dream or a picture of how they want their world or their company to look but very few are good at putting the plans in place then taking action on those plans to turn the vision into reality. We distilled many key points from our altogether too brief of a visit with him. This door on leadership has been opened, however; and with this show we are calling on all small business owners to learn more about it so we can be all that we can be. We know that small business owners are made of a slightly different cloth than most people. They have already taken a leadership role in declaring to their family and friends, and then to the world, "I'll take care of myself. And when I can, I'll hire others and we will take care of each other." These people go on to say, "We'll contribute something of real value to society. We'll make it a better place." That is leadership. THE TRANSCRIPT. Read the transcript and dig into the study guide. Then there are all the transcripts and study guides for the various episodes for all the people you see in this one ( linksbelow). And, here is a special version to print. So, about your leadership, do you have it? Can we each do just a little better? Your roadmap. We invite you to build your own business case online and interactively, a roadmap for your future. Register here and make it a collaborative project with your employees. If you are one of the 17 million sole proprietors, make it a collaborative project with your CPA, bankers, advisors, suppliers, and contractors. Everybody will love it, you'll build your business, and you may discover you have something to pass on to the next generation. Also, review the episode entitled, People Power. Think more about the empowerment from the web and technology, be sure to spend some time with the episode about an e-culture. THERE IS ALWAYS MORE. Each of these small business owners in this episode has their own overview page (like this one) AND their own study guide and transcript. WATCH TV. To find out which show is airing on your local PBS-member station, click here THE BEGINNING OF LEADERSHIP: STEP 4. You have taken charge of your own affairs. No whimping, whining or moaning. You are in charge of your life and you are on your own. You are a sole proprietor and you are making ends meet. There are some studies that show that there are as many as 40 million sole proprietorships just in th USA. If that study is even close to being true, then the statement, "Everybody has an idea for a business" is truer than we thought. The key question is, "But how do you turn that idea from mind to market?" OUR TEACHER, PROFESSOR KEITH GRINT: Articles, books and research papers for the scholarly. Biography Journal of Leadership Lancaster University, Director of the Lancaster Leadership Centre Leadership: Who has it and how do you get it? Key Ideas of this episode 1. Ask Who Is In Charge 2. Think Beyond Yourself 3. Try A Heterarchy 4. Solicit Honest Critiques 5. Learn To Negotiate 6. Ask Before You Tell 7. Check Arrogance At The Door 8. Put Systems In Place 9. Manage And Lead ...that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. - The Declaration of Independence 9/11: They had a surreptitious program backed by fanatical believers to eviscerate the West: We are at war. It is time for the general media to acknowledge it. As well, it is time for our old guard from the '60s to understand fanaticism. Helen Thomas is out of step within her arrogance. She needs to see United 93. An English production group, Working Title Films, got it right. Universal Pictures (Hollywood) was smart enough to pick up the distribution rights. United 93 is the first to revisit September 11, 2001. While the events unfolded that day, I said to Hattie, "These are defining events for the rest of our life." Fanaticism and elitism were so at work that day. We can understand both; there is a simple framework that reflects the universals found in sciences and used, sometimes unwittingly, by mainstream philosophies and religions. Fanaticism not only falls outside; it is a starting point for evil. - Bruce Camber, 9/11/2005 More... Theologians and Rational Clergy Need to Join the Fight: Time's forward march is rather illusional. Whenever fanaticism remains unchallenged, it breeds. All thinkers, especially all our clergy of every persuasion, need to be brought into this war on fanaticism. Any Muslim iman, faqih, mullah, mujtahid, basiji, or ayatollah (or for that matter, any white supremacist), who espouses violence needs to be called to question. Every utterance needs to be challenged. The universals of science give us clues about any and all universals. Just take as a given that even science is derivative of God, then to understand the depths of any theology, a study of the universals and constants within the sciences is necessary. There is always more... We have to shape up (perhaps especially our fat little kids) and we need to learn recent history. It is not a pretty picture. Historian Matthias Küntzel gives us a backdrop for these new realities with his publication of A CHILD OF THE REVOLUTION TAKES OVER. Ahmadinejad's Demons in the May 2007, The New Republic. The Wikipedia gives us a backdrop as well. A BIG STEP Within Small Business: HIRING PEOPLE - STEP 5. Creating a job for someone else, commiting to a salary, requires leadership. Use the key points of this Episodeand commit at least an hour per day to sharpen your focus on empowering your people and their understanding of the business. One episode of the show that might be helpful is The People Part. Then, there is Albert Black's story about how he teaches his people about financials. It is extraordinary. Then, use the financials episode. The final exam for leadership. All of us, almost as soon as we start our business should begin working on our liquidity model and exit strategy; that is Step 8. The overview for Steps 5 - 8 might also be helpful. There is only one question to answer on this exam: What will your legacy be and how will you achieve those goals? Educational centers and university programs such as University of Richmond, Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, and private institutes like Heartland. Leadership scholars-experts-gurus such as James MacGregor Burns, Warren Bennis and Stephen Covey. Management consulting firms: Empowering leadership Professional services: Executive search and leadership services: Empower leadership Professional Business Coaches: Empowering leadership   In order of appearance: In order of their appearance wthin this episode of the show: Overview: Case Study Guide: Transcript: Home: Pam McNair Gadabout Spa & Salons Tucson, AZ Yes Eric Rose EM Rose Builders Branford, CT Yes Ed Lam Wahoo's Fish Tacos Huntington Beach, CA Yes Sohrab Vossoughi Ziba Design Portland, OR Yes Ken Duncan Duncan Studios Sydney, Australia Yes Tracy Myers Advertising Arts College San Diego, CA Yes Gil Harper Wetherend Rockland, ME Yes Steve Hoffman Modern Postcard Carlsbad, CA Yes Pamela Rodgers Rodgers Chevrolet Woodhaven, MI Yes Dan MacInnis Record Technology Camarillo, CA Yes Peter Metcalf Black Diamond Salt Lake City, UT NA Bill Daring KMP Internet Stockport, England Yes Donna Baase Cowgirl Enterprises Boulder, CO Yes   CONTACT: Small Business School Tel: 619-985-8001 We invite your COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS. Was the show inspirational and/or educational? We hope this show is both! JOIN, JOIN, JOIN: Your professional associations in your industry are your key to continuing education, market research, collaborations, strategic partnerships, capital and so much more ... often you'll find that you enjoy like-minded people and many will become friends for life. SUPPORT PUBLIC TELEVISION: Become a member of your local station. If you are already, great. If not and your business is doing well, consider joining the Producers' Club ($1000).

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