One of them holds particular relevance for leaders.

And, that is the old precept that “you can’t judge a book by its cover.”

This principle was displayed dramatically on the first YouTube video seen by millions of people which zipped around the world in short order.

The crux of the matter was the divergence between what most people assume a talented singer would “look like” and the talented singer herself.

Clearly, Ms. Boyle had vast talent. Clearly, it had gone unnoticed by the world for decades.

Not everyone is a Susan Boyle, but anyone in a leadership position owes it to himself or herself (as well as the organization) to keep a lookout for “talents beneath the surface” and to encourage them to come to the surface whenever possible.

You could have someone as talented as Susan Boyle (but in different ways) in your organization - just waiting to be given a chance to shine.

WORTH THINKING ABOUT:

As a current or emerging leader, what important opportunities are you missing?

What resources are you letting go unused?

How can you make sure you and your organization - particularly in these times of economic challenge - are taking full advantage of the resources and opportunities that are available?

The Emotionally Effective Leader - Audioconference Recording

The higher you go up on the organization ladder and the more people you supervise or interact with, the more important emotional effectiveness becomes.

Solid technical knowledge is important, but knowing how to deal with people, to be “emotionally aware” in work situations, and how to balance the “nuts and bolts of the job” with the ever-present “emotional symphony” are important factors in leadership success.

Listen to this 60-minute, educational audioconference to learn about why emotional effectiveness is an important in a leader and how you can enhance your own.

We hope you enjoy the audioconference.

To listen to it, just click on the arrow in the right side of the grey box below.  (Give it a few seconds to start.)

See what Desmond Tutu has to say in this short video clip:

Being ignored - as usual — by the checkout person

Because she was busy talking with the bagger

Who’d just had his braces removed,

I wondered what happened to the pleasant encounters

Between customer and checkout person that used to occur

In the past.

And, I wondered…

Wouldn’t it be a competitive advantage for the supermarket

To create a pleasant interactive experience for a customer

While checking out at the end of a shopping trip –

Since that sort of positive experience might boost customer loyalty?

Of course, the store could address this problem right now by having a strict policy against ignoring the customer during checkout.

Or it could have a manager police the checkout aisles for impermissible co-worker chats.

But, for some reason, these approaches seem to be out of favor.

So, I wondered…

What could be done to develop a system that would ENCOURAGE the checkout person to talk with me?

Mind you, it’s not that I don’t have friends.

I’m not DESPERATE to talk with the checkout person.

It’s just that it feels strange and awkward to be treated as if I were INVISIBLE

When I’m actually the principal person engaged in the buying transaction.

After all,

It’s my credit card that zips through the card reader to pay the bill.

So, here’s what I’ve come up with.

It a sort of incentive system that would

Put power in the hands of the customer –

To bring about a more pleasant checkout experience.

Don’t laugh.

I’m thinking that the store should give each customer a certain number of “Bonus Points” upon arriving at the store.

Customers could award these Bonus Points on the spot to employees to acknowledge helpful behavior.

Employees could redeem them for rewards.

I would certainly give a few points to any checkout person who engaged me in pleasant conversation.

This would be a win-win for everybody.

The checkout people would get to use their Bonus Points to get something valuable to them.

The customers would get talked to, and have a more pleasant experience overall, and

The company would have happier customers who were more connected to the store with the prospect of greater profitability.

ASK YOURSELF: Are there ways in which my company or organization can create intelligent incentives that would be a win-win for all concerned?

And it deals with a seemingly mundane subject.

Why did it take us so long to put wheels and a pull-handle on luggage?

Now that we have it, it seems obvious.

Easy to maneuver.

No weight to carry.

No awkward steering (as there was when we dragged a suitcase on four wheels by a leash).

It seems like such a simple modification.

And it is.

Yet, there was a time when nobody had thought about it.

Simply put, the human mind had not “gone there before”

So, for years we either carried our heavy luggage or dragged it along.

Why care at all about this?

Because there may be similar discoveries to be made in your business or work life.

Things that would immensely simplify your operations or bring you a better bottom line.

The trick is to keep an open mind and be curious.

ASK YOURSELF: What new discovery or revolutionary shortcut is before my eyes right now?