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Our newsletter GROOTS.be February 2013 is now available online.

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When I meet with the men and women who run organizations, teams and departments, I hear with increasing frequency how different everything feels from just a decade ago. These managers and leaders tell me that they are operating in a bewildering new environment in which little is certain, the tempo is quicker, and the dynamics are more complex. They worry that it is impossible to stay on top of all the things they need to know to do their job. Some admit they feel overwhelmed.

Yes, the leadership challenge within our volatile, globalized, hyper-connected age has become increasingly complex and sometimes perplexing. And yet the principles of great leadership are timeless, based on immutable truths that transform organizations and their people.

First and foremost, transformational leadership begins with awareness – awareness of your own thoughts and feelings, and how these affect your actions, and the states of others. As your awareness grows, you begin to see your own inner motivating force, what drives you - your passions and values - and how these affect your thoughts, feelings and actions, and that of others. As you become more aware your perception increases, and you are able to choose actions that directly meet the needs of the situation and people around you, but much more powerfully than a situational leadership style.  It speaks to the “being” level of the people around you. 

Transformational Leadership then inspires wholeness of being, so your thoughts, feelings and actions are consistent. It is about leading with an integrity and authenticity that resonates with others, and inspires them to follow.  Not only does it inspire others to follow, but to become leaders themselves.

"The goal of transformational leadership is to “transform” people and organizations in a literal sense – to change them in mind and heart; enlarge vision, insight, and understanding; clarify purposes; make behavior congruent with beliefs, principles, or values; and bring about changes that are permanent, self-perpetuating, and momentum building."
- Stephen Covey

Tuscany, Croatia or some other fancy place: many of us have just returned from their yearly period of renewal and refuelling.
According to recent research, we feel healthier, more energetic and less tensed on vacation - not to our biggest surprise. And with the current summer weather, it seems easier to stay on the balanced and focussed path we decided to pursue after our holidays. We take a short walk during our lunch break, get up early and reduce our daily caffeine shots.
However the same studies show that the positive effect of vacation disappears within the first working week. So how long will those resolutions stand? How will we succeed in having not just sporadic bursts of energy, but maintaining high levels of energy throughout the day?

The answer is complex because having sustained high levels of energy requires both a sense of accomplishment and careful management of our physical and mental energy.
The key to the latter is creating consistent rhythms of renewal throughout the work day. Not occasionally, but on a structural basis. Not only after work, but at work. And not once a day, but regularly. There are several drivers of energy and brain health, and these drivers affect each other, but moving might be the best thing you can do for your brain. So get up from your chair and move at least every 2 hours!

FranklinCovey today announced that Dr. Stephen R. Covey, co-founder and a former vice-chairman and director of FranklinCovey, passed away peacefully this morning due to the residual effects of a bicycle accident he suffered this past April. He was in his 80th year. In his final hours, he was surrounded by his loving wife and each of his children and their spouses.

You work hard and try to squeeze as many tasks and meetings into one day as possible.  Nonetheless, you are left with the uneasy feeling that you can do better. Each time, you resolve to do things differently, to start saying ‘no” to the less important things others ask you to do. But time after time you let yourself be distracted and tempted. The result being that you don’t get around to doing those things that give you energy, self-satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment..

If you want to do everything, there will never be enough time. First of all, you need to realize that you cannot do everything! If you have too many priorities, you have no real priorities. Lin Yutang says, “Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.” If you cannot say “no” to the unimportant things you will be living according to the priorities of others, and you will not live up to your full potential.

To learn how to say “no” you need to know when you want to say “yes”. In other words, know what your most important priorities are and know what you want to achieve with your team and organization. Then act on it. Every time someone comes to you with a request you have a choice. To help you make the right choice follow the three steps below:

1) Pause! Our brain is programmed to react immediately. Pausing for a moment, for example by taking a couple of deep breaths, helps us to think more calmly and clearly.

2) Clarify. Clarify whether this is really important by asking questions such as: “This feels urgent but not important. Why is it important?” “What is the impact of this on our most important goals?”

3) Decide. Decide whether this is really important and whether you are going to do it or not.

You are busy, maybe even very busy.... Everyday you have a lot of tasks and actions: answering e-mails, attending meetings, writing memos, having conference calls, and so on. Your day is loaded. Here is one choice that is crucial to end the day with a positive feeling: capture the gold!

“Capture the gold” is a short moment of reflection in which you give a moment of thought to the important things of have come by that day: decisions, insights, actions, questions or results. You can do this, for example, by highlighting these with a marker in your calendar, or by simply reviewing them in your mind.

The result of this habit: it will help your mind to hold on to the gold, and you will end the day with more satisfaction and a clearer overview.

Franklin Covey Co. Leadership Offerings Receive Recognition for Unique Contribution to Leadership Training Industry

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC) has been selected as a 2012 Top 20 Leadership Training Company for the third year in a row by TrainingIndustry.com. This recognition is awarded to providers who have demonstrated excellence and experience in providing leadership training services to clients based on the following criteria:

•    Thought leadership and influence on leadership training industry
•    Industry recognition and innovation
•    Breadth of programs and audiences served
•    Delivery methods offered
•    Company size and growth potential
•    Strength of clients
•    Geographic reach
•    Experience in serving the market

“The vast number of submissions this year created a strong competition between companies and indicates that the market for leadership training is indeed growing,” said Ken Taylor, Chief Operating Officer of Training Industry, Inc.

“Service offerings vary so widely in the leadership marketplace that it’s important to find organizations which encompass all of the traits and services found in a great leadership training company,” said Doug Harward, Chief Executive Officer of Training Industry, Inc. “Franklin Covey has continued to appear on this list because of their excellent leadership content and their commitment to developing leaders. We congratulate them for the contribution they make to their clients and to the leadership industry.”

“We thank TrainingIndustry.com for naming Franklin Covey again to the prestigious ‘Top 20 Leadership Training Companies List,’” said Bob Whitman, CEO Franklin Covey Co.“Franklin Covey’s commitment to building the kinds of leaders who can get results today, but in a way which enables their organizations to achieve even greater results in the future, is at our core. Franklin Covey’s leadership development content arms our clients with the mindsets, skillsets, and toolsets to maximize their leaders’ performance and impact at every level of their organization. We are honored to be their valued partner.”

Tijdens de boeklancering van Het 3de alternatief op 11 november 2011 hebben wij samen met Business Contact en mede dankzij de bijdrage van de deelnemers aan deze dag, een mooi bedrag kunnen doneren aan Kika. Daarvoor ontvingen we een mooie bedankbrief. Wij steunen het werk van Kika van harte!