Welcome to this edition of YOUR PATH TO SUCCESS!
Yesterday, we continued our discussion of four key concepts of true Leadership: Responsibility, Authority, Resources, & Accountability.
So far we’ve identified our Responsibilities and recognized our Authority on our journey along the Path To Power™. We have come halfway in our journey.
With these clearly defined, it is time to move on to the third key concept, Resources.
When we think about the resources necessary to be successful in any given task, we must consider the following resources:
- Knowledge
- Skill
- Experience
- Time
- Money
“Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness.”
– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
We should also consider, as H. Jackson Brown, Jr. has indicated, these all-important resources:
- Love
- Prayer
- Forgiveness
Perhaps, some of these resources may not be applicable to every role you play. Perhaps you will need more of one, and less of another in some roles.
Let’s explore your role as a parent. Go back to your responsibilities, as you defined them. Take into consideration the task sets necessary to fulfill these responsibilities. Consider your authority for each of these. Now ask yourself what resources are necessary to complete each task to fulfill each responsibility. Do you have enough of these resources? If yes, great! If no, do you know how and where to acquire the resource? Can you do so in a timely fashion?
For instance, your daughter is going into her senior year of high school. She has been discussing colleges with you, and you have begun to visit different colleges and universities. She makes it very clear during discussing her preferences that she would love to attend a particular institution of higher learning, if she is extended an offer. In considering this preference, what resources are involved? Does the resource of experience enter into this situation? Do you have experience in preparing for admission to college, in general, and this specific school, in particular? If so, you have the experience to guide your daughter to gaining admission to the school of her dreams. If not, where can you acquire this experience? Friends? Colleagues? College Counselors? How does the resource time enter into this situation? Can you clear your schedule to make the necessary visits to this college with your daughter? You may need to make several, in order for your daughter to truly make an informed decision. If you do have this resource of time, it will make the process so much easier. If you can’t clear your schedule at certain times in order to accompany your daughter to this school, do you have back-up? Is there someone (another parent, a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or friend) who will lend some time to the cause?
Remember, if we do not have enough of a certain resource, as long as we know how, where, and from whom to acquire it, we can fulfill our responsibilities.
We’ve looked at the resources of experience and time, in relation to this example. But, what about the resource of money? Your daughter really prefers this particular institution of higher learning to all others she has visited. Of course, you must consider the expenses involved in the college experience. How will the expenses of education be paid? Have you saved enough money for your daughter’s education? If yes, wonderful! If no, how will the expenses be paid? Student Loans? Grants? Scholarships? If you do not have enough of the resource of money, you need to know where to acquire it. You need to depend upon another resource – knowledge – to help you acquire the funds needed. Look at your daughter’s academic record. Have her grades been high enough to warrant applying for scholarships? If so, this may be a great way for her to acquire the money needed for her education. Some organizations sponsor scholarships for expenses other than tuition (room & board, textbooks, computers, etc). If an applicant’s academic record is strong, many colleges will actively pursue the student. They will offer admission with combinations of scholarships and grants that will pay a major portion of the student’s tuition. So, it may be well worth the time and effort to explore these options.
In this situation, you also want to consider your resources of love and prayer. These can keep you on track to achieve your goal of helping your daughter to gain admission to the school of her dreams. Once she has been accepted and throughout her journey through academia, your love and prayers will be vital resources for ensuring her success.
So here is your assignment:
Consider at least three (3) of your parental responsibilities and their associated task sets. Explore these questions for each:
- What resources are necessary to the fulfillment of these responsibilities?
- Do you have enough of each resource?
- How and where can you acquire more of the resources needed?
If we revisit your role as a mid – level manager, we can do the same type of exploration of resources with each job responsibility you have. For instance, one of your many responsibilities on the job is to train the workforce. What resources are necessary to the fulfillment of these responsibilities? Do you have the knowledge of the specific topics necessary to provide the needed training? Do you have the skill to actually do the training? With all other demands on your schedule, do you have the time to lead the training sessions? Is there enough money in your budget to purchase the training programs or contract the training consultants?
Consider whether or not you have enough of each resource. Consider also, how and where you can acquire more of the resources, if needed.
Begin listing all tasks in question, and consider for each the questions we discussed above.
- What resources are necessary to the fulfillment of these responsibilities?
- Do you have enough of each resource?
- How and where can you acquire more of the resources needed?
The more you become aware of the needed resources to complete your tasks, the more easily you will achieve your success.
So far we’ve defined our Responsibility, realized our Authority, and listed our Resources on our journey along the Path To Power™.
In our tomorrow’s post, we’ll take a look at the next of our four key leadership concepts, Accountability.
To Your Success!
KimAlyse
KimAlyse Popkave, M.Ed., CMI, CPPC
President
K.A. Popkave Coaching & Consulting
570-617-6608
kimalyse@popkave-coaching-and-consulting.com
www.popkave-coaching-and-consulting.com
