resourceful leadership

Use What You Have A short thought on resourceful leadership

by Jonathan Michael Bowman

A crazed man started banging on the front door.

BAM!BAM!

He hollered a garbled message.

It sounded as if

he was demanding to speak with someone in the apartment

(or who he thought was in the apartment).

“I want Joe!” he demanded.

The door pulsated with each strike.

The door seemed like it was about to come off its hinges.

This man was serious and showed no signs of relenting.

I looked through the peephole and saw a tall, unkempt character.

His clothes had obviously never been acquainted with laundry detergent.

You could almost smell the stench just by looking at him.

His eyes were bloodshot

and he was having a bad hair day.

He continued his assault on the door

followed by another garbled message.

I was concerned.

We lived in public housing projects at the time

and it was a dangerous place.

I was home with my mom and one of my sisters.

My brother was away at school; my dad out working.

I knew if the disturbed guy broke through the door,

it would mean trouble.

After all, he towered over me.

Then it dawned on me to use my voice.

Growing up, I loved doing voice impressions.

My family got tired of hearing my impersonation of prominent Americans

like President Ronald Reagan and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

as well as fictitious characters like Darth Vader or Porky Pig.

But this time my impersonations came in handy.

As if I was an Academy Award-winning movie star,

I got into character preparing to bellow a huge, powerful voice of

a giant’s giant.

I struck the door back at him,

Then roared as I struck:

Use What You Have

“Get”

A short thought on resourceful leadership by Jonathan Michael Bowman

Use What You Have

“away”

Use What You Have

“from”

Use What You Have

“the”

Use What You Have

“door”

Use What You Have

Instantaneously, the deranged giant

turned into a tiny lamb.

His head dropped as his shoulders shrunk.

“OK man,” he squealed. “OK.”

He slowly backed up and left the apartment building.

My mom and sister laughed.

I was relieved.

I did not have much.

I did not have my brother or dad to back me up,

a weapon or martial arts training.

But I used what I had

– a silly voice impression of a fictitious person –

to accomplish my goal of protecting my family.

In these tough times, leaders don’t have much.

They don’t have many employees.

They don’t have lots of equipment.

They have neither lots of time nor money.

Yet, leaders should learn to use what they have

to get the job done.

Focus on what you do have

as opposed to what you do not have.

Learn to capitalize on the few resources at your disposal

better than anybody ever has.

And, above all, remember that your employees are your

greatest asset.

As you discover how to tap into their brilliance,

you will realize

that you actually have

more than you ever did before.

Turn Your Desk Around

How does this slide show help you in your professional or personal life? Please add your comments below.

A short leadership story by Jonathan Michael Bowman

Interactive Question

Featured Fine Art Photography

Jonathan Michael Bowman is an attorney and keynote leadership speaker. As President & CEO of Clear Picture Leadership®, he educates and inspires leaders to achieve a bold vision despite the obstacles. He is also a fine art photographer and uses his images during his presentations as a graphic metaphor to illustrate key points. Reach out and contact Jonathan today.

Website: www.ClearPictureLeadership.comEmail: Jon@ClearPictureLeadership.com

Phone: 614.657.4295

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