Posted by
peripheral on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 7:15:15 AM
From My Perspective - - -
Quincy
Magoo - Mr. Magoo - is a cartoon character. He is a wealthy,
short-in-stature retiree who gets into a series of sticky situat
ions as
a result of his nearsightedness compounded by his stubborn refusal to
admit the problem.
Affected people (or animals) often had the impression that he is a
lunatic, rather than just being nearsighted. In later cartoons he is
also an actor, and generally a competent one except for his visual
impairment. In our nation and world where myopia seems to rule and
reign in the body politic, one could easily
come to a conclusion that we have elected Magoo-like politicians who
are bumping into the challenges of the moment without cognizance of
what they are or what one should do with and/or about them. If only
there was a simple remedy – but – there isn’t.
In
a terse commentary entitled, THE OBAMA ECONOMY – Wall Street Journal -
March 3rd, 2009 – the following appeared: “President Obama's policies
have become part of the economy's problem. Americans have welcomed the
Obama era in the same spirit of hope the President campaigned on.
But…it's become clear that Mr. Obama's policies are slowing, if not
stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic
recovery. From punishing business to squandering scarce national public
resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence
-- and thus a longer period of recession or sub-par growth…Every new
President has a finite stock of capital -- financial and political --
to deploy, and amid rece
ssion Mr. Obama has more than most. But one
negative revelation has been the way he has chosen to spend his scarce resources on income transfers rather than growth promotion. Most of his "stimulus" spending was devoted to social programs, rather than public works, and nearly all of the tax cuts were devoted to income maintenance rather than to improving incentives to work or invest…” But – the Mr. Magoo mode is bumping its way along by trying to spend itself out of debt.
John
Maxwell - a skilled Leadership expert - comments: “With the economy in
its current state, it seems like every time we turn around, a new
crisis appears. Bank failures, home foreclosures, business ventures
reluctantly abandoned. In times like these, good leadership is
especially critical.
1.
Courageous decisions. What must be done? Crises usually prompt an
organization to narrow its focus. Leaders have to make those calls
2.
Priority decisions. What must be done first? The Italian economist
Vilfredo Pareto once said, “If you’re Noah, and your ark is about to
sink, look for the elephants first…if you can find one elephant to get
overboard, you’re in much better shape.” If you’re a leader, identify
your elephants.
3.
Change decisions. What must be done differently? Even ideas that would
have worked well a month earlier may be useless in an emergency. When
the horse is dead, DISMOUNT.
4.
Creative decisions. What are my options? When the old methods aren’t
working to solve the crisis, they need to be questioned. Think outside
of the box. Get every option out on the table.
5.
Support decisions. Who can help me? Leaders are responsible for having
the right people on the team and making sure they are in the right
places.
Consider
these things with me - - John Maxwell concludes: “Leaders are not MADE
in a crisis. Leaders are REVEALED. It’s easy to steer a ship in calm
waters. Only the turbulence of a storm shows a captain’s true skill. If
your organization is facing a storm, take the wheel and make the
decisions that only a leader can make…” In Romans 12:4-8, we have a
clear delineation regarding true Leadership function: “Just as each of
us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have
the same function…We have different gifts, according to the grace given
us…if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give
generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is
showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” Mr. Magoo – following
Biblical Principles is what we should do!