— To follow is a bullet of wisdom on leadership. It comes from Tom’s rifle, named Shot, who has seen it all. You’ll get the drift by clicking Blog in the menu at www.tomnewhouse.com. —
TO BE ON GUARD is to be alert and ready to respond to danger. As a rifle on the farm I was on guard. The big problems were easy to spot and eliminate. Subtle problems gave me fits; I had to keep my guard up.
Leaders have to be on guard too, of course. Subtle matters are the most challenging. Here’s the worst: a leader’s own attitude. Whoa! Got your attention? Consider “confidence”—a good thing for building trust. When, however, does it become “arrogance”—a bad thing? Be on guard, especially when you have confidence in areas where you lack competence. Confidence without competence portends danger
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