The Why of How

"Until I deal with the why, I don't really know the how."
      -- Alton Brown

There is a nearly unimaginable number of instructional, how-to, and self-help books on management, leadership, and self-development topics.

But success in an organization --- and in life --- is more than merely painting by number or inserting Tab A into Slot B.

Leading and living successfully is the product of choice-making, and the by-product of needs, wants, and informed responses to unique circumstances --- not the stuff of simply acting in accord with a universal prescription.

If there were a simple recipe for success, wouldn't it be a sure-fire thing to follow it? Wouldn't everyone be wildly successful? And would we really need all those books?

You are wise to expose yourself to others' views of the world and their counsel. But in addition to understanding how others see the working of the world, you also must listen to yourself, especially for the often silent voice within that can tell you your own why behind the what and how.

Lead Well® helps organizations to improve measurable results by developing their current and future leaders. For more information, please contact us. By phone, toll-free in the USA: 1-888-LeadWell (532-3935), or 1-609-716-9490. By email, Info@LeadWell.com.

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Don Blohowiak, a management consultant and popular conference speaker, is the author of several business books. The executive director of the Lead Well® Institute in Princeton, NJ, he may be reached at http://www.LeadWell.com/.

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Copyright © 2005, Don Blohowiak, Lead Well Institute

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