Saturday, December 29, 2012

Commanders And Leaders: NO ELECTRONICS ALLOWED.

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Commanders, leaders executives, managers - You cannot take command and control of a meeting, nor can you gain the full attention and absolute alpha-branded respect of the participants if you permit them to use any electronics (mobile phones, Blackberrys, pagers, recorders, or anything which could potentially provide a distraction, a disruption or a breach of security. Don't you keep your electronic gear on during a meeting either.

While I do not advocate running all attendees through a scanner at the entrance, a mere suggestion to "shut off your electronics" is not adequate. It does not truly empower you.

Electronics are a distraction. It is quite a sweeping gesture to prohibit their presence in your meeting, but as the late General Norman Schwarzkopf said, "When told to take command -- take control." This often requires a gesture. In this case, it is a practical one. 

The optimal approach (and a practical one at that) is to pre-advise attendees that there will be NO ELECTRONICS permitted in the meeting, and then, upon their entrance, have them place any electronics in a bucket (which stays in the room), and put the bucket in a good old-fashioned soundproofed wooden box or other closed container, which you can then promise to open at the end of the meeting.

This is an alpha gesture, it shows that you are to be taken seriously at your word, and also forces a pre-emptive spiritual surrender to set the tone for the meeting.

We all have rules. As a commander, mine is that in a closed-door meeting, electronics are strictly prohibited. After everyone has surrendered up his or her electronic gear, I am the last to put my iPhone in the bucket. It's a gesture that demonstrates to the others that I am not neither a liar nor a hypocrite.

Thank you for reading me, re-tweeting me, and sharing my writing with your colleagues through the social media. Just don't ever do it while we're in a meeting together.

Happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful New Year's to each and to all.

Douglas E. Castle



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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Leaders And Managers: Different Species

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Leaders and managers have many elements in common, but each is its own specialty. Rarely is a great leader a good manager. Rarely is a great manager a good leader.


In industry, a leader is predominantly a charismatic visionary who is able to communicate a vision and get others to follow -- he or she may be the chairman or CEO of a company or organization.


Great managers generally become masterful Chief Operating Officers, who are primarily responsible to see to the attainment of the leader's vision through the use of Human and other assets. A truly effective COO is an expert at the arts of talent scouting, delegating and automating of processes. Project Managers who are unusually good at social interaction (geeks need not apply -- this is a position that involves frequent Human contact with a variety of personality types) generally make the finest Chief Operating Officers.


The most powerful C-Suite pairing is that of a charismatic, no-nonsense CEO with a potent, organized, project-oriented COO.


The starkest part of the difference between leaders and managers is that leaders have a propensity to be egotistical and a bit sociopathic, while managers are, on the whole, less likely to be prima donnas and are reasonably content to let their egos take a back seat while they enjoy the rewards of good recruitment, smart delegation and the creation of the systems which lead to the accomplishment of specified objectives. Leaders are invariably more narcissistic and self-obsessed.


While you may not find this in a great number of MBA textbooks, very few leaders will ever become good managers, while it is more likely that a truly outstanding manager may rise to the position of being a leader.


As always, thank you for reading me and for re-tweeting me.

Douglas E. Castle




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Monday, December 10, 2012

Fast Self-Defense: Saving Or Protecting A Life.

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Many of my readers at The Taking Command Blog have expressed more than a passing interest in simple but powerful self-defense. Aside from building a leader's or commander's self confidence, it may just save your life or the life of someone about whom you care. I've dedicated an entire new page on the blog to FAST SELF-DEFENSE. Please read on:

Not only can these simple, reflexive techniques be easily learned, but they carry with them some valuable additional benefits:

1) They can save your life if you are being bullied or attacked;

2) They can be utilized to save the life of someone about whom you care;

3) They will build your feelings of self-confidence and courage as a leader, commander or executive.

This is why I have created a new page on the site specifically addressed to those of you who are interested in pursing this topic in greater depth. But wait! There's more!
---------------

There are times where you either have to defend yourself, or intervene to save the life of a loved one. If these circumstances are extreme, and there is a clear and imminent danger to life and limb, these are simple but incredibly powerful moves to get out a dangerous physical situation safely.

These techniques are all time-tested and are used by Special Ops commandos, the Secret Service, bodyguards and members of many law enforcement agencies. These are people who do not have the luxury of working toward attaining a black belt (sensei or sifu) in any organized, recognized martial arts system. These moves can be mastered instantly, with minimal practice, and rely on simple "muscle memory" to become memorable and accessible.

This feed is brought to us through FightFast.org, and is co-sponsored by The Taking Command Blog, Global Edge Technologies Group LLC, The Daily Burst Of Brilliance Blog and by my Headmaster and instructor, U.S. Martial Arts Hall Of Fame Inductee, Soke Joseph Droual. You can lean more about Soke Joseph by viewing his website at New York Martial Arts. I was blessed to have been trained by him. Joseph is now heading a program titled "NO MORE VICTIMS" which will soon make its appearance on the CrowdFunding Incubator website.

These techniques were all designed to be used in self defense against would-be attackers and physically menacing bullies. Never use them for any other purpose.

Douglas E. Castle

You can directly access this page by simply clicking on:

FAST SELF-DEFENSE



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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Alpha Signals: Non-Verbal Command Presence

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In order to maintain a commanding presence, and in order to position and posture yourself for control of any potentially violent physical confrontation, and ultimately, for prevention of unnecessary defensive (or pre-emptive violence on your part. This comes under the heading of non-verbal communication, and here that communication is used to send "don't mess with me" signals to individuals who many have some motive for attacking you violently.

I discuss many topics relating to both non-verbal and verbal communications and their uses in teaching, messaging, marketing, and "reading" other individuals in The Sending Signals Blog. You might wish to view it and make it a favorite. I would strongly advise that you do.

A link to a superb audio interview with an expert at Alpha Signals, and who has been a consultant to law enforcement agencies and others in need of avoiding either 1) losing dominance, or 2) being selected as a potential victim. This audio presentation is brief, but very informative and appears courtesy of FightFast.com. It is worth listening to several times in order to achieve a reflexive rapid recall of the material covered.

Some other tags, labels and search terms which you may wish to investigate: Krav Maga, Jiu Jitsu, commando skills, alpha males, countermeasures, command posture, drill sergeant's speech, voice of domination, confrontation, negotiation, Blogs By Douglas E. Castle, mastering fear, adrenaline release, survivalist... 

Enjoy it:

http://fightfast.com/download/AlphaAudio_32Kbit_32kHz_mono.mp3

A truly masterful commander avoids a physical encounter while maintaining the absolute respect of his or her adversaries, would-be attackers, detractors and subordinates. Physical violence should be used only as a last resort -- in situations where there exists a clear and present danger. A skilled commander (or commando) has a powerful intuitive sense of any threat and is always instantly prepared to address the threat.

Stay Safe.

Thank you, as always, for reading me.

Don't retreat. RETWEET. [Please and thank you]

Douglas E. Castle for The Taking Command Blog, The Crowd Funding RSS Feeds Blog and The Internationalist Page Blog



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