There are an awful lot of books on Leadership, and most of them you can skip.
If you were to go and grab just one on the topic, go and find "Guidelines For The Leader And The Commander" by General Bruce C. Clarke. (Check my musing on the book here)
It's mind-blowing because it's like it's written about these days.
Except, it was written around 1968.
“At the end, when one looks back on his life, he should measure his success by the number of rungs up the ladder of life he has climbed since he started, and not by the particular rung on which he has finished.” General Bruce C. Clarke.
Here’s something General Bruce C. Clarke wrote there that struck me as genius, so I thought I'd share it with you.
You may find yourself asking this question in the future, and having a clear idea of how to approach it is key.
The question: I feel I've hit the ceiling, so how do I advance my career? (Feeling stuck? Get unstuck here)
In reality, we all start on an equal footing and eventually reach our own peak and level off at some distance from the real top.
Yes, very few have an apparent ceiling over us as we start.
Tragically, we develop it as we go along in our careers.
Once the ceiling is formed, it’s difficult to break through.
Here’s the list of factors that cause the ceiling form over you.
General Bruce C. Clarke is typing now:
1. Wrong decisions
2. Wasted opportunities
3. Deterioration of attitude and enthusiasm
4. Excess
5. Lack of self-control
6. Lack of honesty of purpose
7. Tendency toward lowered standards
8. Poor ethics
9. Loss of self-respect
10. Loss of motivation and ambition
11. Lack of ability to express yourself orally or in writing
12. Poor associations
13. Wrong scale of values
14. Failure in carrying out responsibility
15. Lack of loyalty, up or down
16. Unfortunate family situations
17. Deterioration of physical condition
18. Bad habits
19. Poor financial management
20. Disregard of rules
21. Procrastination
22. Failure to keep up with progress in your field
Amazing list, hm?
It applies to everyone, military and non-military organizations, and individuals.
If something goes wrong, who’s fault is it?
Who’s that on?
YOU.
Except No 16. (Often you can do something about it though.)
There’s a lot of stuff you are actually in control of.
You have a lot more ownership over what you do and where you end up than some people would have you believe.
Raise your game.
Get outside your comfort zone.
Get uncomfortable.
Very seldom does the ceiling comes from others.
The ceiling you can’t break through is made by you.
P.S. Like what you’re reading here? Well, you have three choices really.
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3. When you are ready to level up, hire me.
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