Music School In Midland Texas | The Leader In You (Outline)

The following contains excerpts from the book, The Leader In You (Dale Carnegie & Associates)

Leadership has changed over the past century from predominantly management skills to a need for real leadership. In order to successfully navigate, a leader must keep his or her mind open to change all the time. Welcome it. Court it. It is only by examining and reexamining your opinions and ideas that you can progress. The winners will be the organizations with smart and creative leaders who know how to communicate and motivate effectively- inside the organization and out. Good human-relations skills have the ability to change people from managing others to leading others.

Today, we live in a fast-paced society. Back when business operated in a more stable environment, management skills were sufficient, but when the business environment becomes volatile, when the waters are uncharted, when your mission requires greater flexibility than you ever imagined it would- that’s when leadership skills become critical.

In our music school in Odessa, Texas we believe that music is more than sound, it is relationships. The role Leadership plays in relationships is incontrovertible, and the more an understanding of how leadership affects relationships is understood in any field, the greater the effectiveness will be.

Back when business operated in a more stable environment, management skills were sufficient, but, as today’s business environment is volatile, with uncharted waters, leaders need to know how to succeed in today’s fast-paced world.

Following are the remaining principles to help today’s leader navigate:

Recognition, Praise, and Rewards

Two items are at the very top of the reward list- self-respect and the respect of others. People love to look good, so part of what you want to do is to create an environment for people to look good…Reward, recognition, praise. It doesn’t matter how you do it; what matter is that you do it, again and again and again.
Florence Littauer, as she was teaching children in her church, once said, “Our words really should be like a present. A little gift. Something that we give to other people. Something that they want. Something that they reach out for. They grab our words, and they take them in, and they love them. Because our words made them feel so good.”

At our music school in Odessa, Texas we endeavor to speak words that train the student, while helping them feel encouraged and successful in their artistic pursuits.

Handling Mistakes, Complaints, and Criticism

To create an environment where people are open to receiving advice or constructive criticism:

Spread the word again and again that mistakes are a natural part of life. One sure way to get this message across is to admit your own mistakes. Admit your own mistakes before anyone else has a chance to point them out. Laugh about them is you can. Never seek to minimize the impact they’ve had. A leader has to be responsible and accountable for his or her own mistakes.
At the end of the day, what you want to do is create effective action that makes the place better. And talking about who was wrong or what’s to blame is not it. Sometimes the easiest people to correct are those who are at the top of the league. They’re the people who are going for the extra five percent and welcome constructive criticism. One of the advantages of the Japanese is their notion of treasuring errors. They consider the discovery of a mistake or error a treasure because it’s a key toward further improvement.
How we give criticism is important. There is only one way under high heaven to get the best of an argument- and that is to avoid it. Avoid it as you would avoid rattlesnakes and earthquakes. Let the person save face at all costs. However you choose to do it, the goal is the same: be gentle, underplay, don’t attack.

As we teach students in our music school in Odessa, Texas we help them to identify areas where they can improve while maintaining a focus on their unique strengths to help guide them to mastery of their particular artistic endeavors.

Setting Goals

Goals give us something to shoot for. They keep our efforts focused. They allow us to measure our success. So set goals- goals that are challenging but also realistic, goals that are clear and measurable, goals for the short term and goals for the long term
A goal is a dream with a deadline. Those who fail to establish independent goals for themselves become the ‘mee-toos’ of the world. The me-toos, the people who follow but won’t lead, do fine when times are good. But when times get tough, they inevitably get left behind.
People who set goals- challenging goals, but goals that are also achievable- are the ones with solid grips on their futures, the ones who end up accomplishing extraordinary things
Most big challenges are best faced with a series of interim goals. That’s a far more encouraging process- far more motivating too. Without specific goals it’s far too easy just to drift, never really taking charge of your life. Time gets wasted because nothing has a sense of urgency. There’s no deadline. Nothing has to be done today. It’s possible to put off anything indefinitely. Goals are what can give us direction and keep us focused.
Stand back and say, ‘What is it I really want to be? What kind of life do I really want to lead? Am I heading in the right direction now?
Once you establish what your goals are, prioritize them.

Focus and Discipline

Patience and perseverance will accomplish more in this world than a brilliant dash. Remember that when something goes wrong. Don’t’ let anything discourage you. Keep on. Never give up. That has been the policy of most of those who have succeeded. Of course, discouragement will come. The important thing is to surmount it. If you can do that, the world is yours.
You have to train yourself to march through every step, to complete every detail of every job every time. That’s what makes people more valuable to a company, more crucial to an organization, more trustworthy to their colleagues and friends- following through on every detail. People who prove themselves dependable are given greater opportunities to show how dependable they can really be. They ask you to do something, and they don’t make a follow-up note. They know you’ll do it. That’s dependability.

Learning to focus is one of the great benefits to students that study in our music school in Odessa, Texas. This is a life-skill that will bring positive results to students for the rest of their lives, in whatever endeavor they pursue.

Achieving Balance

Walter A. Green, Chairman of Harrison Conference Services, once said, “What I would urge is that your life be a several-legged stool, with a dimension for your family, another for your friends, your avocations, your health. I have seen many examples of people in their thirties, forties, and fifties whose professions or careers did not materialize as they had expected. This spells trouble for those whose lives have been a one-legged stool.
It is vital for all of us to balance out our lives, to make room for things other than work. This won’t only produce happier and more satisfying personal lives. Almost inevitably, it will also make people more energetic, more focused, and more productive at work.
“I try in my life for an hour a day to do nothing. I waste time with God, with people, with nature, my job. It has transformed my eyes. Now I see the connection we have to each other.” (Monsignor, Tom Hartman)
A good executive who makes great decisions and makes money in the company but doesn’t get along with his wife, his children, and other people in general is missing a crucial part of life. If you want to grow and be a good leader, you’ve got to be a complete man- or a complete woman. And the most important part of it is your family.

At our music school in Odessa, Texas we understand that not every student will become a concert-artist, spending their lives in pursuit of a musical career. However, we also understand the powerful influence music has in each person’s development to learn how to think differently, in ways that most educational systems fail to recognize. There is a reason why some of the greatest minds in human history have a background in studying music.

Creating a Positive Mental Attitude

Contrary to what most people want to believe, outside influences do not usually determine personal happiness. What matters is how we react to those influences, good or bad.
Learning not to Worry

Live in day-tight compartments- The past is over, and the future hasn’t yet arrived. Try as we might, we are utterly unable to affect either one. There’s only one time we can possibly live in. That time is the present. That time today.
Take comfort from the law of averages- By asking yourself just one question- and paying attention to what the answer is- you chase a good chunk of worry from your life. “How likely is this thing to happen, anyway?”
Cooperate with the inevitable- Don’t waste time and energy worrying about the things you cannot control.
Put a stop-loss order on your worries- Try asking yourself the question that Wall Street investors ask themselves whenever the market falls- How much of a loss am I willing to take on this investment? At what point do I just take the beating and walk away?
Keep things in perspective- stepping up to help other people: that’s a terrific worry-fighting technique.
Finally, get busy- If you’re finding yourself getting worried, take on a new project. Learn a new skill. Do something you believe in. Focus on the needs of others.
What if there is good reason to worry?

Ask yourself, ‘What’s the worst that can possibly happen?’
Prepare yourself to accept the worst, if necessary.
Then work calmly and methodically to improve upon the worst.

The Power of Enthusiasm

Here is the bottom line on enthusiasm: it’s infectious, and it makes people respond. The best way to get someone excited about an idea- or a project or a campaign- is to be excited yourself. And show it. Enthusiasm is a feeling that has to come from inside. It’s not to be confused with boisterous hype.
True enthusiasm is made of two parts: Eagerness and assurance. Be excited about something and express confidence in your ability to handle it. That’s all enthusiasm takes.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Every great and commanding movement is the triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it.”
How to have enthusiasm: Telling yourself what you like about what you are doing and passing on quickly from the part you don’t like to the part you do like.
Enthusiasm is easiest to attain when you have real goals in your life, things you are genuinely looking forward to.
You will never achieve real success if you cannot be excited by your life or your work.

At our music school in Odessa, Texas we enthusiastically believe in each student’s potential, believing they can achieve greatness in their own particular and unique areas of strength. It is our goal to help each one of them to maximize their potential for a productive future.

To Summarize:

Look at things from the other person’s perspective.

Offer genuine appreciation and praise.

Harness the mighty power of enthusiasm.

Respect the dignity of others.

Don’t be overly critical.

Give people a good reputation to live up to.

Keep a sense of fun and balance in your life.

Apply these basic lessons and techniques. Make them part of your daily life. Use them with your friends, family, and colleagues, and see what a difference they can make!