What do great leaders do? A leader’s alphabet

Act with parsimony – less is more.

Breath fully, deeply and slowly – it will tune your thoughts to your feelings and hopefully give you time to think through before you speak

Concentrate on the topic at hand – forget about the myth of multi-tasking

Dominate your wandering mind and emotions – direction is key and seeing clearly in the fog too

Empower everyone around (including yourself) – problems get solved when those asked to solve them get the freedom to operate their way. Create positive resonance

Fix the problems for real – forget cosmetics! For the sake of beauty and ambition, don’t be satisfied with 80%

Get up early – give your best to every day, to every one. For this, make sure you find a purpose worth waking up for and stick to it

Hold back on impulsiveness – keeping calm with a clear mind is your best ally

Imagine a better world – what’s the point of being a leader if it is to do the same old things the same old ways? Need help? go back to G

Jump to conclusions – Not too early, not too late. Perfection is the enemy of good. Leaders don’t get it all right, they inspire trust

Kick yourself into the unknown – deep down, you have the courage to take risks

Listen with your heart wide open – That means don’t judge (don’t jump to conclusions too quickly), that means switch off the brain and turn on the heart channel. As our French philosopher once said: “the heart has reasons which the reason doesn’t know”.

Manipulate not ! - there is no room AT ALL for this.

Nurture your Self and nurture everyone else – may all beings be free and happy

Open your mind for change – instill openness around you, change is the only certainty.

Peel the Onion – what else?

Question status-quo – start with yourself

Respect others and become compassionate – the world is desperately in need of compassionate leaders (compassionate leaders, what you can add to life)

Spot your mental patterns and smile – you’ll be bewildered how often you repeat wrong patterns but don’t take yourself too seriously, it is the dance of life!

Trust in your abilities  – and trust others

Understand the big picture as well as the details - in people and in things, facts, opinions, emotions. All matters

Value others – it is surprising how little people usually value themselves. Help them see the beauty within 

Weave your way towards your vision - leadership is the work of a lifetime, don’t be impatient

X – pick your own favorite leader’s word

Yell at disrespect and stupidity – being mindful and open doesn’t mean accepting anything anytime.  On the contrary, you gotta make sure your values are understood and respected.

Zenify yourself and environment and laugh out loud as much as you can with others.