European Crisis Will Strengthen the Global Economy
Much has been said about the European crisis and understandably, mostly in a negative context, but I wanted to offer you a different point of view– from a macro and longer-term perspective. In my opinion, this crisis will strengthen the Euro Zone and create a stronger foundation for the global economy, based on stronger fiscal alignment.
Addressing Foundational Holes
This crisis is testing the very founding principles of the European Union. In other words, there have been several economical crises, such as Ireland’s, Greece’s and soon to be others, that have forced the politicians to scramble, but also to finally address the holes within the loosely-framed European economic policy. Yes, these times are unprecedented, concerning and they certainly have short-term negative implications, but my contention is that these holes would have never been addressed, had the problems never arisen in the first place.
The Art of Being a Good Business Leader
What makes a good business leader? What skills, qualities and attributes help business leaders succeed? Penny Webb, Founder and Managing Director of Familias and Company, shares her insight into what qualities are needed to succeed as a business leader. Penny has consulted and coached 65% of the FTSE 100 CEOs, as well as executives and family offices, across Europe, Middle East, Asia and the US.
Reflect Continuously – The ability to take time to reflect on your own strengths so that you can build on them. Reflection helps to build self-awareness and enable business leaders to grow based on what they are good at. As Penny says, “Find out what you aren’t good at and stop doing it.” In fact, leaders spend a total of 2-3 weeks per year for self-development. Working with a private coach can help enormously in this regard.
Have a Clear Vision of Success – Good leaders have a good idea what they want to do and set out on a journey to achieve these goals. They are also able to establish what personal and professional success looks like and work towards these goals. If leaders are not clear and consistent in their own goals, how can others follow? A good exercise for any leader is to consider themselves at 80 years of age, looking back on what they have done and whether or not that would provide them with the contentment they are looking for to ensure they have lived according to what is truly important to her or him.
Global Citizens 