Personal development plans...

I've always been a bit dubious of personal development plans. However, recently I've been thinking that I need to broaden my skill set. What I need is leadership skills. I need to motivate my team. I want enthusiastic, committed and skilled people who are working for a common purpose. Basically, I want to get out the door in the morning.

I consulted a text.

1. Great leaders use their authority to empower individuals.

I started immediately, empowering junior team members to retrieve and pour cereal into bowls. Praise where it's due, a single flake made it into the bowl. The others landed elsewhere. Perhaps I just needed to keep reading...

2. Great leaders provide positive support for action.

I routinely encourage hair-brushing as an activity to be completed before exiting the premises. Personally, I complete this task with a hair brush. I am yet to find the chapter that details the leader's appropriate positive response when a team member is found brushing his hair... with the toilet brush.

3. Great leaders act out their mission statement.

I cannot think of a better way of acting out one's mission statement than having the door open, ready for launch. What is perhaps not such a great idea is to leave it open all the night before. Apparently I went to bed without completing the requisite perimeter check. My claims of visible leadership were countered with the suggestion I was lucky the telly was still in situ...

For the days when the cereal is in the vacuum cleaner by 7am, this week's dinner offerings might just help...