HOW GREAT LEADERS RECOGNIZE A PROBLEM

Can you recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency? According to John Maxwell in his book Developing the Leader Within You, great leaders usually recognize a problem in the following sequence:

1. They sense it before they see it - that is what you call intuition. Hindi pa man nangyayari medyo kinukutuban na, mayroong gut feel and they pay attention to their gut feel.
2. They begin looking for it and they ask questions - yan ang curiosity.
3. They do not simply rely on intuition or curiosity, they gather data - iyan ang tinatawag na processing. They start to process the information that they have gathered prompted by their curiosity and intuition.
4. They share their feelings and findings to a few trusted colleagues - that is what you call communicating.
5. They define the problem and they do not just verbalize it, they write it.
6. They check their resources and that is evaluating.
7. They make a decision - that is leading.
   

Under the leadership of great men and women, problems do not reach their gigantic proportions. Why? Because at the problems are detected at an early stage and given immediate actions. John Maxwell said, “Great leaders are seldom blindsided. They realize that the punch that knocks them out is seldom the hard one. It is the one they did not see coming.” Therefore, it is always important to look for signs and indicators that will give you insight into the problem ahead.