THERMOSTAT.

Effective leaders are thermostats, not thermometers. Thermostats influence the temperature of an environment, thermometers only reflect the temperature. Stephen Covey observes that less effective people and organizations always have a circle of concern much greater than their circle of influence, effective people and organizations are always working to expand their circle of influence. Fires are inevitable in leadership, but effective leaders carry water, not gasoline, to ‘hot’ situations (e.g., urgencies, unpredictability, chaos, etc.). Moreover, effective leaders prioritize fire prevention, which enacts proactivity over reactivity. As leaders we must constantly ask ourselves, “do I reflect my environment, or am I an influencer of my environment?” #LeadByInfluence

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