Members Lounge

Past Meetings

Leadership in the New Millennium

The February meeting of the PMCQ was the venue for the second in a series of presentations on the theme of personal development.

With a background in radio and television and as a lecturer at the McGill Executive Institute, Dale Carnegie VP Peter Palmer described how effective personal leadership in the changing environment of the new millennium was a key attribute for business and personal success.

Underlining the value of improved leadership through healthier communications skills, the speaker cited studies that showed that only 3% of presentations were ranked as stimulating, and that after one week the normal retention levels of an oral presentation are a dismal 10%.

The sound of voice and body language in personal presentations is a major key to successfully engaging an audience. Although words make up only 7% of communications, when they are well chosen, they go a long way towards establishing a rapport with your team.

Peter went on to describe how one of the challenges today is coping with the excessive speed of change for organizations, both internally and externally, and the pressures that this creates. Skills and knowledge have less relevance today than attitude, which can determine a candidate’s adaptability.

Our changing world requires new ways of doing things to cope with new technology, tough global competition and increasingly demanding clients. Plus, managers must keep in mind that their team needs recognition.

Personal leadership has an impact on people; it produces results. Remember that it is not what we know, but how we use it. We cannot continue to do the same things and expect different outcomes.

Today’s successful leader finds the right balance to manage in a changing environment.

By Gillian Panini