Leading Like Alan Merten
One of the arts of great leadership is learning to draw from the lives of those who have led well. Just such a leader has recently passed from this life and I want to tell you a bit about him and of the principles he built his life upon. His name was Alan Merten and he was, until a few years ago, the president of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He came to that role from an academic career in the computer sciences that landed him as a dean at the University of Florida and a dean and professor[read more]
A Tale of Two Pilots
Let me briefly tell you the “Tale of Two Pilots” by way of illustrating a leadership principle you’ll need to master in the coming months. I was on a plane flying through a storm system. The flight was bumpy and the skies outside the plane window were threatening. I had been on such flights before and wasn’t that concerned. What caused tension, though, was the manner of the pilot. He was tense. He explained nothing. He kept coming on the system telling us of changes. “We are going to move to 32,000 feet. Buckle your seat belts. Flight attendants be[read more]
Paint the Victorious “Other Side”
We all pretty much know how it is going to go in the coming months. The Covid-19 restrictions are going to continue to lift. The nation will get back to business. Still, people will be hesitant, scared. There will also be restrictions that hold us back—limits on the number of folks in a restaurant or the line at the grocery store. So the economy will improve slowly, unsteadily. Most experts say next year will be a time of explosive growth. Wonderful. But we have to get through the next 7 months first. So what kind of leadership will get you[read more]
Questions After the Coronavirus
We are just now watching the lifting of coronavirus restrictions worldwide. It is sweet to see grandparents hug their grandchildren, long delayed funerals finally take place, and life make a turn toward something approaching normal. Yet before we fully leave our caves, I want you to ponder your experience and discern some vital lessons for your future. So let me ask some tough questions that will help you. First, who called? Who cared? Who invested? I don’t want you to get small and angry about the answers to these questions, but I do want you to look those answers fully[read more]
Feed Well, Lead Well
I want to talk to you about the care and feeding of a leader. More directly, I want to talk about the unique leadership diet you need during these times. That we are going through a bruising season is something I do not need to tell you. What I may need to remind you of is the toll it takes on you. The fear, the worry, the grief, the offense, and the sheer physical strain—even while you are simply sitting on your couch—all exact a great price. Medical doctors tell us that these forces drain us biologically and can even[read more]
Your Version of “Baking Bread”
If you’ve been scanning social media during this Covid-19 lockdown, you’ve probably noticed that there is a growing emphasis on baking bread. People are rediscovering the joy and art of fresh bread and all while sheltered away hiding from a deadly virus. They are trading recipes and posting photos of the results and describing how the experience changed their homes. Let’s ponder this together and apply it to leadership. Consider what happens when someone bakes bread at home. There is a bustle in the kitchen. Soon a warm and inviting smell fills the house. People gather in eager anticipation. Memories[read more]
Endure Hardship as Discipline
Many of you who receive Leading Thoughts have written me recently to ask what words or ideas make a difference for me during this coronavirus season. I appreciate the question and am happy to invite you into my inner life a bit. There are four words of scripture that always guide me in times of difficulty. In fact, they form a life philosophy for me. Here they are: “Endure hardship as discipline.” These four words come from the New Testament book of Hebrews 12:7. They tell us not to see the challenges of this life in some general, abstract sense.[read more]
Managing Crisis from Your Control Room
You are likely sitting in your home as you read this. It may be peaceful and ordered, but for many of us home life is tumultuous today. The pandemic besetting our world is forcing us to work at home, educate our children at home, get what little social life we can have at home, and to do everything from exercise to romance, again, at home. This means that many of us are off balance. We are trying to devote ourselves to all our roles but we don’t feel in place and certainly don’t feel like we are at “peak performance.”[read more]
Covid-19 and Churchill: Leader in Time of Crisis
For many years I have given a talk entitled “Churchill: Leader in Time of Crisis.” It is one of my most popular talks in the business community and I have presented it to corporate gatherings that range from Capital One to branches of the U.S. Army. I decided a few days ago that this talk might be useful to you during this Covid-19 Crisis. Not only are you a leader professionally but we must all be leaders these days in our families, communities, and even—odd though it sounds—in our own souls. So in this week’s Leading Thoughts I want to[read more]
Leader vs Drama Queen
In this C-19 season, there is a great deal of announcing of information. Statistics are fraught with meaning. Each moment brings “Breaking News.” All of it gets repeated. Yet it is how this information is proclaimed that distinguishes the leader from the drama queen. You’ve seen the drama queen many times. They rush into a meeting and breathlessly announce some new report. When they finish, they eagerly look around the room for signs of the effect they’ve had on everyone. You see, this is their payoff—the emotional response they achieve. They feel no responsibility for the impact of their information.[read more]