Giving Dreams Space
A man who has mentored me in leadership once told a story I want to recount to you now. He said that when he was a boy he attended a small, rural elementary school. It was a pretty simple school and all of the children in his class were from lower income families. The teacher, though, was one of those people who changes lives. I hope you’ve had one like her. I have. It seems that once a week the class had a “Dream Day.” They would circle up the chairs and each student would share their most cherished dream[read more]
A Culture in Which Men and Women Thrive
Let me do something I don’t often do and dip into the headlines a bit for this Leading Thoughts. We all know that we are living through what has been called the #MeToo Moment. Because some prominent women have been courageous to speak out and because some prominent men have had to admit wrongdoing, we are living through a time when sexual abuse of women is getting some of the attention it needs. I’m sure I believe what you do about this. Women should not be abused. Men should not speak in nasty terms to women, touch them in unwanted[read more]
No Fear of Decision-Making
Let me tell you one of the most important truths I know about leadership. Here it is: The way you make decisions radiates, crafting much of the leadership culture around you. Let me explain. Leaders make decisions. That’s part of the job. It is important they make good decisions and then execute what they’ve decided well. Yet, the way some leaders make decisions actually works against them. Their problem isn’t so much that they make bad decisions, but that the way they make decisions is so tortured that it deflates the hopes and motivation of those around them. I remember[read more]
Script an Early Victory
Let me tell you about a practice of leadership I learned both from my grandfather and from one of my business mentors. It is a practice that has served me well. First, the example of my grandfather. He was a soldier in World War II and, later, an advisor to General MacArthur in Japan. When he retired, he spent decades raising Samoyeds, the beautiful white lion-like dogs from Siberia. I was with him once when a puppy jumped up on a chair. I thought my grandfather, a stern man, was going deal with the little guy harshly. Instead, he pushed[read more]
The Factor of Bitterness
Let me address a soft factor that I’m seeing cause great loss in the lives of leaders. Simply put, it is the factor of bitterness. I understand that lives of leadership are not easy. They require conflict. They require confrontation. Often, these episodes leave hard feelings and bitterness in their wake. Yet when a leader is dominated by bitterness or anger over some past episode, he or she often spews. They talk about what happened. They vent their offense. They trash the people who were involved. Yet they are usually blind to what they are doing to themselves and what[read more]
Everyone Stars in the Right Setting
I went to a concert this past Saturday in Washington DC and I saw a principle of leadership so beautifully exhibited that I have to describe it to you. The concert was by Phil Collins. You have certainly heard his music. He was with a band called Genesis decades ago and then went off on a stellar solo career. I’ll let you look up his music rather than describe it here, but suffice it to say that his songs and voice form the soundtrack of much of the last fifty years. Now, what impressed me beyond his music was how[read more]
Feedback Hound
Let me tell you one of the primary traits of great leaders. They are feedback hounds. They want information. They want perspective. They want to know how what they lead is experienced by the outside world. It is almost an obsession with them. And it serves them well. They know that most of the great leaders in history did just this. Churchill walked the streets of England asking questions and listening to the opinions of the common folk. Eisenhower was known to show up in the barracks and tents of his troops and sit for half an hour listening to[read more]
Confronting the Contras
Most leaders work hard at their messaging. They want certain values to pervade their firm. They want a clear vision, a clear sense of purpose, and a carefully crafted code of ethics imbedded in every member of their team. They speak. They write. They produce videos. They coach. They do all in their power to make sure that their vision, values, and code prevail. I commend them for these efforts. Yet let me tell you what destroys it all. It is the unchallenged “Contra.” Now, I don’t mean by this word anything having to do with Central American politics. What[read more]
Keeping Up With the Pace of Change
I want to re-emphasize a factor with you that may prove to be one of the most important in your leadership life. This factor is the pace of change. I’m bringing this up with you for this reason: I do not want you to be the type of leader who is swallowed up by the speed of change that will occur during your lifetime. No matter your industry, no matter your arena of leadership, change of every kind—generational, technical, political, economic, market, and cultural—will determine the world in which you lead. Be ready. Consider these simple truths. Knowledge doubles in[read more]
Introverts and Extroverts
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? It’s an important question for your leadership. Let me flesh this out a bit and make some recommendations that I trust will help you. It is an oversimplification, but the world is divided between introverts and extroverts—and extroverts are winning! I’m just playing a bit when I say that, but the truth is there are far more extroverts in the world than introverts. In addition, most business and leadership structures are styled for extroverts. Extroverts tend to be social animals who gain energy from other people, who like to be in teams, and[read more]