Investing in Those You Lead
At the heart of great leadership is a commitment to invest in those you lead. You do not see them as resources to exploit. You do not see them as vessels to draw out of and then one day leave behind as empty shells. No, you want those you lead to grow under your leadership. You want them to be better when they leave you than they were when they joined you. In short, leadership makes people better—all people, particularly those on your immediate team. The great news is that there are practical ways of investing in those you lead[read more]
Get There Firstest with the Mostest
There is a principle of communication I see violated nearly every day. It is violated largely because of a wrong assumption on the part of leaders and it is one of the costliest mistakes I see. Let me help you avoid it. The principle I want you to put into practice is one that is best described with words I hesitate to use. They are words first used by Nathan Bedford Forrest, one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan. Obviously, I’m completely opposed to everything the Klan stands for. Yet before Forrest helped start the Klan, he was[read more]
The Importance of Seeking Those Who are Different
I know you are a leader and so I know that you probably saw the recent movie Darkest Hour. After all, it was about Winston Churchill, it was about leadership, and it was about a crucible in the course of western history. There is a scene in this movie that audiences seem to adore. It is when Churchill, beautifully portrayed by Gary Oldman, goes on the underground train—or the “Tube” as Londoners call it—to gather opinions from the common people. It is a tender and seminal moment in the film. It just didn’t happen. Not as portrayed, anyway. Now, Churchill[read more]
Handing Off the Baton
Let me start negative. I’ve been helping a church recently. Their board got excited about “handing off the leadership baton to the next generation.” They did. As a result, their pastor, their worship leader, and their education director ended up being men in their thirties after an early handoff from men in their sixties. It proved too much for the younger men. Disaster resulted. Now I’m helping them rebuild. A friend is advising a company along the same lines. They wanted youth and energy in the lead roles. They got it, but at the expense of experience, wisdom, character, and[read more]
Avoid Being a Pawn of “Fake News”
The phrase “fake news” is one we hear a great deal these days. As you know, these words usually refer to false reports in broadcast or print media. I’m not concerned about you on this score. I’m sure you’re wise enough to distinguish the true from the false when it comes to news of the world. No, my concern is another kind of “fake news” leaders are faced with as they lead. I’ve recently watched some disastrous decision-making by leaders I care about. These horrible decisions were made by otherwise good people because they believed a type of fake news.[read more]
A Clear but Compassionate Sense of Command
Leadership trainers today tend to lean to the soft side of leadership. By this I mean that they emphasize servanthood and investment in workers and team building and the arts of motivation and how to change society by changing lives on the job. I know this is true because I emphasize these things too—and I offer no apology. They are important and the heart of the art for most leaders. However, this strong lean in our generation can tend to leave some leaders unprepared for the hard-edged side of leadership. Now, I’ve never had a difficult time with this side[read more]
Summer Leadership Challenge
It’s summer! The middle of May through the middle of August is at least “emotional summer,” so it’s summer. And I hope you have a great one. I want you to do a few things to sharpen yourself as a leader this summer. Fear not. Nothing too strenuous. In fact, I think you’ll enjoy it. Here we go. 1. Choose one leadership book and read it thoroughly. I understand that you may want to read more than one, but I also know you have all that great new thriller and beach reading to get through. So I’m asking for only[read more]
Hire it Done!
My wife is an elegant, well-educated, well-read woman. She is also a grand southern lady, though, and in addition to all the good this brings into my life, it sometimes leads to humor. Every so often, she breaks out a “southernism” that cracks me up. For example, when we were considering how we might finish some work on our house, she once said, “Let’s just hire it done!” She said this with such an accent that it caught me off-guard. Trust me, some strong kissing ensued! I love the southern in my wife. Now, I mention this phrase because I’m[read more]
Advice to My 22-Year-Old Self
The date on which this Leading Thoughts is being sent out—May 3, 2018—is thirty-seven years to the day since I graduated with my bachelor’s degree. I’ve been thinking a lot about the Stephen Mansfield on that day so many years ago. I’ve realized that I have learned some things I wish he had known. I would like to have told him that being a leader isn’t primarily about being impressive and being “in command.” Being a leader is about investing in others. I know now that “you have a destiny, but your destiny is fulfilled by investing in the destinies[read more]
Avoiding Constipation in Your Leadership
Let me use an unpleasant word to describe a powerful truth of leadership. We all know what constipation is. The Latin term from which we get the word constipation is constipio. It means, narrowly, “to stand together tightly.” Broadly, it means to stand so tightly together that nothing moves. Let’s apply this to leadership. We humans tend to like the familiar and the near. We flock together with our own kind. We like what we already know. In other words, we like to pack in tightly with the customary and comfortable. This is fine for family and friends, for enjoying[read more]