Fear is a Cancer to Great Leadership
We all recall when President Franklin Roosevelt answered the devastations of the attack on Pearl Harbor by telling the nation, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” I want to suggest that this was as true for the nation as it is for your leadership today. I have learned an important truth about leaders as I have coached them and helped them deal with crises. Fear is a cancer to great leadership. When fear rules a person, even if only in a single area of their life, it knocks them off balance, it deforms the way they lead, and[read more]
Old School Wisdom: Etiquette Part 2
In my last Leading Thoughts, I told the story of helping with a hiring process that was repeatedly determined by personal habits. People’s applications were rejected, in some cases, because they had body odor, poor manners, a habit of scratching their crotch—or picking their nose or under-dressing or using foul language. I made the comment that what bothered me was how likely it was that no one had ever talked to these young candidates about any of these matters. Fathers used to train their children in such things. They don’t seem to anymore. Well, my comments and list of suggestions[read more]
Old School Wisdom: Etiquette
I’m going to go Old School on you in this Leading Thoughts. Let me tell you why. I’ve recently been involved in some decision-making about young leaders. I wasn’t making the decisions, but I was advising those who did. Older, experienced men and women were determining the career paths of rising young execs. I was fascinated by what I saw. Let’s assume for the sake of our time together that all these young leaders were equally well-educated, equally experienced and had, as far as anyone could tell, equal potential. This was largely true, I believe. Yet the deciding factor over[read more]
Tend the Wounded
I’ve had the privilege of reading a lot of American Civil War history. As part of this, I’ve read hundreds of letters written by soldiers in the field. Dozens of times, these men referred to a particular experience that tormented them, filled them with fear, and nearly destroyed their will to fight. I want to describe this experience to you and then apply it to your leadership. The facts were nearly always the same in each letter. A great battle would happen during the day. Men were wounded and left on the field. Night would settle, and these wounded men[read more]
Great Words that Inspire
Let me tell you a story and then let me apply this story to your leadership. Forgive me that I’m going to go a bit long in this Leading Thoughts. As most of us know, Senator John McCain was a Navy pilot who flew combat missions during the Vietnam war. In 1967, he was shot down, captured, and held as a POW for five and a half harrowing years. There is a less well-known part of the story that moves me. As a boy, McCain had served as an altar boy in his parents’ Episcopal churches. This meant that he[read more]
Healthy Confrontation Powers Your Organization Forward
I spoke at an event recently. The whole affair was beautifully produced, skillfully executed, and employed the best technology. My part went well because it had been positioned masterfully by the producer and so was like a small diamond made brilliant by being placed in the right setting. I was grateful. As the event came to an end, I ended up standing near a crew member of one of the firms that had made the event so glorious. Though he was still on the job, he was already drinking. He seemed addicted to foul language, which he loudly and joyously[read more]
Establishing First Principles
I believe that the primary job of a leader is to build a vibrant leadership culture. If this is true, then establishing clear “First Principles” is something all leaders must skillfully do. First Principles are those truths that guide conduct. They are the short, clear statements that team members remember, accept, and do when the moment demands. They are the words that allow every person in the firm to know what is expected and to know what is right in every situation. I’ve shared here before that years ago I took the lead of an organization that had some serious[read more]
Lessons of Leadership from Billy Graham
The world is saying goodbye to Billy Graham this week and the tributes are deeply moving. Even for those who aren’t Christians or who aren’t the “born again” type of Christian, there is tenderness in the many remembrances filling news reports of this great man’s life. In this Leading Thoughts, I’d like to set aside for a moment the sentimental recollections of Billy Graham and look instead at the hard core. I’d like to draw out the principles, the commitments, that empowered Billy Graham and his team to conduct themselves largely scandal-free for so many decades. I want to urge[read more]
Demanding Confidentiality
There is a destructive habit I’ve observed in some leaders. It is a habit that erodes the trust of those they lead and often produces expensive messes. I want to warn you about this habit. It boils down to this: demanding confidentiality unnecessarily and unwisely. Insecure leaders have a tendency to request too much confidentiality. Their conversations are laced with phrases like “just between you and me,” or “speaking confidentially,” or “cone of silence,” or “if you tell anyone I said this I’ll deny it.” They ask for ironclad confidentiality from too many people and for the smallest of reasons.[read more]
Cannibalizing Leadership
I live by a principle I have shared with you before. It is this: You have a destiny, but your destiny is fulfilled by investing in the destinies of others. This truth shapes my entire concept of leadership. My goal as a leader is to draw out the best in people and set them in pursuit of noble goals. To accomplish this, I must invest in people. I must give them what I have been given that will help them become all they can be. This is leadership, and this is what makes for successful people and organizations. Now, there[read more]