Know the People You Lead
My friend, we manage things, we lead people. This is a maxim of leadership I believe completely. Let me say it again: we manage things, we lead people. Now, we know what it means to manage things. We develop systems to get the right boxes or vehicles or gravel or parts to the right places at the right time. We oversee square footage. We maintain the best IT. This is managing things. Some version of this is essential to all we do in leadership. Yet, what does it mean to lead people? Don’t give me a textbook, Twitter-length answer to[read more]
Organizational Heritage
It was Karl Marx who once wrote that “A people without a heritage are easily persuaded.” He was talking about nations, of course, but the principle is also true of the organization you lead. People come into the world with an innate desire to feel part of something that precedes them, that comes before them but flows through them and powers them into the future. Think of how the people you know speak of their nation, their ethnic tribe, or perhaps their university. The heritage—all the years that came before and are filled with deep meaning—inspires and animates people. In[read more]
Culture Generators
If you have been joining me here at Leading Thoughts for very long, you know that I believe the primary role of leaders is to assure a culture that creates success. I talk about this so much that when I recently walked through one firm, some folks started shouting, “Culture! It’s what’s encouraged to grow!” They were humorously letting me know that they’ve been paying attention. Once we accept our responsibility for culture and once we accept the above definition of what culture is, there is an important dynamic we need to understand. It is this: for every culture, there[read more]
Combatting “Vision Callous”
It was Winston Churchill who once said, “Things do not get better by being left alone. Unless they are adjusted, they explode with a shattering detonation.” He was right, and it is this problem of things “being left alone” I want to talk to you about. We humans have an immense capacity to not see clearly what we see often. I have come to call this phenomenon the “Vision Callous.” We all know that a callous on our feet becomes an area where we stop feeling. The skin has been rubbed so intensely in that spot that nerves have deadened[read more]
Disciplines of the Inner Life of a Leader
I focus much of what I do in leadership consulting on the inner life of a leader. I certainly believe in mastery of the technical side of leadership—money, law, HR, the science of a given industry, etc.—but I have come to believe that most of successful leadership is due to soft factors. As a result, I’m keenly aware of a destabilization of leaders that is happening today due to the tumultuousness of our present world situation. More than a few leaders from a variety of industries have told me recently that they feel off balance heading into 2018. They can[read more]
Reverse-Engineering Rewards
It is the start of a new year and you have, like a good leader, certainly surveyed all you lead. You’ve done this because you want greater results. You want your team to achieve more. You yearn for the best from everyone in your firm. Here is a question you have to ask yourself in order to assure this: What rewards are the people who work with me and for me anticipating? Now, by this I don’t just mean financial or material rewards. Instead, I mean everything from job satisfaction, to prestige of position, to the betterment of the firm,[read more]
Envisioning the Future and Setting Goals
This is my last Leading Thoughts for 2017 and I want to talk to you a bit about your perspective on 2018. In the coming weeks, you will likely be thinking over the new year, dreaming a bit and setting goals. I believe this is an immensely important process, not during the holidays or at the start of a new year, but constantly. Envision the future. Plan. Set goals. Determine objectives. This is what great leaders do and do unceasingly. As you approach 2018, I want to urge you to set yourself to some specific goals. Here are my suggestions.[read more]
Leadership Movies for Christmas
I am a complete sap about Christmas. I love the traditions. I love the family time. I revel in the beauty and the food. As a Christian, I also revel in the meaning of it all. During the holidays, my family and I enjoy watching movies when we are together. In fact, I want to recommend some films you might enjoy this season, ones that portray leadership themes that can instruct and inspire. You might also want to discuss some of these themes with the rising young leaders in your home. Here goes. Enjoy. 1. It’s a Wonderful Life The[read more]
Change the Culture, Change the Man
I believe strongly that the primary role of leaders is to create successful cultures. If we keep in mind that “culture” in this context means “what is encouraged to grow,” then it is pretty easy to envision the task of a leader: make sure the right things are growing. Almost every organizational dysfunction is a product of the wrong things being encouraged to grow. To state it more succinctly, organizational dysfunction grows from a dysfunctional culture—and is a failure of leadership. Let’s take as an example the recent plague of sexual abuse allegations that are haunting the U.S.. News reports[read more]
The Importance of Imagination
There is a trait of great leadership that I want to commend to you in this week’s Leading Thoughts. It might sound a bit trendy or murky to some ears, but I’m convinced it is a trait we must have to lead well, one that we can strengthen intentionally in our lives. This trait, this skill, is imagination. Now, a Disney-esque image might be forming in your mind as you read this word. This isn’t necessarily what I mean. Visions of cartoons and bright colors don’t necessarily need to be dancing in your head. Imagination is the ability to envision[read more]