Bedford Falls Standard
In my work with leaders, I love using key phrases and definitions that help me to analyze and make decisions. I want to suggest one of these verbal aids to you now. Leaders are often required to decide about the impact of someone in their firm. It might be a fellow executive or some other type of employee, but the challenge is the same—decide if the person is producing what you need and then decide what to do with them. Promote them? Remove them? Relocate them? Re-train them? You get the point. My team and I use a tool of[read more]
Let Another Praise You
There is a bit of ancient wisdom I want to urge upon you. Neglecting this wisdom leads to embarrassment and loss. Observing it is not only good for your soul, but it leads to good will and favor in your life. That bit of ancient wisdom is this: “Let another praise you, not your own lips.” We live in an age of branding and image management. We live at a time when people are preoccupied with how they are perceived. This can drive some folks to extremes. They can’t have a conversation without rehearsing their resume. They meet a new[read more]
Loyal Opposition
There is a type of person who might be damaging your firm. Let me identify him for you and tell you how to lead him to more productive ways. You may have heard someone described as a person who “can’t lead but won’t follow.” This character is common, particularly in large organizations, and he can do much harm. He tends to think of himself as “loyal opposition,” as one who helps the firm by providing the needed “push back” to the leader’s ideas and direction. It might seem logical that this guy would really prefer to be out on his[read more]
Leadership is Like Jazz
I want to let you in on a secret of leadership that few mentors, writers, and coaches are willing to discuss. When I tell you what it is, you may find yourself a bit disoriented for a moment. But fear not. Good—and peace—will come of it. Most leadership teaching is about “the right way of doing things.” The assumption is that in every circumstance, there is a right path that the effective leader must find and navigate. It is what makes for good leadership, we are told. Now, no one is trying to deceive us by telling us this. They[read more]
Pondering the Present in Light of the Future
I saw a demonstration once that really amazed me. A hospital I worked with had developed methods for training dogs to sniff out cancer in the human body. I have to tell you that I had never seen anything like it. Now, I’m a dog lover and I’ve done a great deal of reading about dogs. When my grandfather retired from the Army, he trained Samoyeds and taught me a lot about man’s best friend. I learned, for example, that while a human being steps into a kitchen and can smell chili cooking, a dog smells each individual ingredient of[read more]
Reset
I took a long road trip this past weekend. I was alone and navigating Fourth of July traffic out of Atlanta when I suddenly found myself jammed into a convoy of cars and trucks that seemed determined to kill themselves while jockeying for position. I tried to keep my distance and alter my speed so as not to endanger myself, but there was no avoiding their pace and antics while I remained among them. Finally, I decided to pull off at an exit. It was a smart decision. I got some gas, stretched, bought some nuts and a coke, breathed[read more]
The Priesthood of Knowledge
There is a disease—it’s an attitude, really—that destroys great leadership and can damage organizations. I want to identify this toxic attitude for you and help you root it out of your life and all that you lead. I call it “The Priesthood of Knowledge.” Now, let me say quickly that by using these words I am not taking shots at the good religious priests in the world. No, I’m striking at a kind of priesthood that has no place in a thriving organization. Picture this. Someone in a firm gains a great deal of knowledge. Perhaps the company has sent[read more]
Seasons
There is a principle I have found to be true in all of life and leadership. It is a bit mystical and a bit ethereal, but it governs our lives and we are wise to work with it rather than against it. Our lives progress in seasons. Now, by this I do not mean the obvious physical and psychological seasons of human life. I don’t mean childhood, adolescence, or middle age. I mean seasons that are shorter and more defining. A season is a period of time defined by certain conditions. It is not measured by the clock. It is[read more]
Self-Education
In recent Leading Thoughts, I’ve emphasized summer themes of rest, reading, and rethinking your leadership style. In this edition, I want to urge you to master a skill that is essential to your success. One of the great themes of American history is self-education. I’m sure you remember those elementary and high school history classes where you heard about Washington, Franklin, and Lincoln educating themselves. Perhaps your teachers told you about how Harry Truman was the only president of the last century not to have had a college degree but that he read voraciously and taught himself. You may have[read more]
Blaming Those Who Leave
One of the common dysfunctions of organizations is what I call “blaming those who leave.” Let me explain. Some people will leave the organizations we lead. Usually, this is for good reasons. They move on. They grow. They spread their wings. It’s what we want. It’s actually a sign of a healthy organization. This also happens when an organization isn’t doing well. People leave for all the reasons I mentioned above but also because they aren’t happy and can’t see a healthy future unfolding. We can’t stop them and shouldn’t try. Here’s a principle to remember: If people aren’t with[read more]