Bitching Ain’t Leadership
When I first moved to Nashville, I encountered a way of communicating that confused me. I had lived my early life largely in military and athletic cultures. These were quick to correct but strongly motivational. Keeping those around you filled with vision and courage was essential. In short, these cultures were primarily positive. In Nashville, I quickly developed friendships among artists. I loved them and was almost worshipful of their gifts, but I found their way of communicating with each other disturbing. When I would sit with a handful of my Nashville musician friends, they would usually gripe. I’m not[read more]
Prepare for Every Eventuality
One of the jobs of every leader is to anticipate trouble and make plans to answer it when it comes. I want to urge you to do this when it comes to the security of your firm. We’ve all heard the news recently of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. A gunman entered the Beth Israel building during a service, took hostages, and a standoff then ensued with authorities. It lasted for hours. Two things saved the day. The rabbi, Charlie Cytron-Walker, had insisted upon a security plan for his people. There had been training sessions so that[read more]
Develop Your Spidey Sense
Leadership is often about the hard facts—the processes and data and standards that define what we do. I obviously want you to be good at all of this. Yet great leadership is also about the more internal, emotional aspects of leadership and I want to urge you to be gifted in this as well. I call this developing your “leadership sense.” Some of my friends joke that this is Stephen’s version of “Spidey Sense,” Peter Parker’s ability to sense danger before it happens in the movie Spiderman. Maybe it’s true, but your leadership sense is one of your greatest tools[read more]
Don’t Carry the Jackasses
There is a famous war photo that nearly always draws a laugh. You’ll find it with a simple Google search. It is an image of a soldier carrying a donkey through a field. Now, most folks who see this photo assume that the soldier is carrying the donkey through a minefield because he can’t allow the donkey to run free. The animal might step on the mines and get people killed. It turns out this photo has nothing to do with minefields. It was taken in 1958 during the Algerian War. In it, a member of the French Foreign Legion[read more]
Reinvention Moment
When I scan the news, I’m always looking for leadership lessons and metaphors. I want to challenge myself and I am also ever intrigued by the conversations our society is having—particularly if they touch the heart and inspire in our challenging times. One of the recent, prominent stories has been the death of John Madden. Now, not all of you are football fans, but hang with me for a moment. There’s a valuable lesson in this man’s life. Among the qualities I most admire in people is their ability to reinvent themselves when circumstances or opportunities require. John Madden did[read more]
Compassionate Leadership for the New Year
This is the last Leading Thoughts I’ll send you this year. I’ll resume in early January and we will storm into 2022 together, facing all challenges and leading well. I want you to rest and go deep relationally during the holiday season. I’ll stay out of your email box to help you make this happen. What we are doing together in putting great leadership tactics into practice is more vital than perhaps at any other time in our lives. We are living through tumultuous days, yes, but also days in which smart, skilled, compassionate leadership is being both prized and[read more]
Has Someone Installed a Control Button?
There’s a dynamic I want you to watch for in your firm. It’s one you’ve likely encountered before but one that you may not have put language to or scanned for consistently. It happens when someone taints a process with a deforming demand and thus ends up controlling outcome. The way we say it in our work with people is that someone has “installed a control button.” Let me give some examples. A silly illustration first. My friend loves to make pumpkin pies. He has a recipe for the innards that dates back to George Washington, so he tells me.[read more]
Wield the Truth
There is a tool in the great leader’s toolbox that is often overlooked, that often goes unused. You’ll be surprised by what it is. It’s the truth. One of the most powerful weapons you have as a leader is the skillful declaring of the truth. This is particularly true in our day of swirling misinformation and, frankly, lies being passed off as facts. You see, many leaders fear telling their team or their followers the bald truth. These leaders fear that people will blame them for conditions or freak out and thus weaken the organization. In short, these weak leaders[read more]
What Are Your Insecurities?
I want to challenge you in this Leading Thoughts to do something that likely won’t be pleasant. I want you to take an inventory of your insecurities. I ask this of you only to make you a better leader. We all have our insecurities. Think of them as tender spots on our souls. Perhaps they are better understood as bruises or sensitive scars that aren’t fully healed. We need to know them and confront them so that we don’t form our leadership around them. I once advised a fine man whose firm was going through a time of crisis. As[read more]
The Performers and the Producers
This one may be challenging for you. I’m going to ask you to take a hard look at your team. I also may be asking you to make some changes on that team. Here goes. I’ve come to believe that on many leadership teams, there are often two kinds of people: performers and producers. Now, by performers in this Leading Thoughts, I mean actors. Thespians. Those presenting themselves as more than they actually are. Performers tend to be good looking, cheerful, and well-liked. They were the ones the teachers favored in school and who were likely office-aids or chosen for[read more]