Where Does the Buck Stop?
President Harry Truman famously kept a sign on his Oval Office desk that read, “The Buck Stops Here.” People loved it. Truman followed Franklin Roosevelt who had been in ill health for quite some time before he died. The change to a higher energy leadership was refreshing. Also, during World War II Washington, DC, had exploded in size and sometimes without clear lines of responsibility for getting results from the burgeoning bureaucracy necessary to win the war. So the sign and the sentiment helped make Truman one of our most popular presidents. He was going to take the nation’s business[read more]
Leading in These Political Times
I work to keep politics out of these Leading Thoughts. Those of you who have been reading these through the years know this. If I refer to a political speech, it is only to talk about speech itself, not politics. If I mention a politician, it is to illustrate a principle of leadership, not to extol the politician. Yet we are all going to be leading in a politically charged environment in the coming years. I want to offer some principles that may help you do this successfully. Do Not Hide. A leader wants to be seen as and wants[read more]
Anger is a Cancer
There is a force that deforms leadership. It arises from within the leader and it permeates everything he or she does. The team feels it. Those outside the firm feel it. Family and friends certainly feel it. Yet because it is a force that can feel like strength and command in the leader’s soul, many leaders actually like it and draw on it. They shouldn’t. It is because the force I’m talking about is anger, and it—like many forces I have described in these Leading Thoughts—is a cancer on great leadership. You’ve certainly been around the kind of leader I’m[read more]
Providing a GPS for Our Times
My amazing executive assistant Karen Montgomery forwarded an article to me today. She knew I would like it because it confirms one of the principles of leadership that I have extolled as widely as I can. Let me flesh this out for you and I’ll also provide a link so you can read the article for yourself. When people come up to me in an airport or an event where I’m speaking, it is ninety percent likely that after they introduce themselves they are going to ask me one kind of question: “Can you tell me what is going on?”[read more]
Drama and Your Leadership
Let’s be honest. Most leaders possess a sense of drama. This is good. It helps us inspire people, put on effective events, and even communicate well. Yet there is a kind of drama we can lean to which only works against us. Let me explain. We all like to be the one in the know. We want to have the pithy summarizing statement at our command or say the thing in the meeting that everyone will be buzzing about later. Often, though, what we have chosen to say is something dramatic but fear-inducing, shocking but instilling of nervousness. This isn’t[read more]
A Culture of Learning
The traditional transaction between a worker and an employer is: “You work and I’ll pay you.” Yet the wise leader understands that he or she can expand that transaction and not only make their firm a greater success but also change lives. Let me tell you about a bakery owner I know. She realizes that employing people is an opportunity to elevate their lives. So, she pays them well, but she also invests in them. Every month she gathers everyone in her firm for an afternoon and brings in speakers. There are sessions on investing money. There are some on[read more]
Great Leaders are also Great Followers
You’ve already met my Executive Assistant, Karen Montgomery. Now, let her shoot straight with you about how people in roles like hers should say perhaps unexpected and unwelcome things to those they serve. A tough topic treated by a wise woman. Enjoy. Learn. Apply. You’ll lead better for this! They say great leaders are also great followers. Many of us, while leading our own people, groups, or organizations, also follow other leaders. So, in our roles as the “follower,” how do we best serve a leader? Specifically, how do we know when and how to give advice or feedback to[read more]
Is the Devil Really in the Details?
You likely met my wise and capable Executive Assistant in the last Leading Thoughts. Karen Montgomery has served effectively as what she calls a “Number 2” and she has also studied the role. Here, then, is some more wisdom from this amazing lady, wisdom that will help your team function in concert with you if you’ll pass this around a bit and open up to some discussions about these themes. Learn and implement. You’ll lead better for it. “The devil is in the details.” This German proverb is understood to mean that something that seems simple might actually be difficult and[read more]
The #2 Leaders
These Leading Thoughts are for senior leaders, and this means that each of us is likely to have extremely capable people at our side, making our vision possible. I certainly do. My Executive Assistant is Karen Montgomery, and she is an amazing gift. She is far over-qualified for what she does for me but she puts her gifts in harness with the rest of our team to help us achieve grandly. In fact, she is so important to me that I’ve asked her to write my next few Leading Thoughts. How should you relate to your EA? How and when should they deliver[read more]
Integras!
I want to talk to you about integrity in your leadership, but in order to hit my target I need to rework what the word integrity means. Let me do this by quoting a paragraph from Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men. The army of ancient Rome used this word [integrity] almost daily in its inspection ritual. A commander would walk the line of legionnaires, inspecting each man to confirm that he was fit for duty. As the commander came before one of his men, the soldier would sweep his fist hard into the middle of his chest, just over his[read more]