I was watching a series on Netflix this past week when I heard words that echoed what was already circulating in my soul. In a fine series called The Liberator, a sergeant says to a terrified soldier, “Fear is a response. Courage is a decision.” I couldn’t agree more and [read more]
Let me push into your interior in this Leading Thoughts. Let me probe around in your soul a bit and drive you to greater wholeness. In other words, let me talk to you a bit about your inner life as a leader. To keep this clear and focused, I’m going [read more]
Let me tell you one of the most important truths I know about leadership. Here it is: The way you make decisions radiates, crafting much of the leadership culture around you. Let me explain. Leaders make decisions. That’s part of the job. It is important they make good decisions and [read more]
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 [read more]
I have been looking back over my life a bit recently and I’ve come to a conclusion that I think might help you. So, let me risk talking about myself for a moment. Though I am not a fearful person, I have come to realize that at certain important junctures [read more]
There is a disease that plagues some leaders and it is one of the deadliest. It is rooted in fear. It is powered by pride. It has destroyed entire organizations. I call it “Decision Phobia.” Some leaders are secretly terrified of making decisions. Though it is their job to both [read more]
This is my last Leading Thoughts before the November 8 election, and so I would like to talk about leading in the era that is about to dawn. This has been an election like no other in American history. You’ve heard this many times in recent months, I’m sure. Never before have [read more]
There is a question all leaders ought to ask themselves. It is a question I strive to answer not only about myself but about everyone I advise on leadership. The question is simple: “Where am I a coward?” The word “coward” is so jarring that we recoil from it. Let [read more]