Leading Through Isolation and Uncertainty Literally everyone I know is experiencing some level of stress and anxiety due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. My family and friends, my neighbors, my clients and my colleagues around the world – have all had our lives dramatically interrupted and in many ways altered – even without having [...]
...for Business and Civic Leaders Right now, at this very moment, there is an opportunity for all leaders to simultaneously demonstrate the two most powerful aspects of leadership —and contribute to what is needed most in the world today. This is equally true of leaders of small and big companies, non-profit organizations and those who [...]
We look to leaders for strength, guidance and, in times like these of great need, for comfort. We seek inspiration in their vision. We rely on our leaders to show us what courage looks like in the face of our fears, to show us the best and safest direction to move in and to to [...]
The responsibility we have as leaders right now is more important and more daunting than anything any of us have faced before. The danger to our families and loved ones, the people working in our businesses, and those living in our communities, our nation and the world is unprecedented in modern times. The need for [...]
Leadership needs most to show-up when uncertainty grips reality. When the choices you need to make are easy, or when there are no real choices that need to be made, there is no practical need for leadership. It begs the question, “does leadership exist absent the need for it?” “It can be argued that the [...]
If you go to Amazon.com and type “leadership” into the search bar, you will find that there are over 80,000 books available on the subject. Dr. Lee Thayer, who himself has about a dozen good books on the topic of leadership, points out that if any one of the books could instruct a person to [...]
Leadership and Uncertainty: What the Coronavirus Suggests About Creating Our Future As best as we try, the future is never fully predictable. This is true even when we are diligently making the decisions and taking actions according to carefully laid plans. There may be some good evidence that suggests we are better at controlling our [...]
Why We Fail to Accomplish What Matters Most There are many attributes that simply make us better people, regardless of our role or station in life. Being a "better person" speaks to who we are. And who we "are" tends to be more important than what we do. In fact, who we are informs what [...]
Learning How to Slow Dance With Uncertainty -A Lesson in Leadership Leadership is a dance. It is the art of moving deliberately to the rhythm of the world that surrounds you while bringing emotion and meaning to those you dance with and to those who might simply watch. Have you ever noticed how smoothly and [...]
What does expertise have to do with leadership? We know that being expert does not make you a leader. And being a leader does not make you an expert. Yet there is generally a presumption of expertise we associate with highly-competent leaders. When leaders are selected it is typically based on at least some assessment [...]
