Excuses fester. They may seem like harmless natural artifacts of poor decisions, lack of preparation or some acceptable level of incompetence. But they are not harmless and they are not a result of anything but the choice to allow them to exist. Excuses are a disease that causes dysfunction in the world. Fortunately there is [...]
And How to Stem the Current Leadership Crisis The growing recognition that effective leadership is necessary for the sustainable success of any company has given rise to an explosion of leadership training. From courses offered in top business schools to the thousands of books, seminars and private training programs available, it would seem that the [...]
"In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind." So noted the renowned scientist, Louis Pasteur. We see what we are prepared to see and to understand - and fail to see or benefit from what we do not. Opportunity rarely knocks on your door; it generally hides in plain sight. The value is never [...]
The most distinguishing difference between what is required to lead people as opposed to managing things is a clear understanding of your purpose driving the role you perform. Managing things, such as schedules and budgets, workflow and supply chains or messaging all require a different set of competencies than those needed to get people to [...]
It may seem caring and even magnanimous to think of the people you lead as your flock. But you would be not only fooling yourself - you would also be undermining their human potential. You would also be robbing them of the joy in their lives. Fifteen years ago I launched my first CEO Leadership [...]
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 we do in guiding how we feel, what [...]
There is an old adage that suggests success is 90% preparation and 10% perspiration. It is probably an adaptation of an actually attributable quote of Thomas Edison, who wrote, ”Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” – or as Einstein put it – 1% talent and 99% hard work. What matters here is simply the undeniable [...]
People turn to leaders for many things. They look for direction, clarity and for purpose. But, more than anything else, the look to leaders for answers when what they ought to be seeking instead is inspiration. Offering answers is a trap that highly effective leaders know to avoid. They understand that inspiring people to find [...]
For most Americans on 9/11 - exactly 18 years ago today, the horror we witnessed was not just unspeakable, it was clearly unimaginable. Yet our imaginations were jarred by surreal images that we quickly came to understand were the beginning of a new reality. And this new reality was shaped by a shared sense of [...]
The greatest responsibility and often the biggest challenge for a leader is driving deliberate, positive change. The problem is that people remain entrenched in habits of thinking that aim protect the status quo - even when that status is is one of extreme dysfunction. What is it that makes us choose to bury out head [...]
