We sometimes call it, "tough love." There are situations where the best thing we should or must do for another person is at odds with what that person thinks they want from you. They might even be in violent opposition to the position you ought to take, and it is through the courage of our [...]
Peter F. Drucker once quipped that all it takes to be a leader is to have at least one willing follower. That's it. Yet the thing most leaders struggle against is finding what makes followers willing to begin with - and remain willing, especially when things get tough. Personal attributes are contributing factors. Integrity, empathy, [...]
If you feel the need to clear the way for the success of the people you lead – and set the table for them you are actually doing more harm than good. As well-intentioned as you may be, your actions are serving to diminish the capacity of your people to perform to their potential. Cultivating [...]
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 [...]
We live in a world ripe with enormous opportunity, and filled with equally enormous problems to solve. Opportunity is born out of the problems we seek to solve, and we look to capable leaders to lead the charge and assemble the resources needed to solve these problems. Not all great leaders stand on a national [...]
We naturally expect our leaders to be competent. We should actually demand it. But when you examine what it actually means to be a competent leader, it becomes clear that outstanding leaders are rare, mediocrity is the norm, and incompetent leaders can be spotted everywhere. From CEOs to elected officials, from scout leaders and schoolteachers, [...]
There is only one thing that truly measures leadership. It is accomplishment. And there are three qualities always present in those who are most accomplished. Leaders are defined by what they have or have not succeeded at. There is no "A" for effort and no "participation trophy" for those who must change the course of [...]
We’ve been trained to keep these lists of reminders to help us organize our lives. The assumption is that if I have more than one task to accomplish, I might lose sight of my objectives and fail to achieve every last thing that I might otherwise be able to do. Clearly as our lives become [...]
We are all born learners. As human beings we arrive in life totally unable to care for ourselves and incapable of surviving on our own. From the first breath we take onward we begin a journey of learning: First about our parents and caregivers, then about the expanded world and finally about ourselves. Some small [...]
I don't want to tell you what to do or what not to do. I don't want to be your mother either. I'm not your teacher, your best friend or your guru. I care deeply about you. I care enough that I expect you to realize your potential and experience a sense of real accomplishment [...]
