Search results for: vision
The Drawbacks of DIY Leadership
As Americans, we love to roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves. We have an entire television channel, the DIY Network, dedicating to helping us tackle projects on our own—without relying on professional help. Rightfully, we feel a sense of pride after mastering new skills and empowering ourselves to build or fix something around…
Read MoreWhy I wrote The 5 Levels of Leadership
It’s coming! I don’t know about you, but I can hardly believe that August is already here. Before I know it, September and then October will arrive. And with October (on October 4, to be exact), comes my newest book, The 5 Levels of Leadership. With just weeks to go, I’ve decided to give you…
Read MoreThe Offseason
All leaders go through stretches when they have to work overtime to meet deadlines and deliver results. We refer to these times as “busy seasons,” and they are illustrated by the following examples: The farmer harvesting his crop An event planner finalizing details on the eve of a major conference A student…
Read MoreLeadership in Tough Times
“All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time.”~ John Kenneth Galbraith Americans are anxious about their financial future. Their government, like a spendthrift shopper, has piled up debt and maxed out its available credit limit. As…
Read MoreDefining Moments
When did you first realize that you were a leader? For me it happened as a fifth grade student in Mr. Horton’s classroom. We were studying the legal system, and we planned to assemble a mock courtroom with attorneys, a jury, and a judge. When it came time to elect the judge, Mr. Horton passed…
Read MoreCreating The Space To Innovate
On July 8th, NASA will launch a space shuttle for the final time when Atlantis lifts off for the International Space Station. The flight of Atlantis marks the last of 135 manned missions conducted over the past thirty years by NASA’s space shuttle program. The program has done much to advance scientific knowledge of the…
Read MoreChanges Worth Making
Comfort lulls us into complacency. We get accustomed to routine or familiar with a role, so we settle in. As leaders, we must relentlessly challenge ourselves not to let ease and security dissuade us from making the changes necessary to fulfill our vision. Perhaps the most difficult transition I chose to make as a leader…
Read MoreStrategic Leaders Look Further Ahead
America seems to be waking up to its weight problem. Popular reality television shows Biggest Loser and Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution inspire viewers to shed pounds, or better yet, to avoid putting them on in the first place. Bestselling books, Eat This, Not That! and Cook This, Not That! teach readers how to order and…
Read MoreGreat Expectations
A primary responsibility of leadership is to communicate expectations, both with words and actions. When leaders carefully and consistently set expectations, they engineer a flourishing work environment. However, when leaders abdicate their duty to communication expectations, chaos ensues. Here are six rules of thumb to follow as you set expectations in your organization. 1) Set…
Read MoreA Leader’s Inner Circle
Months before President Obama took the oath of office he began assembling an inner circle of advisors. He and his transition team painstakingly pored over the qualifications of candidates to identify the strongest leaders for cabinet posts. In methodically vetting future leaders of his administration, President Obama demonstrated that he understands the law of the…
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