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12 Leadership Qualities of an Often Overlooked President
I’m a big fan of author and historian David McCullough. His writing has a way of transporting me back in time as few other authors can. Recently I have been immersing myself in his account of America’s second president John Adams. McCullough’s portrayal of John Adams leadership qualities has made no small impact on me. If your early education was anything like mine, Adams presidency was glossed…
A Simple Lesson from the Declaration of Independence
Fifty-six Continental Congressmen signed the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. With each quill stroke, the men committed treason and placed at risk their lives, fortune, and sacred honor. The act was more than symbolic; it added weight to the cause and tied their personal fate to the Revolution. There was no denying they had skin in the game. While the Continental Army had been at war…
When in Doubt, Rehearse!
Lately I’ve seen several leaders trip over the unexpected outcome of a grand plan. They failed to anticipate the mistakes and mishaps that happen in all organizations. When I see an outcome surprise a leader, I’m reminded of a lesson I learned years ago from my Dad. He had been a great football coach and when I expressed interest in playing quarterback, he agreed to teach me how. He taught me…
A Leadership Trait that Saved America
Today the U.S. Army celebrates its 238th birthday. Looking back, its growth into comfortable old age seems inevitable but in its youth that outcome was far from certain. In 1783 on the Ides of March, the inseparable fates of our Army and Republic were very much in doubt; disgruntled officers of the fledgling Army were gathered in a secret meeting in Newburgh, New York to discuss insurrection.…
To Hear the Truth, You Have to Listen
Thoreau wrote: “It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear.” Most of us are great at the former but at the latter, not so much. Truth be told, most of us are poor listeners. When considering great leadership skills, we focus on transmission skills--speaking and writing. The most effective leaders know they have to be great listeners too. They understand the need to work…
Leadership Lesson: The Difference Between Google and Apple
Google and Apple are both highly esteemed brands. Both companies share many common traits that have contributed to their success, but there is one very big difference between the two – Google plays offense while Apple has recently settled for playing defense. Apple is struggling to maintain its position in the market, while Google is expanding its position. There is a leadership lesson here...…
How To Predict The Future
Life is just plain easier when you can see what's ahead of you. Some leaders clearly have poor vision - their most polished skill seems to be running into brick walls. Other leaders simply possess adequate vision - they avoid the obvious speed bumps, but fail to stand out from the crowd. Then there are those leaders who possess legendary vision - the rare few who can see around corners. What you…
How To Be In Over Your Head Without Drowning
Do you ever find yourself in over your head? If not, I would suggest you don’t spend enough time in the water. The truth is all leaders find themselves swimming in rough conditions from time-to-time. The difference between those who drown and those who become stronger swimmers is little more than a combination of attitude and preparation. It was T.S. Eliot who said, “If you aren’t in over your…
6 Ways To Conquer Leadership Pressure
How a leader deals with pressure will tell you much about who they are as a person. Their reaction to pressure will reveal the strength of their character and conviction, what and whom they value, and whether or not they can be trusted. The reality is most people buckle under pressure. Only a few handle pressure well, and even fewer possess the qualities to be able to thrive on pressure. There’s…
Leadership and Simplicity
One of the most effective ways to order your world is to simplify everything you encounter. However, the problem for many is keeping it simple often becomes very difficult when our basic human nature is to over-complicate everything we touch. In thinking about the people I respect the most, to the one, they possess the uncanny ability to take the most complicated of issues and simplify them. You…
The Most Common Leadership Model – And Why It’s Broken
When organizations hire, develop, and promote leaders using a competency-based model, they’re unwittingly incubating failure. Nothing fractures corporate culture faster, and eviscerates talent development efforts more rapidly, than rewarding the wrong people for the wrong reasons. Don’t reward technical competency – reward aggregate contribution. Any organization that overweights the importance…
It’s Not Impossible – It Just Hasn’t Been Done Yet
How many times in your career have you witnessed someone say, “that’s impossible – it simply can’t be done.” Perhaps you’ve even been guilty of uttering such a phrase yourself. Here’s the thing – leaders don’t accept impossibility as a valid thesis. If you think I’ve lost my mind, or that my optimistic nature has crossed over into a state of irrational exuberance or delusion, I’d encourage you to…
Why Your Organization Suffers From Leadership Dysfunction
Have you ever wondered why organizations tolerate dysfunctional leaders? The answer is dysfunction is so prevalent it’s often not even recognized as problematic. Many corporations just desire leaders to go along and get along more than they desire them to lead. It saddens me to articulate this next thought – corporate leadership is rapidly becoming an oxymoron. Think of those you know in a…
Flattery and Manipulation
All leaders have blind spots, and blind spots simply pose potential areas of vulnerability. However, not all blind spots are created equal. Few things create areas of risk for leaders like their own sense of pride and ego. Here's the thing - a leader's desire to have their ego stroked makes them vulnerable to a very seductive form of manipulation - flattery. The most common form of manipulation…
Clarity Matters & the Facts Ma’am, Just the Facts
Clarity Matters. While clarity and brevity may have become a lost art, understanding the importance of clear, lucid, and straight-forward communication is nonetheless critical to your success as a leader. In today’s column I'll reveal (clearly and briefly) the tricks of those who practice what I call “the black art of confusion” propagated by the ruse of ambiguity. Have you ever finished…
10 Things Every Leader Should Challenge
Innovation, growth and development cannot occur by pretending we live in a world that has long since passed us by. Leading in the 21st Century affords no safe haven for 20th Century thinkers. Old, static, institutionalized thinking will gate the pace of forward progress faster than just about anything. If you want to expose yourself as an out of touch, dated leader, keep trying to address today's…