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Questions and Team Building for CEOs
An army of one isn't really much of an army is it? And I can assure you that any CEO who views him or herself as an army of one will fail. Whether you like it or not, your success as a CEO will be largely tied to your team building ability. Not only do great CEOs understand how to recruit a top executive team, but they also understand how to build cohesion among team members through collaboration…
Humility and Leadership
News Flash – the phrase "humble leadership" is not an oxymoron. While many people immediately conjure up an image of the ever so confident, bombastic extrovert without an ounce of humility as the picture of what constitutes a real leader, nothing could be further from the truth. As my wife has always said, "Those who talk the most usually have the least to say." While feigned humility is the…
What All Great Leaders Have In Common
All great leaders have one thing in common: They read voraciously. Did you know that the average American only reads one book a year? Worse than this is the fact that 60% of average Americans only get through the first chapter. Contrast this with the fact that CEOs of Fortune 500 companies read an average of four to five books a month. Even more impressive is that some of the most successful…
Leadership, Fear & Failure
“Fear” and “Failure” are NOT dirty words, but you’ll find most leaders treat them as such. They go out of their way to hide their fears and explain away their failures rather than confront them and learn from them. One of my pet peeves is the current trend of labeling fear as a weakness and failure as unacceptable. In fact, things have gone so far that the word failure is quickly being removed…
Leadership & Presence
Can you be a true leader without possessing a presence? In my experience, very rarely...I'm not referencing the wannabe leaders oozing bravado, false confidence, arrogance, or self-delusion spun as confidence. Nor am I referring to the weak, innocuous or timid, who while viewing themselves as leaders, are perhaps the farthest thing from a leader. Rather I'm addressing those true leaders who…
Leadership & Perfectionism
This may be difficult for some the get their heads around, but perfectionism is not a leadership trait. Leadership requires attention to detail and a commitment to quality but rarely does it require perfection. While leadership doesn’t require being perfect, it does require doing what is needed and necessary. Perhaps one of the biggest flaws with the concept of perfection is found in who defines…
Who’s In Charge?
"Who the **** is in charge around here?" This question left an absolutely indelible impression on my mind since I first heard it more than 30 years ago. Our unit was experiencing its first inspection by a Sergeant Major whose reputation definitely preceded him...It took him all of about 3 seconds ask "who the **** is in charge around here?" He then proceeded to communicate in no uncertain terms…
Leveraging Down for CEOs
If you desire to become a successful leader at any level, much less a top CEO, it will be essential for you to master the art of leveraging down. The simple truth is that all great leaders are highly skilled in matters of delegation. Think of any top-performing CEO and you'll find that to the one, they possess an uncanny ability to focus on the highest and best use activities. While most…
Leadership Boldness
Are you a bold leader? Have you been told that you have a bit of an edge? If so, you have likely found that it serves you very well. Let me be clear that when I refer to an edge I’m not talking about rough edges or confusing candor with rude or arrogant behavior. What I am referring to is having a direct, no B.S. approach that allows you to get right to the heart of an issue in the shortest…
Why Consensus Kills Team Building
I read an interesting post by Dan Rockwell (@LeadershipFreak) entitled "Six ways to make teams work" and found myself in complete agreement with Dan on 5 out of the 6 points. Where Dan lost me was on point #4 - Teams Decide by Consensus. In recent months I have observed a decent amount of politically correct discourse on the topic of team building, consensus and equality. The gist of the argument…
What If Leadership Was More Than a Buzzword
What if "Leadership" was more than a buzzword? What If...What if leadership was more than just another contentious term bantered around in meaningless conversations? What if leadership was truly understood, modeled, and actually experienced as the rule and not the exception? In the text that follows I'll answer these questions and hopefully encourage you to reevaluate how you view the practice of…
Confidence vs. Arrogance
Confidence vs. Arrogance...is it merely a question of semantics? I think not. While confidence can be mistaken for arrogance, and vice-versa, they are clearly not interchangeable terms. When you think of yourself as a leader do you view yourself as having the quiet confidence of David or the boastful arrogance of Goliath? In today's post I'll describe the power that resides with the truly…
Leadership & Change
First the bad news: If you’re not willing to embrace change you’re not ready to lead. Put simply, leadership is not a static endeavor. In fact, leadership demands fluidity, which requires the willingness to recognize the need for change, and finally the ability to lead change. Now the good news: As much as some people want to create complexity around the topic of leading change for personal gain,…
Leaders: Born or Made?
Leaders: born or made? While there is a very simple answer to this question, most people are so entrenched in their beliefs no amount of reason or logic will alter their opinions. But that's never stopped me before... For my part, I would actually like to make an attempt at putting this useless debate to bed once and for all. So, what's the answer? Both - some people are born with innate…
Great Leaders on Leadership
I read a wonderful blog post by Chad Missildine (@ChadMissildine) in which the meat of the post consisted of a compilation of answers to an open-ended question he posted on Facebook and Twitter. I thought this was such a brilliant idea that I decided to apply it to the topic of leadership. It just made sense to me that if you really want to know what makes a great leader, that the best thing to…
Leadership Interview with John C. Maxwell
For those of you interested in the topic of leadership, John C. Maxwell (@johncmaxwell - www.johnmaxwell.com) likely needs no introduction. John is probably one of the world's best known and most respected authors and speakers on the subject of leadership. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, John has sold more than 18 million books. In fact, three of his…