Authentic leadership requires that we honestly evaluate our own abilities and identify our strengths and weaknesses. No one is strong in all areas and that becomes even more true as leaders rise to more responsible positions. Recently, I was having a business discussion with a friend and the subject turned… Read More »Are You an Authentic Leader?
The Captain of the ship ruling with an iron fist, the Platoon Sergeant kicking his troops into action, the CEO yelling at and berating those who accomplish the company’s mission, Hollywood is not short of bad stereotypes when it comes to leadership. But in the real world, effective organizations rarely… Read More »“Because I said so, that’s why!” Leadership at its worst
The boss called me in to tell me I was being transferred from a position I really enjoyed to one I certainly didn’t want. When I arrived at the new office I found that my predecessor had been fired and I had a strong feeling it was premature to start… Read More »A Leadership Challenge
I’m always on the lookout for examples, both good and bad, of leadership in action. In this example a lack of respect demonstrated bad leadership. I was checking out at the grocery store the other day and a clerk had just opened a new register. As I started unloading my basket… Read More »The Respect Paradox
Does effective leadership mean popularity? It seemed that Jerry was the example of effective leadership. He never interfered with his subordinate leader’s areas or responsibility, he was well liked by everyone, and the organization was running smoothly. Then one day a crisis struck and investigation revealed that Jerry was not… Read More »Does Effective Leadership Mean Popularity?
I was thinking back to my very first duty station in the Air Force and dredged up some old memories of my first operational supervisor. Unfortunately, the memories are not fond ones and never fail to raise my blood pressure at least a few points. To put it succinctly, the… Read More »Frontline leaders make a difference – Help them be successful
In 1970, Robert Greenleaf wrote an essay titled, “The Servant-Leader Within.” A few years later he revised his essay and since then the concept of servant leadership has become one of the buzz phrases of the management – leadership lexicon. What strikes me about Greenleaf’s writing is not that he… Read More »What is Servant Leadership?
There is no shortage of articles on the internet sharing various expert opinions about leadership. One thing I’ve learned as I spend time coaching individuals from our leadership courses is that there are plenty of smart people out there in the trenches who’ve learned a thing or two about leadership… Read More »Everyday Leaders, Extraordinary Insights
This week we welcome guest blogger Rob Cannon. Rob is Captain of Engine 7 for the NoDa Charlotte Fire Department. “Failure is not an option!†In the movie Apollo 13 these are the words NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz uses to rally his team of rocket scientists as they worked… Read More »“Failure is NOT an option.” Um. Well, actually…
I may not be writing these articles much longer. You see, I’ve apparently hit the financial trifecta and am about to become extremely wealthy. On the same day last week I was informed that I had won the European lottery, a Nigerian prince was giving me several tens of millions… Read More »A Good Method for Building Trust