When A Leader Has To Wait
The foundation under every leader is character – good or bad. This is the fourth in an occasional series for leaders who want to be intentional about their character. Click here for the introduction to the series. When is the last time you, as a leader, had to wait for something? Had to slow down? […]
Relaxed Strategizing
Two types of leaders are wrapping up this year. Some leaders are finishing 2016 in roughly the same place they started. They have been busy all through the year, but they have basically done things throughout 2016 much like in previous years. Leading and behaving the way they always have has led to getting roughly the […]
Cultivate Courage
Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel, died earlier this year. He wrote the bestseller Only the Paranoid Survive, a book that impacted me as a young leader. Known as brash, but brilliant, Grove was remembered for having courage, that character trait representing a willingness to confront danger or uncertainty. NPR’s tribute to his life highlights […]
Conflict with Another Leader
Two months ago, I was on a chronically delayed flight late at night at Dulles Airport, outside Washington, DC. As I sat in the terminal after de-planing for the second time and waiting to board again, I couldn’t help but notice a young woman in the waiting area who was on the same flight. She […]
The X-Factor of Great Leadership
Character is a critical ingredient in your leadership. It influences your thoughts, feelings and actions. Be intentional with it. This week’s blog is the second in an occasional series on character. Click here to read the first installment. Last year, the CEO of Procter and Gamble, one of the world’s largest consumer product companies, did something surprising. […]
Arnold Palmer: More Than A Great Golfer
A few weeks ago, we learned that thousands of Wells Fargo employees had opened fraudulent accounts to meet the bank’s “cross-selling” goals. The story was jaw-dropping. 5 years? 5,000 employees? Over 2 million sham accounts? Really? During that entire stretch of time, no Wells Fargo leader (who still works there!) ever paused to say, “Hey, […]
Stop Rambling. Start BLUF-ing.
Notice: This post provides a new communication tool that I would like you to try at least once today! A week or so ago, I began a phone conversation with a leader who had been referred to me. With very few opening pleasantries, this leader launched into his story about all the challenges he was […]
Ledecky, Neymar, and Getting Gritty
Late last year a board member gave me feedback on a CEO I was coaching. He concluded his comments with, “…and he has GRIT!” The word stood out to me at the time. I had not heard it recently, especially to describe a leader. But since then, I feel like I’m seeing and hearing it […]
How To Do Better By Doing Nothing
A few weeks ago, a colleague forwarded to me a sales coach’s June newsletter that admonished readers to avoid “laziness” and “overcome the dog days of summer.” He basically shamed his readers for taking time off. This glorification of “all work, no play” has become fairly pervasive in our American society. In 2015, more than half […]
CEO Non-Negotiable #3
My son, Will, asked me the other day who some of my best bosses have been. I immediately thought of my first full-time boss, Captain Butler, commander of Charlie Company, 3rd of the 63rd Armor Battalion. He regularly checked in with me as I learned my job as a brand new platoon leader. He was […]