Creativity vs. Reactivity Take Two
One leader responded to my last post on Creative vs Reactive by telling me his own story of reacting in a way he wishes he could take back. He and a colleague were at an industry conference when they bumped into a client. The client asked a fairly innocent question in a crowded noisy room […]
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 […]
Leaders in the Face of Fear
“Fear, like joy or curiosity, is contagious among beasts and birds, as it is among men . . . . Animals are afraid on general principles. Anything new and strange excites their suspicions. In a herd of animals, cattle or horses, fear quickly becomes a panic and rages like a conflagration. Cattle men in the […]
Every Leader a Thought Leader
A Sampling of Wall Street Journal Headlines from the past week . . .
* New Fears Jolt Credit Markets (March 6)
* Housing, Bank Troubles Deepen (March 7)
* Jobs Data Suggest U.S. Is in Recession (March 8)
* Grim Reaper of Jobs Stalks the Street (March 11)
How do these affect your thinking first thing in the morning . . . as you head in to lead your company?
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” — Jewish Proverb
Leaders must be intentional about their thought life. Everything they DO is traceable to how they THINK.
What Certain Leaders Do in Uncertain Times
Uncertain times?
Let’s see . . a stock market that no one can forecast . . . a presidential race completely up for grabs . . . and a 31 year-old trader who just cost his company $7.2 billion.
What a great time for Leaders to step up.
I read a great story last week about one Leader whose company is thriving amidst a crisis that has tanked most of the rest of his industry.
When Leaders Fudge Because They're Afraid
This past Spring I noticed a rash of reports (in less than one week!) about current and future leaders of all ages caught lying.
* April 27th ”The Dean of Admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was forced to resign after the school confirmed . . . that she had lied about graduating from college herself.” Marilee Jones is 55. (The Wall Street Journal)
* May 2nd Fifteen freshmen Air Force Academy cadets were expelled in a cheating scandal. The cadets “either confessed or were found guilty by an honor board of sharing answers to a test . . . .” (Louisville Courier-Journal) Assume their average age was 19.
* May 2nd (This right below the Academy cheating article . . . .) Duke University is threatening to expel or suspend 24 of 34 graduate students caught in “the largest cheating scandal ever in its Fuqua School of Business . . . . Similar answers to a take-home test led to an investigation of the final exam and other assignments . . . . The average age of students in the first-year class is 29.” (Louisville Courier-Journal)
