How I Owned 4 Tanks & Still Slept Well at Night
It was day three of my first real leadership job. I was a young 2nd lieutenant who had just been assigned to take over 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 3rd of the 63rd Armor Battalion, in what was then West Germany. “Lieutenant McKinnon, you need to go and sign for your tanks,” my company commander directed […]
Dabo Swinney and DIY Leadership Training
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has his team watch a movie together the night before every game. The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted this ritual, noting that after the viewing, Swinney “holds a meeting to impart a lesson or theme drawn from the film to motivate, inspire or focus them on the following day’s challenge.” This […]
Frustrated Leaders
A CEO frustrated with his board. A Board frustrated with its CEO. A Partner frustrated with his partner. A Partner frustrated with HIS partner. A CEO frustrated with her COO. A COO frustrated with his CEO. Boy, I run across these scenarios too often. I use the word “frustrated” because it represents the middle ground […]
Teams and Trust
I’ve met with the executive teams of two CEOs in the past two weeks – CEOs being intentional about enhancing their teams’ effectiveness. Excellent teams don’t form by chance.
It may be time to evaluate your leadership team. Challenging times call for a gut-check on who’s in the foxhole with us. What grade would you give your team?
If you give them an “A” or better – what would you identify as the #1 ingredient? Conversely, if it’s “C” or lower, what would be the #1 cause? How many of us are tolerating ‘average?’
