[December 03, 2013] Senior executive leaders, by the nature of their position, must possess a grounded, pragmatic, and experienced understanding of human psychology. By that, I don’t mean they have academic training in psychological theories or a college degree in psychology or sociology. The most successful senior leader knows people; what makes them “tick.” Being a leader at… Read More »
[November 26, 2013] I vividly remember reading the Miss Manners column in our local Texas newspaper back in the early 1980s. What drew my attention to them was her ability to give such common sense advice about how to have good manners under difficult social circumstances. She was good at telling us how to handle “old Uncle Billy”… Read More »
[November 23, 2013] To paraphrase Charles Darwin, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Although written for a theory to explain how species survive, the idea has applicability to success in human organizations. Adaptability is at the core… Read More »
[November 15, 2013] Commitment is the one senior leader attribute that makes all others possible. Leaders understand that success is not a single event. Success is a continuous experience. That is why senior leaders are zealous about commitment, for the reason that it provides them the intense, inner motivation to sustain success over the long haul. Commitment simply… Read More »
[November 14, 2013] Successful senior executive leaders are highly motivated and have the inner drive to be the best at what they do. For leaders, ambition1 is a major source of motivation, passion, and inspiration – there is no adequate substitute. The desire to grow as a leader, to improve, to increase knowledge and qualifications, and to have… Read More »
[November 13, 2013] A major theme in the philosophy of leadership is the concept that passion is an essential trait of leaders. For senior executive leaders, passion is fundamental to their ability to guide their organization and is a characteristic without peer. Passion is ultimately about winning and success – it is in our human nature to be… Read More »
[November 12, 2013] Senior executive leaders must be sufficiently competent in their professions to survive. High-quality leaders have the capability to perform the duties of their job with an acceptable level of quality – a combination of knowledge, judgment, and skills. Technical competence by itself will not assure a leader’s success since there are other traits that are… Read More »
[November 09, 2013] Judgment is the essence of leadership. The ability of first-class leaders to make good judgments and the cumulative impact of those judgments will determine the quality, effectiveness, and success of the leaders’ organizations. The exercise of good judgment in the workplace is the special quality sought in leaders of all kinds. In particular, this is… Read More »
[November 08, 2013] Senior executive leaders develop big ideas. Big ideas are a framework, a way of making sense of something about the world we live in that solves a problem or makes something better. They help us “see,” to organize desperate facts and details into a picture that gives us insight. Charles Darwin wrote that his theory… Read More »
[November 04, 2013] The best way to deal with a crisis is to simply be prepared. Planning, resourcing, rehearsing, organizing, and placing the right people on the job is key. The upside? Lives and property are saved and organizations survive. The downside? It detracts from other priorities and is expensive. It is difficult to replicate crises experiences but… Read More »