[January 01, 2014] Reading is a habit that all the best leaders have developed over their lifetimes and like any habit, it can be changed for better or worse. What I wanted to do here is add a few thoughts on my year of reading in 2013. Many of my favorite books on history, were not include in… Read More »
[January 01, 2014] Most New Year’s Resolutions fail – up to 90% don’t make it. There are naysayers who declare that it is best to ignore the tradition and do not make a resolution because “it will fail anyway.” For leaders, however, this is quite different. Leaders should make resolutions … promises to themselves to improve their leader… Read More »
[December 30, 2013] In an earlier blog entitled A Leadership Philosophy, it was proposed that the main purpose of this philosophy was to “help guide and focus the work” of employees. Placing the philosophy in writing and where everyone can see it, helps keep employees and the leader “on track and headed toward achieving [organizational] goals, missions, and… Read More »
[December 29, 2013] We have all had a bad boss at one time and we’ve all seen bad decisions from good leaders at one time or another. A perceptive leader learns from the mistakes of a bad boss and from a good leader who fails. There are many things we can learn from a bad boss or from… Read More »
[December 28, 2013] Teaching, coaching, and mentoring are some of the fundamental traits of a leader. It is commonplace to find articles on the subject and organizational programs demanding it. Yet, there is some confusion over the concepts. The confusion stems from the fact that the concepts are overlapping and are used differently according to organizational culture. In… Read More »
[December 27, 2013] Phobias are unusual for a leadership topic. Yet, people do have fears (e.g., speaking in public, heights, falling) and it can in some cases affect job performance and threaten organizational missions. Hidden phobias can be especially difficult to uncover and resolve. On several occasions I ran across Soldiers who had a phobia that caused problems… Read More »
[December 26, 2013] An undeniable trend, since it’s origins in the 1960s, has been both the emergence of the international politics of cultural victimization (e.g., the Palestinian issue) and American fake victimization. Senior executive leaders are already aware of these fake victimization trends in the workplace and are struggling to address them professionally. There is no denying that… Read More »
[December 24, 2013] In Part 1 and 2 of this series on great communicators, the idea that people skills, passion, and credibility are vital to successful communications was proposed. In this final Part 3, the discussion will be on clarity and listening ability as another two of these five factors. The others are discussed here and here. As… Read More »
[December 23, 2013] In Part 1 of this 3-part series on great communicators, the idea that people skills are crucial to successful communications was proposed. Any cursory reading on communications will concentrate on people skills as a major factor in a great leader’s communication success. In Part 2, this discussion will focus on both passion and credibility as… Read More »
[December 22, 2013] Undoubtedly, when the most well-known and greatest leaders are discussed, their ability to communicate sets them apart. The best senior executive leaders are also the greatest communicators. Leaders must have vision. However, without the ability to articulate that vision effectively, the leader’s ability to see the future would be wasted. Due to its importance, the… Read More »