[April 12, 2014] Do leaders have a lucky charm? Are leaders just super lucky and therefore pure luck explains why they are leaders? The answers to these questions are obvious to those of us who are leaders. But, there is a large portion of people who believe leaders are successful because of luck – or some form of… Read More »
[April 12, 2014] “Exploring your weakness makes you a good person.” This is one topic that philosophers try to explain how and why that looking at our weak traits can make us better. Leaders, in my opinion, are not interesting in “exploring” ourselves, in particular exploring our weaknesses. What we should be very interesting in doing however is… Read More »
[April 11, 2014] Over the past few days, within the blogosphere, there has been talk about the “intelligence equals education” debate. The debate centers on whether a college degree is a requirement for “higher [political] office,” like President of the United States. The implication we can get from this debate is that leadership probably requires a college degree. … Read More »
[April 11, 2014] They were known as the Brooklyn Mohawks and they were famous as “fearless high-rise construction workers.” As iron workers and riveters, they helped make the New York City skyline in the early 20th Century. As senior leaders know, leadership employs bravery (moral or physical courage). The Iroquois Nation’s culture1 with a “warrior ethic” was a… Read More »
[April 10, 2014] Today we are being told that former IRS official Ms Lois Lerner was held in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about the targeting of “conservative groups” by the IRS1. Interestingly, we are starting to see more political leaders coming forth asking the IRS to be transparent about what happened. I argued a… Read More »
[April 10, 2014] As my readers know, I spend a significant amount of my time in airports and on planes traveling. There are plenty of times where I am witness to airport workers and flight attendants not serving their customers. This happens all too frequently. Too often, I have watched leaders (and managers) stand by and allow a situation… Read More »
[April 09, 2014] Two really good books for our readers. It is no surprise that I’m still catching up on my reading after a couple of months with a heavy overseas travel schedule. These books are excellent reads any time. The first by Dale Carnegie is an oldie but goodie – it’s the type you can pick up… Read More »
[April 09, 2014] The federal government’s new public school lunch program announced in 2012 and quickly implemented in the past school year has developed a number of problems. This happens when large bureaucratic programs are enacted without the groundwork and right leadership in place to ensure success. Some of the “healthier” foods, the students would not eat. Many… Read More »
[April 08, 2014] Congratulations to the University of Connecticut basketball team for their 2014 National Championship win last night. No one expected them to be a winner this season after their NCAA suspension last year, some team members leaving, and several poor games; but they did win. And they won big. Listening to what the players had to… Read More »
[April 08, 2014] Senior leadership means knowing when to act, when to speak, and when to make a decision. Because senior leaders are involved more at the strategic level work (and thus less at the tactical level), it is not typically necessary to be quick to make a move. Senior leadership in this respect is similar to the… Read More »