What’s the Difference Between Manager and Leader, and Why Does It Matter?
Why should we care about the difference between manager and leader? I was having coffee with a new friend last week. He had been recently promoted to his first supervisory position. As we talked about the challenges he would face, we found ourselves discussing the differences between a manager and leader. When first given a […]
The Leader’s Triple-A Club: How to Navigate the Hazardous Highways of Leadership
Not long ago, my son called me from Oregon. He was driving some friends to the airport when his car suddenly quit and wouldn’t restart. Beyond attempting to diagnose the problem over the phone, there was little I could do to help from where I was in Minnesota. The good news was that we were […]
The Leader Apprentice: 5 Ways to Master the Learning Mindset
Kennedy said that “leadership and learning are indispensable to each other,” so how do we make sure we keep learning? It’s easy to get caught up in the daily business of getting things done. But if we’re not careful, though we may accomplish much, we don’t become better in the process. To improve, we have […]
The Role of Fear in Leadership: Is it Better to be Feared or Loved as a Leader?
Is it better to be feared or loved as a leader? It’s an age-old question that seems to keep cropping up. Authoritative writers talk about how leaders need to be open, transparent, empathetic, and willing to listen. Yet like the Humble Leader Paradox, if that’s the way you act, great, but what’s to keep people […]
Answering the Call of Leadership
When the call of leadership comes, what will you do? Often what makes leaders stand out are not the great deeds but the small acts. Many of these actions may even go unnoticed by most. But cumulatively they demonstrate where the leader’s heart lies, and they build the kind of loyalty that makes teams strong […]
Visionary Leadership: When Social Proof Fails
What is visionary leadership? In 1921, an explorer and naturalist named William Beebe was trekking through the jungle in Guyana. He came across a large colony of ants marching along a path that they had made. Curious, he followed the little ant highway to see where they were going. After a quarter mile of climbing […]
What is Your Leadership Legacy?
One of the greatest challenges for leaders is focusing on the invisible part of what we do. Even as we go about the business of getting things done every day, we are also doing something else. For better or worse, we are forming and shaping the people on our teams into their future selves; we […]
The Secret to Growing Good Tomatoes (and People)
Of plants, tomatoes seemed the most human… – John Updike If what John Updike says of tomatoes is true, my neighbor is reminding me of an important lesson about working with people.
The Golden Rule, With a Twist
No written word nor spoken plea, Can teach your team what they should be, Nor all the books on all the shelves, It’s what the leader is himself. – from Wooden on Leadership The most powerful form of leading is personal example. It’s a simple idea. Be the way you want others to be. Do […]
Wading the Mississippi: Six Surprising Secrets of Success I Learned from Ol’ Man River
What does it take to achieve great things? Recently, I waded across the Mississippi River. Really. And as I thought about that accomplishment, it seemed this great river had a lot to say about what it takes to achieve something great. Here are six secrets of success the mighty Mississippi taught me that day, and […]
On Duty: The Meaning of Leadership in a Risk-Filled World
She is a jet pilot, Ph.D., federal agent, and Amazon best-selling author. And she is a leader. L.B. Johnson assumed her duties as a law enforcement agent at about the same time the Twin Towers were falling in New York. In a world often dominated by the male of the species, she was not just […]
Don’t Fear the Elephants
Nobody said he was a great mathematician. But he may be the greatest general you never heard of. His actions over 2,000 years ago are a great example of how we can influence our future by the way we react to what’s coming at us today.