“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
– John F. Kennedy
As leaders, personal development is part of the job description. Not only do we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our teammates. These posts will help you lead yourself better so that you can lead others more effectively.
“What’s wrong with taking the easy way?” Sometimes the answer to our problem seems easy. But the easy solution may not always be the right one. Today in “Lines for Leaders” I’ll share what one famous person said about the dangers of taking the “easy way,” along with some thoughts …
How do we establish trust? We know that establishing trust is a key to leading well, but how do we go about it? An unexpected encounter in the back of a dark garage shines a light on how we can build the trust we need to lead.
“Are we carrying around things that make us poor leaders?” It’s easy to collect things, harder to let them go. But as leaders we have to be aware that some of those things, one in particular, can get in our way and prevent us from leading as effectively as we’d …
Overloaded: The Thing That Keeps Us From Leading Well Read More »
Can being better followers make us better leaders? Focusing on following may seem an odd way to tackle the challenges of leading, but there’s a power in this approach we can easily overlook. There’s a danger in ignoring it, too. That was a lesson I learned the hard way deep …
Following the Follower: 15 Ways to Lead Better by Following Better Read More »
Who knew there were different categories of fun? Not all fun is created equal. If you want to accomplish great things, it’s the Type 2 fun that you’re looking for. Here’s what I mean…
Most of us have probably heard of the Wright Brothers and their invention of the airplane. But did you know that one of their earlier flights featured a canoe strapped to the bottom of their flying machine? Why would such a thing be necessary, and what does their example tell …
Learning to Fly: Innovation, Risk, and Leadership in the Real World Read More »
It’s happening already. If you go to a gym or fitness facility, you know this to be true: there’s that sudden influx of new faces in the new year. With the turn of the calendar often comes a desire to turn over a new leaf, and fitness goals feature prominently. …
Where Did Everybody Go? 23 Ways to Stick With Your Goals Read More »
“What’s the maximum effective range of a good deed?” It was 4:30 in the morning. Two weary fire fighters walked into a local diner in New Jersey. Smelling of smoke and tired from battling a warehouse fire all night, they were hungry and needed a rest. The friendly waitress brought …
21 Acts of Kindness to Make the World a Better Place Read More »
“Have you experienced New Manager Nightmares?” You are going about your business when suddenly a new manager walks in. A dark cloud seems to blot out the sun, reality distorts, work grinds to a halt, and nothing seems normal anymore. What you may be experiencing is a new manager nightmare. …
New Manager Nightmares: 11 Creepy Leaders and How to Avoid Morphing Into One Read More »
Life is full of choices; how do you know the right direction to take? The choice one woman makes while walking alone out in the American southwest can serve as a good example for the rest of us in how to choose the right path to follow.
Are there any leadership exercises I can do? Someone asked this question recently, and I thought it was a good one. Learning leadership is tricky business. It’s not like practicing musical scales or pumping iron at the gym. But I do think there are exercises we can do to become …
Leadership Exercises: 7 Ways to Build Your Influencing Muscles Read More »
“How can seeking discomfort be a good thing for leaders?” Hey, I’m here at a local park in Minnesota, getting ready to do my weekly tempo run. Believe it or not, I think that there is a very close parallel between learning to run fast and becoming a better leader, …
Comfortably Uncomfortable: 7 Ways Seeking Discomfort Makes You Better Read More »
