“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.
“How do you build influence if you are the low person on the totem pole?” We all have to start somewhere, and usually that somewhere is at the bottom of the heap. So how is it that some people seem to climb higher faster than others? It really comes down …
How to Build Influence: Go From Gofer to Go-To with These 3 Simple Steps Read More »
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 …
The Leader’s Triple-A Club: How to Navigate the Hazardous Highways of Leadership Read More »
What’s it like to run an Ultra-Marathon, and how do you motivate yourself to finish any great challenge? Today’s post will be a little different. In 2014, the year I turned 50, I somehow came to the notion that I should celebrate a half-century of life by trying to run …
“How do you find the courage to continue?” Teddy Roosevelt once reminded us that “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.” But in our struggles to achieve, that difficulty can be enough to make us want to quit. Where can we …
Unstoppable: 12 Ways to Find the Courage to Continue Read More »
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 …
The Leader Apprentice: 5 Ways to Master the Learning Mindset Read More »
“How can you optimize a system that’s error-prone?” As humans, we are fallable. In our efforts to achieve, produce, and progress, we make mistakes, we misjudge, we stumble. Any enterprise that involves humans will, by definition, be imperfect. But is that really such a bad thing? When it comes to …
Optimization: Surprising Lessons in Efficiency from the Ant World Read More »
Is the first problem solving step really ‘Identify the Problem?’ If you’ve ever watched someone who is tired or emotional struggling to solve a problem, you know that somebody forgot a step in the problem solving process. People can get so wrapped up in the problem of having a problem …
Problem Solving Steps: 3 Steps to Take Before You Take Any Steps Read More »
What skills does an introverted leader need to develop? Statistically, about half of us tend towards introversion (I’m definitely one of them). That fact doesn’t exclude us from being effective leaders. In fact, many of the traits associated with introversion are actually strengths for someone who wants to lead well. …
Skills for the Introverted Leader: 6 Ways to Expand Your Comfort Zone Read More »
Leaders should be independant thinkers. Whether you are trying to develop a vision statement, solve a problem at work, or influence the team, leaders have to think about where they are going and how they are going to get there. The good news is that thinking is a skill, and …
Sharpen Your Thinking: 25 Ways to Hone Your Thinking Skills Read More »
How do you find the space to think in a noisy world? We are bombarded all day long by messages telling us what to do, and what to think. Someone else is always trying to put their thoughts into our heads. Whether it’s friends, family, media, or the boss, all …
Space to Think: 8 Ways to Find Quiet in a Noisy World Read More »
How can you stay optimistic in the face of failure? Failure is a natural part of doing business, of being human, and of attempting to do things you haven’t done before. And when we fail, there’s a natural tendency to want to give up. It’s hard to stay optimistic. But …
How to Stay Optimistic: 3 Questions to Ask Before You Give Up Read More »
How do you win the daily struggle to get out the door? Temperatures have been dropping lately. Now it takes more effort to get out the door for my morning run. Yesterday I had to analyze the weather. Contend with warm clothing decisions. Wrestle them all on. Shiver through the …
Everyday Winners – How to Build Mental Toughness One Day at a Time Read More »
