The Daily Ritual of Intentional Leadership
Some time ago, I heard Ken Blanchard talk about intentional leadership. He described the typical scene each morning when our alarm clocks go off. (more…)
3 Essentials for Mastering Leadership Excellence
We’ve all come across them. Those leaders who people naturally gravitate toward. Though it seems counterintuitive, the magnetic effect these leaders have on people is not because of how people feel about the leader. It’s because of how the leader makes people feel about themselves. (more…)
Leadership by Imitation
William Thackeray said, “the world is a looking glass and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face.” This observation goes double for leaders. Successful leaders understand the power of the “law of imitation.” This law holds that your actions, behaviors, and attitudes are replicated by your followers. If you are not happy with the performance of your people, is it possible that you are the source? (more…)
Are You Still Listening? A Leadership Lesson from Pandora
I concentrate better with music playing in the background. I especially enjoy dropping in the name of a song or artist on Pandora Radio and letting it find music with interesting similarities. Pandora happily plays whatever I’m in the mood for while I work away, until . . . I suddenly realize that the music stopped. “That’s funny,” I think. “When did I stop listening?” (more…)
A Pharaoh Walks into a Bar
There once was a Pharaoh who went out to inspect the progress of two pyramids. The first pyramid was a mess! The blocks were uneven, the ramps were unstable, oxen were milling about… The Pharaoh stopped a nearby worker and asked, “What is your job?” The worker replied, “I move stones from this pile to that pile.” At the next pyramid, the Pharaoh saw much greater progress. The blocks fit together perfectly. Teams of oxen were moving evenly up the ramps. This pyramid was really taking shape. When the Pharaoh asked a worker, “What is your job?” the worker replied, “I am building a pyramid!”
Congratulations! You just returned from your annual strategic planning summit. You gathered economic, competitor, and market data. You compared the strengths and weaknesses of your organization with external opportunities and threats. You decided where to tweak your services, how to reach new markets, and ways to generate higher profits. Now what? (more…)