Leadership requires love. For many people the word love is over-romanticized. Love is actually a decision, a commitment, a passion. In marriage and in every aspect of life, love is not something that we fall into but rather is a decision that we...
Read moreA Work In Progress
At the end of a year or the beginning of the next, organizations develop plans and goals for the coming year. They define or refine their strategy, assess and adjust their priorities, and update their goals. As leaders we should do the same for...
Read moreSix Steps In Effective Communication
I speak and write often on communication skills and the importance of communication driven by the perspective of the listener. I recently fell into the trap of which I warn others. I had prepared a document intended for my coaching clients...
Read moreLeadership – Unsafe at Any Speed?
I often write and speak about the necessity of leadership being built upon the combination of character and competency. Character is clearly the foundation of leadership. My definition of leadership is influence. People only accept the influence...
Read moreLeadership Is First Character
Much of what is described as leadership development these days is the teaching of skills – communicate better, coach people better, motivate better, provide feedback better, etc. Sometimes what is billed as a leadership program is simply teaching...
Read moreLeaders and Those That Lead
There are leaders and then there are those that lead. We hear the term “leader” in many places – political leaders, community leaders, church leaders, military leaders, sports leaders, etc. These “leaders” are elected, appointed, or anointed to...
Read moreLeadership Drives Focus
Focus is a necessary discipline of any organization. In order to achieve goals and objectives efficiently and effectively, the organization must be focused. Without focus the likely result is either stagnation or confusion and chaos. In a recent...
Read moreThe Value of Vulnerability
Vulnerability. The word alone is enough to make some of us uncomfortable. Yet, vulnerability is a necessary ingredient of any relationship of depth and value. If we recognize that effective leadership is based in relationship rather than...
Read moreLead Up, Down, and Sideways
Mention leadership and oftentimes people think only in terms of leading as a position. They might think of an elected official, an executive, or someone else that has a position in which they are expected to lead. But leadership is quite separate...
Read moreAn Example of Leading Sideways
Leadership is influence in order to achieve a vision or goal. In a recent article we described the advantages of leading up, down, and sideways. Carrying that idea further, the following article describes an experience of leading sideways. In the...
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