The best leaders are, by their nature, servants of those that follow. This servant mentality comes from the character traits that define the best leaders. To be a leader is not a title or position that is assigned to a person. The role of leader...
Read moreLeaders Are Communicators
Leadership is influence and influence can only be achieved with good communications. Whether we are promoting a shared vision, encouraging team collaboration, developing our people, or any other part of the leadership role, communication is a key...
Read moreCompetency and Character
Great leadership is based on a combination of both strong competencies and excellent character. The best skills without the positive character traits leaves people cold. Great skills alone can obtain results for the short term but a stressful or...
Read moreA Primer on Emotional Intelligence
“What did people do before there was emotional intelligence?” I was asked at a leadership workshop a short time ago. The term emotional intelligence has grown in popularity and become an important concept in leadership over the past twenty years...
Read more12 Habits of Genuine People
Often the most highly valued character traits of leaders, in fact of any person, are listed as authenticity, sincerity, vulnerability, transparency, or integrity. These are descriptors of the type of person that draws others into relationship...
Read moreReact or Respond?
Two words that sound very similar describe how we might reply to things that people around us might say or do – we might react or we might respond. Yet there is a big difference between the two words, both in how we reply and the consequences of...
Read moreHumility, Confidence, and Arrogance
Humility and confidence are two of the most important character traits of an effective leader. Healthy humility and confidence based on reality are both important in building a relationship of influence. The more complete our humility and...
Read more“The Soul of Shame” by Curt Thompson
“Shame is something we all experience at some level, more consciously for some than for others.” People tend to overlook or underestimate the presence or power of shame; in the process they fail to recognize the loss of a part of their potential...
Read moreReady, Fire, Aim
4 Character-Based Stumbling Blocks to Good Decision-Making As leaders we are often called upon for decisions or to effectively guide a decision process. We face choices every day, some large, some small, some urgent, some mundane. A large part of...
Read moreI Am the Problem
When working with married couples who are struggling or just want to grow in their relationship, we often encourage them to adopt the mindset of “In this relationship I am the biggest problem.” This is not an attitude of self-condemnation. And it...
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