Excellent leadership is a trust iceberg
58% of people trust strangers more than they trust their boss according to Harvard Business Review. On the flip side, a Good&Co survey shows only 34% of managers trust their employees.
This mutual trust deficit is sand in the gears of getting anything done in any leadership position.
So how…
A masterpiece is painted with tiny brushstrokes
I’ve found in life that the simplest advice is often the most powerful and that small habits you adopt paint the big picture of who you are. This observation holds true with leadership.
Admiral William McRaven, in his commencement speech to the graduates at The University of Texas, said:
“If…
Motivating with more than just money
I remember once in the Marines I was speaking to a man named Joe Dowdy, a “full-bird” Colonel, who was about to lead over 7,000 men and women into battle. …
Before that troublemaker ruins you with love-soaked lies
Loving yourself is different from your ego loving you. The first is productive, the latter destructive.
We should love ourselves. Unconditionally. We should forgive ourselves and believe in ourselves.
Our ego loves us differently though, a thick-as-thieves conditional sort of way. …
#1. “Failure is not an option”
“This should be easy, come on people!” our boss huffed as she looked down her nose upon us imbeciles seated in front of her.
“If we’re not understanding it right away, it’s not because we’re mental midgets,” I thought. …
#7. Prioritizing being liked over earning respect
Three out of four people report that their boss is the worst part of their job. 65% of people would rather have a new boss than a pay raise. These statistics reflect a troubling leadership deficit in corporate culture.
But leadership is highly trainable. These stats can be improved with…
These build the solid foundation for excellent leadership
The following story has stuck with me since the day I heard it years ago because it epitomizes the foundation for excellent leadership.
During the American Civil War, the Confederate Army had taken up a defensive position along a stone wall just outside the town of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
It’s 4:56 on a Friday. Come on, man!
“Where is he?”
“His boss said she didn’t like the color scheme of the presentation and wants it changed today. She told him this at 4:56. The color scheme…of an accounting report…seriously? This is the kind of thing that makes people quit!”
My friend was explaining why her husband would…
Look closely and you’ll see what I mean
One of the greatest leaders I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a lot in the military and corporate world, is my grandfather. At 96-years-old, he still influences his family to be their best not by telling them, but by showing them through his example.
Besides the obvious leadership traits he…
Minor choices in perspective yield major differences in results
“Why do you disagree with me so much?” my somewhat frustrated boss asked after I told him why I thought his idea wouldn’t work.
I said “because if I disagree when we are brainstorming then I should tell you that. If I don’t, then you have nothing but a yes-man…
