There are many advantages and disadvantages of ‘running with the pack.’ Just a few of the many perceived advantages include encouragement, protection, pacing, conserving energy by drafting, knowing the position and potential strategies of competitors, and avoiding risk. The most highly successful participants, in sports and in all areas of life, run with the pack …
This week I want to share an excerpt from my book, Presidential Leadership: Learning from United States Presidential Libraries & Museums. The story below can be found in chapter 11, where I highlight selected leadership strengths of former United States President George H. W. Bush through true historical narrative: “One of the first major …
Today’s article is the ninth in a series learning from the book by Paul Smith, Lead With A Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire. In chapters 15 and 16, the author provides excellent advice and riveting stories that leaders can use to motivate, inspire, and build courage among team members …
Franklin D. Roosevelt had plenty of excuses that he could have used to justify taking the easy route and avoiding risk. But he needed no excuses, because he did not take the easy route, and he embraced risk as the welcome companion to opportunity. When struck with a debilitating disease at the age …
Today’s article is the eighth in a series learning from the book by Paul Smith, Lead With A Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire. In chapter 14, the author tells an impactful story about a talented and highly successful CFO named Sara who, along with her team, completed a company-wide, …
Today’s article is the sixth in a series learning from the book by Paul Smith, Lead With A Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire. In chapter 9, Smith does an excellent job of making the case that company values, explained and frequently reinforced by memorable stories, are far more effective …
Today’s article is the fifth in a series learning from the book by Paul Smith, Lead With A Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire. The book is available wherever bestselling books are sold. In chapter six, titled “Define Customer Service Success and Failure,” Paul Smith does an excellent job of …
Today’s article is the fourth in a series learning from the book by Paul Smith, Lead With A Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire. The book is available wherever bestselling books are sold. What if, following a meeting and discussion with your team, each member sought you out or sent …
Today’s article is the third in a series learning from the book by Paul Smith, Lead With A Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire. In chapter two, titled “Set a Vision for the Future,” Smith recounts a modified version of the well-known folktale of a woman asking three different construction-site …
In a recent article on Inc.com, author Les McKeown shared “The Most Important Leadership Skill You’ll Ever Learn.” So what is this critical skill? It’s a skill that lays the foundation for consistently good decision-making: pattern recognition.
According to McKeown,
“What differentiates serially-good-deciders from the rest of us is pattern recognition. This is the ability to see the generic and lasting patterns that underpin localized and ephemeral data, and which form the unseen framework around which lasting success is built.”
...In the first chapter of his book It Worked For Me: In Life And Leadership, retired General Colin Powell describes the critical importance of each person in an organization knowing their purpose. “Followers need to know where their leaders are taking them and for what purpose.” While “mission,” “goals,” “strategy,” and “vision” are …
I recently had a conversation with one of my colleagues that sparked an insightful discussion regarding leadership. We were examining various leadership strengths demonstrated by highly successful leaders, and started talking about the importance of attracting, recruiting, inspiring, and retaining excellent people within a team or organization. A person, regardless of title, is not a …
Effective engagement builds trust, and trust dramatically improves and maintains effective engagement. It is impossible to build and maintain effective, long-term trust without engagement. It is also impossible to build and maintain effective, long-term engagement without trust. As a leader, what did you do yesterday to improve engagement and trust? What will you do today …
We all have words ringing in our ears. If you take just a moment to think about it, I’m sure you can quickly recall some of those words. Whether it was an offhand comment, a bold-faced accusation, or a gracious and heartfelt compliment – we’ve all been told something before that has lodged in our …