Individual Growth:
To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.
– Robert Louis Stevenson
Leadership and sports analogies go together like peanut butter and jelly. There are so many bad examples of leadership on display in politics and business, that sports is often the best place to go.
However, when you read the title of this entry, you may now be thinking of sports stars who seem to crave the spotlight. They are the ones who enjoy speaking about themselves and their accomplishments. This entry is not about one of those stars. Continue Reading…
There are times when I love to drive. Long drives on open roads are some of my favorites. I like to have my music turned up and my seat pushed back. I enjoy uninterrupted views for miles.
But, there have been those moments when the ride changes. Like when I drive into a bank of fog. Everything changes. Continue Reading…
What is it about our human nature that causes us to seek excuses for when we fall short? Even some of the best sales people and leaders I have been around, can identify something outside of their control that caused them to miss their goals.
Excuses are easy. Breaking the habit of making excuses is hard. I addressed the way West Point handles habitual excuses in an older blog: West Point: How Leaders Seize Responsibility.
But, what if we turned our thought process around? What if we questioned who was responsible for the wins in our lives? Continue Reading…
Merriam Webster took me on an odyssey to get to a definition of leadership. I seem to remember being taught in school to not use the root of a word to define that word. Someone should have told Merriam that!
Merriam Webster Says:
Definition of LEADERSHIP
1: the office or position of a leader
2: capacity to lead Continue Reading…
75% of a person’s waking hours are spent on work – Getting to and from work. Thinking about work. Actually working in their job.
I heard this statistic last week and started thinking about what an awesome responsibility we have as leaders.
My leadership at work has huge implications for the lives of my people. Not just their work lives, but also their home lives. Continue Reading…
“I worked hard this year! I deserve a bigger bonus!” I heard this complaint almost annually in 15 years in various sales leadership positions. Sometimes it was a valid complaint. Most of the time it wasn’t.
I like people who are competitive and driven to win. In sales, I looked for those traits in everyone I hired. Unfortunately, I found that drive often gave people an unrealistic perception of what they deserved.
Leadership is a blend of competence and character.
BG (Retired) Jim Anderson, my father, taught me that. In 41 years in the Army, including two tours in Vietnam, he saw a lot of great leaders and a lot of leadership failures that formed his philosophy.
One year ago, I started this website with this post. I have learned a lot in the last 365 days. Thank you for joining me and contributing. Every time you comment on a blog, you make me better. Thank you for that!
“If you ever find yourself trying to read me, stop it. I am not intentionally being vague. I am just being a bad communicator at that moment.” This statement became part of my introduction to people joining my team.
Most people reacted to that statement in two ways. Some seemed relieved. Some were confused. Whether it was relief or confusion, both reactions were the result of working on teams where they spent too much time trying to figure out their boss. Continue Reading…
“What leadership book have you ever read that states, ‘A leader does what is right unless it will cost him personally.’” There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. It was not the empathetic answer Stan was looking for. The question: “What can I do? She’s my boss.”
This blog was previously posted in March 2012. I am reposting it as a result of multiple conversations I’ve had recently concerning courage in the workplace.
I love my iPhone. I resisted it for a time. But now I know I can find just about anything I want at anytime of day, right on my phone. The iPhone and other smart phones feed right into my need for instant gratification.
Our world allows us to find just about everything with just a few touches of a hand held device. But, a smart phone cannot make us into leaders.
I cannot become a leader by downloading an app. That seems obvious as I read this. But, it is not obvious to many companies and individuals I have encountered. Continue Reading…
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