Posts with the ‘Character’ tag
What if we did not allow early failure to become enduring failure? We all try. But do we try long enough? Do we persevere? What makes some persevere and others quit? For a lot of us, it is the habit of making excuses. The willingness to make excuses stops many people from going past Plan […]
The reward for leadership is the opportunity to make more sacrifices. I see many talented people become disillusioned leaders because they are not prepared for this fact. I attended the National Council On Culture and Leadership Annual Summit (NCCL Website) last week and heard a fellow West Point graduate Steve Ingalls describe the sacrifices we […]
“Dave, you are not the messiah of wayward sales people.” My boss had a way of being direct – sometimes with a sting. She knew me and my desire to help others. I didn’t like the delivery, but she was right. The problem was, once again, I was hanging on too tight to someone who […]
I believe leadership is inherently a positive term. Some well known experts whom I respect define leadership as influence, or influence towards a common objective. However, I believe these definitions do not go far enough. In my mind, being a leader is a positive statement. There is a moral component to leadership. Leadership is not […]
Skilled workers are available. In this economy, there is always someone available who can do the job. Skill and competencies are not hard to find or to hire. Character is a different story. As I have worked with oil and gas companies, large integrated medical systems, large regional banks and Fortune 50 companies, I see […]
Lying, cheating, and cowardice, are all habits that can become addictions in the same way smoking, drinking, pornography and drugs can become addictions. I have often used the latter to explain how our character habits are formed. But last week I heard Pete Hinojosa (www.petehinojosa.com) speak on leading and coaching people. As he discussed a […]
“Why should I do that?” she asked. “It’s called leadership.” I said trying to reassure her. “It’s what leaders do.” Webster defines leadership. College textbooks define leadership. Leadership books define leadership. I even define leadership. (Leadership: Beyond the Dictionary Definition) Sometimes those definitions are adequate and sometimes they are not. Some are very academic, some […]
Naïve. That was me. When I was an entry level salesman, I looked at my boss and believed his job had all the perks. He was paid more, was in control and got to travel to great cities for meetings. Being a leader had to be better than being where I was. A lot of […]
I’m an idea guy. I love to brainstorm and come up with ideas on how to make things better. I am also someone who can ignore the details or forget about them quickly. The more I work with leaders the more I realize I am not alone. All of us have strengths that can also […]
I eat healthy most of the time. I am in a good mood most of the time. I am prompt most of the time. These are all statements that describe me. I could strive for better, but those are probably good enough. I need to face the fact that I am a hypocrite when I […]
