Tag Archive - Leadership

4 Naïve Assumptions Of New Leaders

I Was Naive

I couldn’t wait to be promoted.  I knew all the things I wanted to accomplish.  I was also looking forward to the perks of leadership.  In the Army we used to say, “Rank Has It’s Privileges (RHIP).”

But, years later, I realized that these sentiments were naive.  They seem real to someone who has not held a position of leadership.  But, once I earned that promotion, I learned that my assumptions were far from reality.

With every new class I teach, comes new leaders with the same assumptions.

This is a repost from April 2012.

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Business Myths About Military Leaders – Myth #1

Military Leadership Myths

I blame the movie Patton.  In today’s business world, people assume autocratic, top down leadership prevails in our military and that military leaders are not prepared for the less rigid world of business leadership.  This is a myth!

Just like all civilian business leaders are not like Michael Douglas in Wall Street, all military officers are not like George C. Scott in Patton.  Many business leaders without a military background have bought into the way Hollywood portrays military officers.  Continue Reading…

I Should Have Hired Jeff!

Can I Still Call Jeff?

He sat across from me for 90 minutes.  He demonstrated drive, humility, sales skills, and the character I love to hire.  The problem was his background.  I was hiring for a high-end medical sales position.  But, he was selling dumpster pick-up service to restaurants.  I really liked Jeff.  But I hired someone else because Jeff didn’t fit the mold.  I made the wrong decision.

This blog is reposted from March 2012.  It received a lot of attention when I first posted it.

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Buzzword Defined (Part 2): Integrity

'Integrity' highlighted in green

There is a lot of discussion of the word integrity in business books, in politics, in universities…in every walk of life.  I read about it all the time.  But, my father, General Jim Anderson, the former Master of the Sword at West Point, taught me more about integrity than any other source.  He says:

INTEGRITY requires three steps:

  1. Discerning what is right and wrong.
  2. Acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost.
  3. Saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right and wrong.

Understanding integrity is foundational to our character development.  The more I speak on the importance of character, the more I see that integrity needs defined.

This is reposted from March 2012.
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A Great Masseuse Is Like A Great Leader

A Leadership Analogy

I took a week long vacation recently in Puerto Rico.  I got a massage while I was there.  As I was lying on the table during my session, I realized the therapist was really not doing a good job.

I longed for the person who I use close to home.  She does a great job.  She knows my problem areas and gets after them.  The guy who was working on me in Puerto Rico was just not cutting it.

The guy in Puerto Rico worked like an average manager.  My favorite masseuse at home works like a great leader. Continue Reading…

Corporate Culture Left Adrift

Who Is At The Helm?

84% of employees do not believe their company’s culture is widely upheld according to a study by the Aberdeen Group.  The startling thing is the numbers are only slightly better for executives who answered that same survey – 81% admitted they are not doing a good job upholding the company culture.  These are the people who are responsible for reinforcing the culture!

A ship left adrift usually does not end up in port.  That ship usually ends up on the reef. Continue Reading…

Leadership: Beyond the Dictionary Definition

Leadership is leading?

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…

Leadership Failures Are Usually Character Failures

Leadership Philosophy

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!

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Courage: Leaders of Character Are Not Quiet

Leaders of Character Are Not Quiet

“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.

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Courage: The Backbone Of Leadership

Courage:  The Backbone Of Leadership

Facing us is the River of Fear, made deep and wide by our hesitations, timidity, doubts, and paralysis.

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities…because it is the quality which guarantees all others. - Winston Churchill

Other than the words in this paragraph, this entire blog is taken directly from the introduction to a fantastic book I am reading by a fellow West Point graduate, Gus Lee.  Courage:  The Backbone Of Leadership clearly states what I believe about the role of courage in leadership. (Click on the title above to read more on about this book). Continue Reading…

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