Posts with the ‘Character’ tag
Adversity builds character. I find that the people I admire have not always had things easy. Somewhere, at sometime in their past, these people overcame circumstances in their lives that changed them. They walk with a limp. Through my 15 years of interviewing, hiring and training people I discovered that finding people who walk with […]
In 2001, the team sat in disbelief when they heard Mason was promoted into a leadership position. Now eleven years later, the four remaining people from that old team sat at a table together after dinner at another national sales meeting. Paul looked up from his iPhone, “Contrary, insubordinate, incompliant, and rebellious. According to Webster, […]
Brad decided to write a book about effective management techniques. The title: How to Win, described his leadership philosophy. Just win baby! That was his motto and it had served him well.
The Oxymoronic Leader is not one person. He is all of us. I have been him and so have you. Merriam-Webster defines an oxymoron as: “a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (as cruel kindness); broadly : something (as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements” Am I leading if the […]
The tragedy of what happened at Penn State has been well covered in the news. There are so many lessons that can be derived from what we know about that situation. But, perhaps the biggest lesson we can all learn is how character trumps competence. No level of past or present competence will make up […]
Public Tests- “Everyone is watching what I will do.” In a nutshell: My decisions in these moments often determine the culture of my team. I couldn’t believe she said it! I know locker room talk. I know the stories soldiers tell while on deployment. But this woman just made me blush! She also made all […]
The litmus test for good leadership is character. Rarely do I read history, watch the news or read the paper and learn about a leader who failed because of incompetence. The most common reason a leader fails is a shortfall in character. What happens in the months, days, or minutes that lead to a fatefully […]
Character is now a buzzword. I use the term buzzword here to describe words that we hear frequently yet are rarely defined by the speakers. The Presidential campaign is full of buzzwords. I hear athletes described on Sportcenter using some of the same buzzwords as the politicians use. The problem is, if you dig into […]
Becoming a leader of character is a process that never ends. It is a never ending road towards a destination you can never completely reach. But, leaders must take this road daily in order to grow and lead well. I had the benefit of my father, General Jim Anderson, and four years of training at West […]
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.
