Posts with the ‘Courage’ tag
“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 […]
Character is the reason most leaders fail, but what causes most of our character failures? Why do some leaders succumb to the temptation to lie or cheat? Why do others avoid confrontations or demean their subordinates? Why do micromanagers micromanage? Honestly, most resources do not go deep enough and get to the root cause of […]
“If you want to accomplish something you have never accomplished before you must start doing things you have never done before.” Those words hit me hard a few years ago. The truth is: Your Comfort Zone is Also Your Mediocrity Zone If you want to be average – if you want to be the same […]
“What can I do? If I step up and try to lead my peers, I don’t think they will follow. I’m not as direct as you are Dave. ” The quote above is representative of a lot of conversations I have inside of companies who ask for my help. There are many people who know […]
Question 1: Are sheep without a shepherd still sheep? Answer: Yes. Question 2: Is a shepherd without sheep still a shepherd? Answer: No. A shepherd without sheep is just a hygienically challenged man walking the countryside with a stick in his hands. Leaders: It is the people that make you a leader not the title!
Every time people around me use statements or questions from the list below, I feel an aneurysm coming on. They make my head hurt just reading them. “We need to study this further.” “Are you sure?” “But what if…” “We need to cover all our bases.” “Can we run some more numbers?” “Who’s going to […]
If I challenge my boss, she will thank me. If I speak up for what is right, my boss will not persecute me. If I fight for my integrity despite pressure from above, I will always keep my job. None of these results are guaranteed if I do the right thing. The only time I […]
Honesty or Integrity? Are they the same thing? Is one more important than the other? Many people use the terms interchangeably confusing one with the other. You can be an honest person and have questionable Integrity. Honesty is a part of Integrity, but they are not the same thing.
“That’s enough Lieutenant Anderson!” I sat down and stayed quiet for the rest of my battalion commander’s weekly meeting. I saw the smirk on our operations officer’s face. As I walked out of the room later, a friendly captain patted me on the back, shook his head and told me not to give up.
Every male freshman (plebe) entering West Point has a mandatory class that few other colleges offer much less require. Boxing. Each morning that boxing was on my schedule I woke up thinking about it. I would sit in calculus, chemistry or computer programing class thinking about boxing. It didn’t matter that I had tests or […]
