Posts in the ‘Leadership My Dad’s Way’ category
My team didn’t trust me. It was my first leadership role outside the Army. I had been in charge of this team of 10 sales representatives for almost 6 months. I believed I was trustworthy, but the truth was a hard pill to swallow. I thought just being a good guy would make my people […]
Busy. Overwhelmed. Strapped for time. Barely keeping up. I have felt that way as a team leader. Those feelings seem to be more common than ever for leaders. Most leaders feel pushed to the limit, yet they all want to focus on building stronger teams. It is the tyranny of the urgent…the urgent day to […]
Most corporations claim to have core values. Most of the values that organizations claim are lousy. They stink. They have no meaning! Integrity – Lousy. Teamwork – Lousy. Service – Lousy. What does integrity mean? What does teamwork mean? What does service mean? A corporate value like integrity doesn’t work. It is just another word […]
For a leader, inertia is both a friend and a foe. In 1687, Isaac Newton published his famous theory on inertia. Summarized it simply states, “A body at rest tends to stay at rest while a body in motion tends to stay in motion.” For a leader, understanding the theory of inertia is critical to […]
I had no doubt they were wrong. After over an hour of discussing our marketing plan, the leadership team decided to adopt a strategy I had argued against. I truly believed there were better ideas on the table. At dinner that night with two of my peers, we revisited the decision. Bob was against the […]
Confronting your boss is not fun. When I have done it, I have been met with anger, indifference, and/or passive aggressiveness. I have also seen some very positive reactions as well. When I speak to groups about Building A Culture of Leadership within an organization, I always discuss the need for those without the title […]
“No team ever failed because of too much communication. It is almost always the opposite.” At Acme Inc., we believe that good communication is the bedrock for all successful relationships in business and in life. From good communication flow trust, understanding and teamwork both with our customers and with each other. Acme Inc. Is A […]
In May, I had the opportunity to speak to 600+ people at the Chick Fil A Leadercast that was simulcasted into our local venue. A big thrill was following John Maxwell. I also spoke right before Coach K! Here is the video of that presentation. The character tests cadets face at West Point builds leaders. That […]
She looked me in the eyes and said, “I am not having any fun.” Sandy was obviously frustrated while trying to lead her peers. Sandy was trying to lead them through a leadership “ropes course”. I smiled at her and said, “It’s not supposed to be fun for you. You are the leader.” Sandy learned […]
On multiple occasions during my 20 year career with a Fortune 50 behemoth, I lobbied to change the job titles of the leaders in our sales force. We were all called Managers. I thought our titles should be Leader not Manager. But, no matter my title, I always believed I was leading. Now in the […]
