Posts with the ‘Habits’ tag
On our best days, most people will look in the mirror and realize they did something selfish that day. Selfishness is part of our human nature. Beyond that, selfishness becomes more and more ingrained in our character as the years go on. Why? Because practice makes perfect!
“Leaders must have Integrity.” “A leader’s Character is vitally important.” “Be a servant leader.” Many books or training seminars will stress the importance of Character or some aspect of Character. Few people argue with the idea that Character is important in leadership. The problem is, nobody seems to talk about how to actually build your […]
What makes some people run towards a tragedy to help and others run away? Las Vegas law enforcement and regular civilians both gave us heroic examples of Selflessness during and after the shooting at the Mandalay Bay Resort. What makes people do that? Will any of us follow their example if, God forbid, we find […]
Looking back, the eye rolling was inevitable. Everyone on the leadership team knew the idea was unlikely to work. Our boss had sparked the doubts. “We need to initiate a mentoring program. The Human Resources department can work on developing a program we can roll out in the fourth quarter.” We were all thinking one […]
Each time we are faced with a choice, we are either moving closer to the person we want to be or further from it. Who we are as a person is determined by the choices we make in life. Courage is a choice. Humility is a choice. Integrity is a choice. Selflessness is a choice. […]
Tests come in all shapes and sizes. There are homework quizzes, pop quizzes, exams, and finals. When it comes to tests of Courage, many leaders believe they can wait for finals and pull out a passing grade or even an “A”. But if we have we have never taken those preliminary tests, how can we […]
We spend a lot of time complaining about our leaders. Whether its politicians, supervisors, or coaches, most of us dwell on the shortcomings of others. Stop and ask yourself: Would you follow you?
Some people stress out and stay put. Others face their fears and move forward. Some people fear the unknown and hold others back. Other people embrace uncertainty and lead others through it. One person is a Worrier. The other person is a Warrior.
Making excuses is a favorite topic of mine when I speak to groups about leadership and character. I am often asked, “Aren’t there legitimate reasons for a failure? Shouldn’t that matter?” My reply: “Yes. It matters. As long as we know the difference between an excuse and a reason.”
Temptation hits me everyday. I am tempted by a lot of things I wish I wasn’t: French fries, Buffalo wings, the SI Swimsuit issue, naps, and sarcasm are just a few. This is just a sub-set of a much larger list. But the most insidious temptation in my life is lying. What I used to […]
