Leaders of Character Say, “I always have room to grow” One of the true marks of a humble leader is that he is not the same leader he was twelve months ago. The arrogant leader is stagnant. His way of leading does not change. Some people even boast about not changing their style or methods. […]
It stung! No doubt about it. A few months after Bob left the company, I found out he had pulled the wool over my eyes. I got burned by someone I had trusted. He faked his work activity reports. He forged signatures of clients. There were even rumors of him talking to me on the […]
There are really two types of Courage: physical Courage and moral Courage. Physical Courage is taking action in the face of perceived or actual physical danger. In society at large, many times we automatically call a person a hero if he or she overcomes a grave physical danger, such as a fire, robbery, car accident, […]
If you are like me, you’ve read a number of leadership books and they are begining to sound alike. Many of the early readers of Becoming a Leader of Character thought the same thing. Here is one quote from an early reviewer: I have been observing and teaching about leadership for over 30 years as […]
“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 […]
“Character is higher than intellect.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Leadership speaker and author John Maxwell jump-started the trend of defining leadership as influence. I agree with him and the leadership experts (such as Oswald Sanders) whom Maxwell cites as his inspiration. But does that definition go far enough? Does just having influence make someone a […]
“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!
