- Project Manager in Oil and Gas Industry
“Sorry. It’s policy.” This comment may be true, but it can also be a sign of a weak leader. Policies are not perfect - especially personnel policies. Leaders need to be willing to stand up and fight when needed.
Most companies have personnel policies, and the larger the company the more rigid the policies usually are. But, the rigidity of the policy does not always make it right. Continue Reading…
Be careful following a leader just because he has gray hair. The tenure or the age of a leader does not always signal wisdom. Here is the question:
A lot of people let the past keep them from moving forward. But when a leader is dominated by fear, everyone they lead focuses on the past and becomes stuck in the present as well. Continue Reading…
“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 it was relief or confusion, both reactions were the result of working on teams where they spent too much time trying to figure out their boss. Continue Reading…
There was an upperclassman at West Point who I was sure was the worst leader I had ever met. Then I met a commander in the Army that jumped to the top of the list.
But, it was not until I hit the corporate world that I met someone who, to this day, ranks at the top of this dubious list. They were all bad. But, I learned a lot from each of them.
Last month, I spoke to over 700 people about the role of courage in leadership. I had 10 minutes to speak.
Courage goes beyond the physical courage displayed by our soldiers on the battlefield. Moral courage is needed from leaders in the hallways and boardrooms of businesses and non-profits as well.
How else do leaders display moral courage in the workplace?
Trust in a relationship, whether it is at work or at home, is the foundation to the success of that relationship. Without trust between individuals or on a team, mediocrity and failure are the most likely results.
I have worked for people who told me I had to earn their trust. I have worked in organizations that made the same thing clear, without someone verbalizing it. In both situations, the team was dysfunctional and selfishness prevailed.
I believe the first thing a leader needs to establish on a team is trust. The fastest way to establish trust is to be the first one to trust! Continue Reading…
Ownership or excuses. One is the mark of a leader. The other is a sign that I am bound for mediocrity and failure. In the long run, people who make excuses stall out.
Making excuses is a habit. I wrote about how West Point deals with this habit in West Point: How Leaders Seize Accountability. But what are the results for me if I habitually make excuses?
Lying, cheating, and cowardice, are all habits that can become addictions in the same way smoking, drinking, pornography and drugs can become addictions.
I have often used the latter to explain how our character habits are formed. But last week I heard Pete Hinojosa (www.petehinojosa.com) speak on leading and coaching people. As he discussed a leader’s role in affecting the beliefs of his people he defined addiction:
An addiction is a compulsive belief or behavior that brings short-term benefit but creates long-term problems. Continue Reading…
“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 they should be a leader among their peers. They just aren’t sure how to accomplish it. Continue Reading…
WWWWD or better W4D. I am sucker for the movie Braveheart. I love the action, the humor and the history of it. My wife always knows when I have watched clips of the movie, because she comes home to my bad Scottish accent.
But, beyond that, I love the hero. William Wallace sets an example of leadership and of manhood all of us should aspire to. What if leaders used William Wallace as a filter to for our own leadership?
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