Mastering Open Communication in your important dyads

  This week, I invite you to walk through an exercise in Leading by Two.  1. Recognize your partners: With whom are you Leading by Two? My partners and I have become quite clear that “Leading by Two” (LX2) describes not only a what – a relationship with a single essential partner – but it … Continued

An Antidote for Suffering Leadership – The Sequel

In my last post, I shared the inspiration and perspective I had received from reading Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning while I was in a period of suffering. Frankl gave me comfort. Then, when I shared both the suffering and the comfort, so many of you offered me further comfort, solidarity, and inspiration. I … Continued

You as American political leader

warning: this one’s passionate, fact-based, but a bit long 🙁 Everyday Leadership definitionally asserts: everyone can lead. In our representative democracy, this is a tautology: citizens not kings are leaders. One of the complaints I hear a lot is that elected leaders are more like elected . . . followers, “with their finger in the … Continued

A Simple Strategy for the Courageous Manager

First, the backstory. I had back-to-back meetings last week with a client I’ve been consulting to and another I’m coaching. On a group Zoom call, a team member was about 8 minutes late. The firm’s culture is friendly, respectful and transparent, so it wasn’t a big deal for him to say that his 2-year-old had … Continued

Cohabiting-by-2 During Covid-19

It’s a painful irony that we share both our deepest and ennobling love, yet also reserve our worst behavior for those who are closest to us. And “closest” these days takes on a new and literal meaning. When his 97 year-old father fell sick after exposure to Covid-19 and was left alone by his regular … Continued

What’s their reaction behind your back?

Dan has been writing Read2Lead weekly since March 1, 2000. Twenty years! A new era of Read2Lead begins today, with Dan’s partner Laura Andersen, weighing in. She will now periodically contribute, as they lead by two! The topic is right on point. In a recent post, Dan described his experience speaking to students as their … Continued

Leading by 2 – an idea worth spreading

youtu.be/JGSJykKJl3c

For six years I have been looking at the nature of Leading by Two.  I have been coaching pairs 2-at-a-time, running workshops on great pairs and collaboration, and researching and writing with my LX2 thought partner,  John Gillis.  John and I live it in our work and are convinced of its incredible value.   The TED … Continued

Who’s a Great Partner and What Do You Look For?

My co-writer, John Gillis, says “No one leads alone. No one.”  When you pull away the perceptual film of “the leader,” you see “leading by two” is everywhere.  We can learn how we best pair by looking at others who do it well. One unusual pair is Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor. They co-host Ear Hustle, … Continued

What You Can Learn from Two California Bellwether Leaders

I posted a variation of this article on LinkedIn last week. Ever wonder what a bellwether is? It’s a sheep. More specifically, a wether is a castrated male, equipped with a bell, leading the flock. In modern parlance people refer to “bellwether states,” and California has long been known as America’s bellwether state. It has … Continued

Leading by Two – How Do You Identify a Strong Partner

Cathy Raines, an organizational development expert at the State Department, thoughtfully challenged my post last week about how military heroes seldom act in a solitary way, but instead depend heavily on LeadingX2. She asked the two-part question:  “What’s a step I can take and with whom as my partner/buddy?”  I answer them in reverse order. … Continued

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