If you’ve been reading Read2Lead over the past few years you’ve tracked my decided shift into two territories you might call micro-leadership: leading yourself and leading in dyads. They are profoundly connected. And here are the two primary reasons why they are, and how they form a virtuous cycle: lead yourself by increasingly leading with and … Continued
I think she almost laughed at me. Kind of blurted an involuntary guffaw. But then my Teaching Assistant followed up her involuntary non-verbal display with sincere verbal reassurance. We were recapping the last 3 classes, all of which were led by students themselves. We were in strong agreement that the classes had gone well (as … Continued
Thank you to the 231 of you who weighed in on my survey on complaining last week! I am afraid I botched the design a little,* but the core data remains fascinating: People who responded guesstimated that they complain between 14 and 18 times a day. My inquiry was fueled by two essential leadership truths … Continued
I was with a client last week and they repeatedly used the word “under-resourced.” If you’re not Google or Twitter, that statement probably applies to you, right? We’re all stretched thin in these days of do-more-with-less. Yet I’ve been blessed by raining-down resources, and perhaps there is relevance for others in the nature of the … Continued
Friends, So, we’re out here in far away California. Our house feels like a summer cottage – lots of wood and windows-to-nature and walls that don’t require northern insulation – and we feel like we’re on vacation. Classes don’t start until late August. Jack’s cool with summer. Jennifer and I are a bit too Type-A. … Continued
Laboring America Friends, Which auto executive said this about his organization: We “recognize(s) that flexibility, innovation, lean manufacturing and continuous cost improvement are paramount in the global marketplace.” You might not have guessed that it was Bob King, new president of the United Auto Workers, who also said the “21st century UAW must be fundamentally … Continued
This Probably Doesn’t Apply to You Friends, We think: This doesn’t apply to me. So, (first) let me talk about who it does apply to; namely, Lee Iacocca, at least according to Steve Miller, a former Chrysler exec who went on to become CEO of Delphi. Miller writes in his autobiography that Iacocca did great … Continued
Lower the Bar I’d never met a composer before, but had the pleasure on Sunday of meeting David Winkler. David’s composition “Winds of Time,” was premiered at Michigan State University with violinist Dmitri Berlinksy conducting the chamber orchestra. David is the husband of my friend Kathi Elster, who is co-author of the acclaimed book Working … Continued
In William Bridges’ book on Transitions he says that we’ve got it backwards. We think that our personal and organizational stories unfold through beginnings, middles, and then endings. Nope. He says it’s much more accurate and helpful to see our personal and organizational lives unfolding with endings, then middles (he calls them the neutral zone), … Continued
Friends, Todays story reflects my hard-won victory over . . . well, over me. It was grueling — like a 5-set tennis match. And, like a lot of my wins in the world of self-management and other-leadership, I’ll forget how I pulled out a win, why such a win is worth the effort, and how … Continued