Could Trump Kaepernick and the NFL teach us all something about leading in our own individual, collective and sometimes divisive lives? I think so. If you haven’t been following the National Football League, a controversy began over a year ago when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to sit during the national anthem. (If you … Continued
I write this in remembrance of my friend John Hammell. He was my debate partner for two years in high school and combined brilliance with an extraordinary work ethic. Although he earned a bachelor’s and master’s in 4 years at Northwestern and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, he wasn’t a silk stocking guy. … Continued
I saw Spiderman: Homecoming this weekend. I like the guy. But at one point hubris got him. Doesn’t it always? Next thing you know, his recklessness results in a Staten Island Ferry splitting in two. Thank God for the (pompous) Iron Man who comes along with much more than webs, and bridges the two parts … Continued
For almost 20 years I’ve been writing this blog. When I wrote my first book I came to see “everyday leadership” as the simplest banner for my point of view. I have always sought to distinguish authority figures from leaders. You don’t have to have a title to lead. I’ll never stop making these three … Continued
I’ll be writing more these days about the atomic unit upon which all leadership is built – what I’m calling LeadingX2 or leading by 2. I am referring to the way in which you can lead and be led by one other person. The other could be your boss, a peer, or a direct report. … Continued
I held my first meeting this weekend with my new Teaching Assistants for the fall. They had both taken my course this past semester. The class consistently gets good marks and I’m always tweaking and trying to improve it. Joseph, one of the two, suggested a major overhaul to the syllabus. What do you think … Continued
Your morning leadership check: You’re sidelined. If you had to leave the team(s) you manage (or have managed) for half a year, and turn them over to your right-hand man or woman, could the team perform as successfully as if you were there? And what would happen if they actually performed even better than they … Continued
Bruce Wilkinson wrote a wonderful book a few years ago called the Prayer of Jabez. It was a self help, spiritual, business crossover that made the New York Times best seller list. It’s worth reading, and here’s the Cliff’s notes: Jabez prayed to God: “Enlarge my territory.” Most everyone I know aspires in some fashion … Continued
I last wrote about President Trump in light of the work of Kouzes & Posner. I was searching for what seems to guide the “way” that he models, the values that he talks and walks. And I wrote about what WE can learn from what he is or isn’t doing. I’ll try to be more … Continued
Reading for Leading has always been about “everyday leadership.” Leadership knocks every day and calls to everyday people, who don’t just lead down, but up and across the hierarchies of life. I write today about a high-level leader but with this important proviso. I am not writing about him primarily to argue about him and … Continued