Often in leadership, and especially where there are two people involved, positions harden. It may happen that you have increasingly adverse positions with: Your boss on strategy or personnel Your spouse on child-rearing Your child on behavior and values It can take a lot of energy, as you repeat the disagreements, and never quite resolve … Continued
Literally means literally. Okay? And Cliff had my back literally. Since he was 7 years old my son Jack has told me — not asked — that on his 16 birthday we would jump out of a plane together. My rather significant acrophobia told him in response: that would not be happening. He smiled, sure … Continued
True story: Two people compete for an open supervisor position. A gets it and now supervises B. Supervisor A immediately makes worker B come in for multiple, successive Saturdays to train A on technical skills that the new boss is lacking. While at the Saturday trainings, A might say, “sorry I have to take this … Continued
It’s so easy to get discouraged when you want change, but it won’t come. You get numb. You get mad. You give up. You whine. You mobilize. You hit your head against a wall. You’re the messenger who gets shot. You get cynical. You feel guilty. You get sick and tired of being sick and … Continued
I invite my students to begin the semester by writing about what would make this their Best Class Ever. You could think, I suppose about what could make this your best summer ever (need that be impossible?). Perhaps best ever “family summer,” or best ever “work summer.” My class is, of course, on leadership, so no … Continued
On Sunday, Jennifer and I watched the last of our three children cross the high school stage. Being a parent is the quintessential form of hierachical leadership. No new employee comes to work, no student enters a classroom, as full of promise and as completely dependent as a baby enters a family. In a world that … Continued
Reading for Leading works for me every Sunday, and hopefully for you on many Mondays (or whenever) because it causes me (and you?) to STOP. One of the major images we have of leaders is that they well, LEAD. Literally, they are at the front. Or, they’re in the back, yelling, “You, go there. You, go … Continued
Today’s RFL is a “best of” edition. I feel as strongly as the day I wrote it. I was just talking to a good friend and his 9th grade son, and while “pops” was distracted by another conversation, I asked the younger: “Who’s the leader in your house — your mom or your dad?” His … Continued
I was 10 when Detroit burned with rage and rebellion. Since then I have done little things, and little things matter, but have I done nearly enough? And, more importantly, what more can I do? If you believe in “everyday leadership,” or “kill (the idea of) THE leader,” then this question must be yours as … Continued
I love leadership, but often in my work I find that people never learned to manage. Some (me!) naturally have their heads in the sky, so they fail to generate the clarity that helps people work in concert (I think of an orchestra or band concert where you better be not just on the same … Continued