Last week I wrote about Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo raging at a freshman player, Aaron Henry, during an NCAA tournament game. I stand by what I wrote about Coach Izzo’s behavior: we need to end the false choice between being a “great leader” and behaviors like “yelling or berating” players, employees, children, students, etc … Continued
About ten years ago, Duke Coach K for Krzyzewsky was cast in a commercial where, with his nasally Chicago voice he said, “I’m not a basketball coach. I’m a leader.” And, indeed the term leader is bounced around almost as much as the leather ball itself. I offer you a case today. I wish I … Continued
A week ago, I spoke to 1,500 people from the TEDx Berkeley stage at Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. I was blind. I realized this would be the case during my dress rehearsal: the hall was dark and the stage lights were like a row of parked cars all pointing their brights at … Continued
NOTE: I will be presenting at the TEDx Berkeley event this coming Saturday, March 9. Tickets are available by clicking here. Enter SPEAKER-NETWORK for a 35% discount. Supervisors Two weeks ago I invited your thoughts on what it is we want from first-level leaders. So, today a simple report out from the 165 respondents among … Continued
Students come back to me or write to me: “Professor Mulhern (or usually, Dan), my manager clearly never took your class!” And they explain. Many of these alums quit within 18, 12, even less than 6 months. Yes, they are “millennials,” but believe me, the supervisor tales they tell are unbelievably sad. And the scary … Continued
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
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
For the first time in the 20 years I’ve been writing a New Years message, I am contradicting the messages of my new years’ past. So, if you’re seeking a stimulus to support you in having a great year, following conventional and valuable insights, search my archives. Unconventionally, I’m not envisioning a great year. My … Continued
I sent out a short list of good books from 2018 on Friday. You can read my mini-reviews and click the links here. With this Read2Lead, I finish 2018. By the next time I write, my niece Erin will have given birth. Her amazing Maximus will have a brother or sister. Her kids won’t know … Continued
Here’s a short list of books I’ve enjoyed, separated into a few categories: 1. Being your best self. Anne Lamott, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope. I would describe Anne Lamott as a seeker, seer, and humorist. She always brings me to an awakened sense of, “Oh, right! That’s what matters.” She tells the hard truth she has … Continued