I’ve been thinking about routine and ritual a lot. The older I get the more I seem to appreciate how deeply we humans crave them and how important they are for those of us who lead teams, families, communities. I wonder about your rituals. We began the 8:00 AM Mass yesterday with Jesus Christ is Risen Today. … Continued
What would it be? The most meaningful award you can imagine? I used to hope for a MacArthur Fellowship. I guess that’s not to be, i.e., I’m just not a genius. Darn. I covet another award, but in a superstitious way, maybe, I can’t say it out loud. But I’ve been pondering: Why does that … Continued
Last week’s Read2Lead post promised to tell you “how to take a leap forward in leadership effectiveness.” In the post, I was reveling in how I had received specific coaching from a student. His feedback was entirely new to me and thus promised me – and I think it is delivering – behavior that will … Continued
I sincerely believe I am going to leap forward in my teaching-leadership this week, because I got a great gift a week ago. The context for the gift was my sending students an email last weekend. In it, I told them that I was seeking a few individuals who would take turns offering me coaching … Continued
Check out this list. What do these things have in common: Telephone Deck of cards Answering machine Phone book Cookbook Camera Camcorder Tape recorder Radio Cup of Dice Alarm clock Calculator Dictionary Rolodex Calendar Street map Flashlight Fax Compass Metronome Outdoor thermometer Encyclopedia Hint: You may be reading or listening to this edition of Read2Lead … Continued
Thanks for the wonderful feedback on my just-completed 3-part series on how to constructively engage when there is CONFLICT. I got wonderful push back, too. Some argued against the usefulness of my prescriptions in important cases. For example, my deliberate, humble and honest approach to engaging conflict seemed to these readers to be of questionable … Continued
This is part 2 of 3 in thinking about one of – if not the greatest energy-sucks in organizational and family life: Conflict. Last week, I suggested a three-part foundation (if you missed last week’s RFL, the three parts are described in a little more detail at the end of this): Last week’s lessons: 1: … Continued
We were seven kids in a pretty healthy family. Seven kids in a 3-bedroom ranch. Oh, and seven 7 kids in our one Ford Country Squire. Picture the 9 of us, sardine chldren: We were a daily and nightly laboratory of conflict. My memory is that there was crying on pretty much a daily basis. Like … Continued
Perhaps you have read of Fr. Gregory Boyle, S.J. Boyle has been working (LEADING!) in Los Angeles for thirty years, dedicated to Homeboy Industries, “the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world.” In his two books, he frequently introduces the “homies” (as he and they refer to themselves) by referencing aspects of … Continued
Two stories this week scream to those in authority and to those without authority- and I would guess that we are all both. In different contexts, we are with and without authority. The stories confront us with the worst of human nature and of the need for vigilance. We only have time for one story. … Continued