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
Today’s story is short and stands on its own – a tender example of LeadingX2: James Addison Baker III, was George H.W. Bush’s longtime friend, chief of staff and secretary of state. Bush had been close to Baker who was only forty when Baker’s first wife had died, and was with Bush last week, as … Continued
The Irish priests in Boston know their politics. Still, Fr. McInnes’ prescience and sophistication jolted me. During our marriage preparation, he knew full well the aspirations I was packing up for my trip from the ideals of Harvard’s halls to the political streets where I intended to run in Detroit. “Dan, what if the party … Continued
Today a combined Reading for Leading and LeadingX2 (leading by two). I will keep this reasonably short by introducing a topic, two steps, and then continuing next week. In any strong partnership there come times when you need to “clear the air.” Your partner cuts you off while you’re speaking (again), or cuts … 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
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 thought of myself as confident yet humble. I suppose I was, at least as best I could be. In retrospect…not so humble! I remember taking a course with Ron Heifetz at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, back in 1984 or 1985. We were assigned to a group of about 9 students and we met … Continued