You Have No Idea (What They’re Thinking)

Friends, My friend Cheryl Polk said something to me I’ll never forget, “We share the same physical space,” she said, “but we don’t share the same psychological space.” Cheryl’s a psychologist, an African American woman, and she was shedding brilliant light for me on how the very diverse group of Kellogg National Fellows to which … Continued

Finding the Mohamed Bouazizi in Your World

Friends, I’m looking for the Mohamed Bouazizi in my world. . . and in yours. Mind you, this is scary leadership stuff. Bouazizi was angry. He was a street vegetable vendor. A policewoman fined him and took his stuff;  she was unsatisfied with the fine he paid, and so her assistants allegedly attacked him. He … Continued

Folks are Restless

Friends, The last month has been reminiscent of a time 40 years ago, in the late 60s when all hell broke loose. Powerlessness and acceptance of injustice were cast aside, as people took to the streets in the U.S. and around the world.  In 2010 we saw a foreshadowing of this renewed restlessness when the … Continued

Leaders: Compelling, Persuasive, Articulate – Forget That!

Leaders – Compelling, Articulate, Persuasive – Forget That Friends, Think of leaders who were powerful communicators: there’s Lincoln’s simple elegance at Gettysburg, FDR on “nothing to fear,” JFK on “ask not what your country can do for you…” and Churchill exhorting England “Never, never, never give up.”  We think of Iacocoa on TV, or Reagan … Continued

Sometimes You Win When You Lose

Friends, Todays story reflects my hard-won victory over . . . well, over me. It was grueling — like a 5-set tennis match. And, like a lot of my wins in the world of self-management and other-leadership, I’ll forget how I pulled out a win, why such a win is worth the effort, and how … Continued

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