[April 23, 2014] It should be clear by now that great leaders (truly all leaders) provide an extraordinary level of motivation. When we look to history for examples of motivation, one of the most famous is the Islamic Commander Tariq. What he said to his men is something I learned in grade school history class (and probably all… Read More »
[April 22, 2014] Whoa, you say! How do families connect to leadership? Well, on the surface, its connection may only appear tenuous but there is a direct relationship between successful leaders and strong family life. First, an observation … strong leaders come from strong families. Likewise, strong families produce resilient, productive citizens and capable leaders. This is derived… Read More »
[April 22, 2014] In the previous two parts of this series (Part 1 andPart 2), I proposed the idea that people who experience frequent stressors in their lives, have greater mental resilience. Today, I’m proposing that many of these bureaucratic programs designed to reduce stressors will ultimately fail in achieving their goals. One thing we know but rarely… Read More »
[April 21, 2014] Senior executive leaders are always willing to learn new things to improve on the way they work. One technique I learned to ensure the success of a good idea was to get buy-in as early as possible. The point is to “socialize” it with the major stakeholders – get them used to the idea without… Read More »
[April 20, 2014] During the Iraq war when parts of my Army unit were in Fallujah (called the second battle of Fallujah) at its worst of times late in 2004, we were given tactical advice by the US Marines. We were operating as engineers in their area and saw them on the frontlines daily and paid close attention… Read More »
[April 20, 2014] The statement that senior leaders should not lie is rather clear … and the results of lying can be devastating to a country or community. The latest caught “fudging the numbers” is the Chicago Police Department. An investigation was conducted by Chicago Magazine and the results of Chicago’s drop in crime are an illusion because… Read More »
[April 19, 2014] My best friend in high school owned a 1962 Chevrolet Corvair – before the end of our senior year, the car was a heap of trash because of its propensity to roll in a tight turn. That was when I first heard of Ralph Nader, a man who made car safety a calling that eventually… Read More »
[April 19, 2014] As a simple experiment over the past few years I asked a number of women, over age 50 and who work in Manhattan the following question. “When you worked in Manhattan in your 20s and 30s, tell me about how people treated you?” Oh boy, did I get an earful. But their responses were not… Read More »
[April 18, 2014] Everyone knows the story of Pinocchio, the little puppet-boy who lied and his nose grew longer with each lie. Lying is a problem in our society because it breaks the bond between people and leaders. And now we have a poll just released1 that claims that most Americans believe that President Obama “lies on important issues.”… Read More »
[April 18, 2014] Protecting people (teenagers, employees) from little stressors in life will lead to a greater downside when a tragic event occurs. By shielding people and preventing them from being tested under stressful circumstances, we are actively weakening their abilities and their resilience. Leadership demandsthat we allow those small stressors to push and pull on people so… Read More »