[November 03, 2013] Today, more books that I found especially interesting: The Spirit to Serve: Marriott’s Way by J.W. Marriott, Jr. and Kathi Ann Brown A well-written, inspirational, and easy to read book that contains business tenets of the successful Marriott Hotel chain. He talks about how through sheer determination Marriott shot from the small cottage to the… Read More »
[November 03, 2013] We’ve all seen it; supervisors who give excuses for employees who are failures in their jobs. Like the alcoholic whose family enables the alcoholic’s drinking behavior, leaders can also enable failure. Whatever the reason or excuse, there is a emerging trend in U.S. organizations where leaders fail to take quick, effective action to deal with… Read More »
[November 02, 2013] In early September, I wrote about how it is an important characteristics of senior leaders to develop trust and confidence in our employees, our boss, our peers, and customers. It is always a good thing to find an example of success so that we can learn from what made it possible. Another method of wisdom… Read More »
[November 01, 2013] We all want our leaders to be problem solvers and overcome all obstacles. Fundamentally, relevant experience is what makes this possible. While experience is necessary for all leaders, our most senior leaders need a broader array of experiences. Senior executive leaders should have the experience of sufficient moral preparation to stay right, to act quickly… Read More »
[October 31, 2013] Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox baseball team for their win in the 2013 World Series. They now have won three times in the last nine years – a tremendous feat by the players and managers. Their team continues to show leadership on and off the field. Baseball is a great game. Watching these last… Read More »
[October 31, 2013] Mahatma Gandhi was not only a great leader for the country of India but became one of the most influential leaders in the world. He showed that a leader can fight for a better world innovatively – in this case, without weapons but with thoughts and beliefs. On the surface, Gandhi appears radically different from… Read More »
[October 30, 2013] Over the last two days, I visited a soon-to-deploy military combat unit (with their families) and visited a Veterans’ Administration hospital. The contrast between the two in the “passion” of the personnel at each event was noteworthy. Both the personnel conducting the troop and family event, as well as those attending, were unparalleled in their… Read More »
[October 29, 2013] Most people can be leaders but only a very few can be great leaders because most do not possess the mental toughness required – intense mental toughness is a rare commodity that only a few have the will to attain. Mental toughness is not to be confused with the false sense of bravado or with… Read More »
[October 28, 2013] A frequent question asked is: “What is the most challenging part of a senior leader’s job?” Most believe that dealing with the impact of America’s unstable economic situation, overwhelming organizational bureaucracy, or working with insufferable government agencies unfamiliar with the leader’s organization would the challenge. While these are a bit demanding, they are not the… Read More »
[October 27, 2013] Good leaders are not defined by any one temperament. Leaders come with a variety of temperaments that may change depending upon the circumstances that are needed to produce a particular set of results. There are times when situations demand that the leader have a cool and stable temperament. The most obvious is that of a… Read More »