3 Reasons Leading Volunteers Is a Great Test
I believe that leading volunteers is truly a great test of one’s leadership. In many ways, leading volunteers is the ultimate test of one’s ability to lead others. When I interview someone, I don’t only look for their work with “paid staff”; I pay close attention to their history leading volunteers. I have hired people […]
Stop Trying to Graduate from Leadership Basics
Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach, famously gathered his Green Bay Packer team together as training camp opened in 1961, held a football, and declared, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” He was not speaking to scrubs who just entered the league but to a team who had made it to the NFL Championship the previous […]
3 Shortcuts Leaders Should Never Take
In a culture that values instant everything and struggles waiting for anything, shortcuts are all the rave. Hack has even become a buzzword for taking shortcuts, maximizing time, and getting things done more quickly. “Hack your schedule.” “Hack your calendar.” “Hack your leadership meeting.” “Hack your life.” I am not against all hacking as some […]
Three Ways Millennials Make You a Better Leader
Some bemoan the inevitable—that millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) are becoming a larger section of the workforce. If you Google “millennials and work,” a plethora of articles will show up. Some affirm traits in millennials that contribute to a healthy work environment: creativity, technological savvy, or altruism. Others point to millennials and express […]
What Makes A Great Leader? (An Interview With Author Dave Ulrich)
In my upcoming book with Kevin Peck on leadership development (Designed to Lead), we reference research and writing from Dave Ulrich. Dave is a professor of business at University of Michigan and partner and cofounder of The RBL Group. Dave has been ranked the #1 Management Educator & Guru by Business Week, selected by Fast […]
Three Reasons You Should Care for Your Team’s Self-Leadership
Dee Hock is the founder and former CEO of Visa International and has been an advocate of leaders investing significant time and energy in self-leadership. He has advised: If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time leading yourself—your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20% leading those with […]
Three Differences Between Moving Slowly and Being Patient
Be patient. Move fast. Leaders have likely encouraged others and been encouraged to do both. The two are often set up as being contradictory to one another, as if being patient means moving slowly. But being patient is not the same thing as moving slowly. Some leaders claim they are being patient when they are […]
Three Key Phrases Jesus Used for Leadership Development
Whether one is a Christian or not, one has to recognize that Jesus has changed the course of human history. His teaching and ministry began with a small group of unlearned, ordinary men and then turned into a movement that rapidly spread and is still spreading across the world. Remarkably, Jesus spent most of his […]
Four Essential Phrases in Leadership Development
The fruit of an effective leader is not merely followers but other leaders. Leaders are responsible for future leadership. While some worry that developing others and “working themselves out of a job” will result in not having a job, the reality is that those who can develop other leaders will always be in demand. Leaders […]
Four Things Leaders Owe Their Followers
Max Depree wrote, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor.” Leaders, we are servants and debtors. We are in debt to the people who follow us. And what do leaders owe those […]