Following are excerpts from a recent interview between Rodger Dean Duncan of Forbes and Jim Kouzes, co-author of The Leadership Challenge, highlighting the importance of open dialogue for leaders. Enjoy. _____________________ Rodger Dean Duncan: In your practice you often make the point that leadership is a dialogue, not a monologue. How does dialogue inspire a [Read More]
Relying on the Wrong Skills
July 2, 2018 by Leave a Comment
How well do you really know your job? Most of the people I have met seem to really know what they are doing. When they sit down with peers, they can talk for hours about “the job.” They can easily leave me in the dust, with the level of detail they bring out, and of [Read More]
Does Inspiration Matter?
March 30, 2018 by 2 Comments
How important do you believe it is for people to be inspired about their work? Does inspiration really make a difference or is it a concept that is merely getting a lot of buzz these days? I am on the “makes a difference” side, and a recent episode reinforces why. I recently attended a talk [Read More]
The Off Year
February 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Shaun White is the Olympic halfpipe snowboarder who defies gravity, physics, and every other limitation known to mankind. His performances are nothing short of breathtaking. In 2006 and 2010 he won the gold medal. In 2014, he went home empty-handed. Nothing, Nada. Well, he obviously had peaked and was on his way down. Maybe he [Read More]
Connecting Voice and Touch
December 29, 2017 by Leave a Comment
As we begin a new year, I wanted to share a short, yet powerful story about one of the most important lessons of leadership. I hope you will often be mindful of its enduring and important message. Author Max Depree opened his book Leadership Jazz, with the story of his granddaughter Zoe, born prematurely and [Read More]
The Issue of Unnamed Sources
May 31, 2017 by 1 Comment
I cannot count the number of times I have heard people complain about the anonymity of the internet. It goes something like this: “People can write whatever they want, almost libeling people by spreading rumors or biased opinions, without any accountability. They do not have to sign their names, and so there is no way [Read More]
Leader Resoluions
December 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Since it is that time for resolutions, I thought I would give you a hand on someof your leadership aspirations going forward. Following is a solid list of some of the things that effective leaders intentionally focus on (along with some brief descriptions of each). You may have a few of your own favorites to [Read More]
Election Aftermath
November 28, 2016 by 1 Comment
Pondering the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential election reminded me of something very important. Different values are not the same as wrong values. I am hopeful that you will take some time and deeply reflect on this. Our values are very personal. They help us make difficult decisions and enable us to discern good from [Read More]
Lessons From Chance Encounters
September 1, 2016 by 1 Comment
I had two interesting encounters last week that reminded me of a couple important lessons for leaders. Encounter one found me finishing up the paperwork for mailing a package at a UPS store. A woman came in and apparently was hoping to mail a rather large box while using her husband’s company account number. After [Read More]
Reflections From Forum 2016
June 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Years ago I bought a piano. I always wanted to play the piano. After a few short weeks, I came to the conclusion I had made a financial blunder in buying it. I still very much wanted to play the piano, but I discovered that I did not want to learn to play the piano! [Read More]
