In previous blogs, I’ve talked about a number of leadership traits that anyone – at any level – can emulate. These have included courage, passion, getting comfortable being uncomfortable, finding your voice, and humility. These attributes are meaningless, though, without integrity. In simple terms, integrity means avoiding conflicts of interest, following local and federal laws, […]
Read MoreWhen I first went into a management role, I thought one of my most important responsibilities was being a problem solver. Team issues. Field/home office disputes. Individual performance shortcomings. I was convinced I could solve them all. There was a time, early in my manager career, where I was struggling with the performance of one […]
Read MoreWe each have the ability to choose how we approach our daily lives. What will you choose? I like to ground my attitude and actions around gratitude, optimism and belief. Those are three pretty simple words, but they carry significant meaning for me – and for the work we all can do as leaders. With […]
Read MoreJust do it! I’m sure you’re familiar with this brand slogan developed more than 25 years ago. Nike significantly increased its market share following the introduction of this theme. At my alma mater (Wartburg College, a small, liberal arts school in the Midwest), members of the wrestling program have heard a similar, but slightly different […]
Read MoreNot long ago, I was asked by a local non-profit to speak at its yearly fund-raising gala. You see, this organization’s operating model is changing, and the old ways of doing business are simply less relevant today than in the past. And its director noticed how our company has been navigating a similar shift with […]
Read MoreAre you holding out to “do what you love?” Or, are you learning to “love what you do”? Recently, I was talking with my two sons about this topic – one is a college senior, the other is in his first job out of college. They both want to “do what they love” but are […]
Read MoreLeaders lead. And they follow. These sentences sound contradictory, right? After all, we’ve all been conditioned to view leaders as … those out in front, those leading change, those making things happen. We have the context of historical leaders with tremendous personal will and courage. I’ve written about leadership and courage before, so it does seem […]
Read MoreI was at a town hall meeting at one of my company’s processing centers recently. A manager gave me some feedback, and it reinforced something I’d been thinking about lately. Basically, the feedback was: We can do a better job recognizing and thanking those around us who, day in and day out, get the “less […]
Read MoreIn college, I had this great picture of Jim Morrison on my dorm room wall. It spurred lots of conversation with my friends. His wild and often “strange” on-stage presence complemented the Doors’ new type of music. It also gave Morrison a reputation for being provocative … Ed Sullivan looked more than a bit uncomfortable […]
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