A recent new study by the Center for Public Leadership at Harvards John F. Kennedy School of Government and U.S. News & World Report (September 2006) reports that 70% of folks in the U.S believe there is a leadership crisis in America. So do I!If you had Googled the word leadership as I did in January 2007 when preparing to write my first book you would have gotten 163 million references on the Internet. If you had Googled followership at that...more
What constitutes effective leadership? If you ask ten people youll probably get a variety of answers. During my leadership development programs we spend a great deal of time defining what leadership means to the individuals in the session.The simple fact is you can define it in many ways, it almost becomes an individual preference of what each calls a great leader. Thats understandable because different people respond to different things. We...more
Over our last few discussions we have focused on the "WHY" factor and how it effects our businesses. Today, I would like to continue by expanding on this topic, discussing the correlation between your "WHY" and your leadership.As we recap our conversation about your "WHY" by looking at the partnership between these two aspects, it will become clear that having a strong "WHY" is the core to being a great leader.It just so happens, last week I heard a great analogy on this subject while master minding with others leaders in our industry.I would have to say that this analogy is by far the simplest way to discuss the "WHY" factor. The example used was attending an event that requires a ticket providing you with an assigned seat. For our example I will use box seats at a ball game.Now, your "WHY" in this example is getting to your seats.Think about it, you purchased the tickets you came to the park, you complete all the steps necessary to put yourself in a position to find your seats.**I want to make a quick point here...it's very important for you to understand this. Many people never achieve their dreams, because they are caught up in finding their "WHY". Your "WHY"...more
Leadership Training: How to Ask Your Team for Feedback When You're the ManagerManagers and supervisors who really want to do a great job frequently bring up in my Leadership Development Training seminars the best way to get feedback from their team.While leaders care about being their best and bringing the best out in others, it's not...more
I like the definition of leadership by Reverend Michael D. Noonan at Wikipedia. It says that leadership is "ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen." In my opinion, this is the essence of the concept of leadership. Think about it. Leaders create a way. They do not control. They do not...more
Great leaders are always leading. They have a new objective to pursue the moment the current objective is complete.They know you need momentum to keep moving forward as a leader. You keep the energy high and the momentum keeps you team enthusiastic and in motion.You are going to need discipline, drive and determination to be a true leader. The price that one pays for mastery is discipline. You can't have success without it. Every day you need to devote yourself to the perfection of the path you have chosen to peruse. By doing this you will achieve self mastery. Achieve self mastery and you will have developed the essence of a great leader. Discipline is about developing powerful habits and at one point those habits will become your identity.If you have the discipline you will keep moving forward. By keeping that forward motion you will provide growth in strengths, character and virtues for both you and your team.Albeit Einstein said that compound interest was the most powerful force in our society. Discipline and perseverance are a lot like the principle of compound interest - The more committed you are towards your objectives, the greater the momentum you will build. In the...more
Leaders have got a lot of myths attached to them. Leadership in itself is redefined every then and now. There have been a lot of debates on different leadership styles and a lot of characteristics that the leader should or should not posses. There is...more
Another home run for Seth - my favourite blogger. His posting of 13 June* describes the entrepreneur's desire for a magic lottery ticket - that sudden, solve-all event that will get you over the hump in terms of publicity, funding or customer uptake....more
This article illuminates the issue of poor leadership in social work practice, which lack clear vision in professional social work and changing social care needs of the emerging ageing population. The exploration of the concerns would...more
Any good leader's primary concern should be to reflect the values that their organization upholds and through good communication management. Once this purpose in leadership communication is clear in any leader's objectives, then it makes for a...more
A valuable gemstone has many facets, each finely polished. To be a valuable leader, you similarly need a range of carefully honed capabilities. For some people, these attributes fall broadly into two categories. First, the technical (or IQ-driven)...more
What is servant leadership? How can you benefit from it? Serving at its core meaning is setting aside your own needs and desires, in order to aid or assist others with their needs. Notice I did not mention "wants", it is all about...more