Thought Leaders

I have observed a lot of leaders over the last five decades. Some do an OK job of "staying open and staying legal." The literature aptly describes this as "satisficing." Good enough is good enough. A few of the leaders I have observed, however, are masterful at their...

The late Dr. Phil Schlechty oft reminded us that the people we work with, our internal and external customers, and even our students (for the educators among us) should be viewed as volunteers.    Each and every one of them extends to us their time, effort, attention...

Most of us look at ourselves in the mirror each day. Probably many times each day. A quick look at pictures of ourselves over the years irrefutably documents that what we look like today is NOT what we looked like 10 or 20 or 50 years ago. Our beingness -- who we are...

In a world that seems shaky, being able to rely on the boss to be steady, resilient, and focused on the big picture is a blessing. Some of the best bosses I've worked for consistently demonstrated... Decisiveness rather than going wobbly. Forward focused mindset....

We often drift into thinking in dichotomies and mutually exclusive terms. As if it's either THIS, or THAT. Life, however, is rarely so discretely defined. In almost every dimension, we live, think, and behave along continua. We live out our lives in constant fluidity....

I recently read St. Benedict’s Guide to Improving Your Work Life: Workplace as Worthplace by Michael Rock (2015). In this book, MR makes a powerful case that thoughtful leaders can create engaging and meaningful work environments that not only serve customers and...

Lots of words have been written about being an effective leader. (Quite a few of them on this blog cite.) While there are bazillion variables that go into effective leadership practice, I see many superb leaders habitually practice some very simple things: They are...

There are many paths that lead to success. There are precious few that lead to excellence. Watching some powerful models of pursuers of excellence over the years, I notice some commonalities: They paint a clear picture of "where we're heading" -- the VISION. That...

We often get steeped in problem solving mode. That busyness causes us to be myopic in both the way we view the problem and the way we attempt to rectify it. Problems are regularly the consequence of faulty systems, patterns of behavior that cause the problems in the...