Category Archives: Leading Others

February 26

Competence vs. Character – The Army Dilemma

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Recently, the top two generals in the United States Army, Chief of Staff Ray Odierno, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, told the Associated Press that the Army has suffered from a loss of focus and a failure to balance character with competence ….Sometimes in the past we’ve overlooked character issues […]

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February 10

The Vision Thing – Motivating Others

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There is an oft-quoted parable used to illustrate how vision translates down to the team. It centers around three stonemasons working at a job site who are asked what they are doing by a visitor. The first one, sweat pouring from his brow, grumpily replies that he is “cutting stone.” The second stonemason sighs, and says […]

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February 07

How Much Are Style Points Worth?

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Before you spit your morning beverage of choice out, have confidence that the answer to the title of this blog will be to your liking. I was struck by a recent post in Leadership Freak that discussed more than a few ways to be IR-relevant.  It also recalled for me an item in Forbes from a […]

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January 13

What Kind Of Follower Are You?

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This blog is about the art of leadership, and as I have said on several  occasions, is aimed at the leader, the aspiring leader, and those who are led.  Many of the topics I have covered thus far focus in on the perspective of those  first two groups. The last group, the led, are known by another […]

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November 09

What’s Your Story?

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It is a human experience to tell stories to communicate between each other.  Psychologists and neurologists see this as the quintessential human behavior.  From Homer’s Iliad to the most recent popular fiction, humans using the power of story is a staple of nearly every culture and community that has graced the earth since recorded time.  […]

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November 08

Leadership Lesson on Veterans Day

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Veterans Day is an excellent opportunity to reflect on what the profession of arms in a democracy has given us over the past 200 years.  The United States, for most of its history has been a country where the military has represented an opportunity to improve one’s life potential, whether through experiences, skills, or education. Among […]

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October 17

Your Own Kobayashi Maru – Leadership in a Crisis

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For the Trekkie‘s amongst you, the K-Maru scenario has been fodder for uncountable arguments. In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Maru is a training simulation every Star Fleet cadet is put through.  In essence, the decisions available to the student are all “no-win” and the entire exercise is about how you come to terms with […]

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The Truth, and Other Things

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There are two possibilities about your team that you can contemplate from your position of leader. The first possibility is that they will follow you because they want to. Or, they will follow you because they have to. Despite the apparent differences that each of these realities suggest, there is one important similarity. You have […]

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Up The Lazy River – Leading Others

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The Economist recently published a blog post with a theme sure to warm the hearts of anyone who recently shelled out some coin for the latest management treatise that screamed out the need to cram 25 hours into the day and simply work your competition into the ground. “In praise of laziness” takes to task the […]

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Reality…What A Concept

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There are many stories in and around the workplace, but none are arguably more frustrating to the new leader than inheriting the narratives of all your teammates.  Cy Wakeman, author of “Reality-Based Leadership” argues that drama is emotionally expensive for all concerned.  As both leader and a peer within your own team, you will find […]

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June 21

Defining the “Rogue”

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Webster’s defines “rogue” as a “scoundrel, scamp, or generally mischievous person”.  In Nachbar and Lanse’s work “Popular Culture”, the tension between the hero as Rogue, and the hero as Citizen is represented in American popular culture in numerous ways. Americans admire their Citizen heroes and carve their faces and names in granite.  Americans love their Rogue […]

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Leading Others – “Whom Do I Lead? – Part II”

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Now that we have ourselves sorted out, who is next to be led? No surprises here as it is the people around you – your team, your peers, your boss, and anyone else other than you in your organization. You lead these others in a variety of ways using varying tools and skills. By using […]

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