As a leader your are never done learning – knowledge is everything. You are only ever as good as what you know and the target of understanding is always moving. You need to sat “green and growing.” Never approach your role from a place of knowing. Instead let curiosity be your default approach to problem solving and decision making.
Mistakes are a part of life. As the saying goes, “sometimes we are our own worst enemy.” I’ve seen many good leaders travel down a “rat trap” of their own making. Often this is done with the best of intentions, but the results usually have nothing to do with the original intention behind them. The
In our society that rewards constant action, it is often hard to step back and reflect about where you have been, what you have learned, and where you should be going. However, leadership requires thinking and reflection as much as it is supposed to stimulate action. Many people I know are busy at doing the wrong things. They are working hard but not smart. Every day is just one more attempt to push the boulder up the hill and hope that at some point positive sustained momentum will push them over the top. Unfortunately as the slope of their climb increases the weight of their responsibilities also increases and the path they are treading becomes less predictable and stable. You can’t push forward into unchartered territory and not expect to learn some tough lessons along the way. If you are not careful, you may slip or fall and the boulder will roll right back over you.
Avoid being put on a pedestal by yourself or by others. I’ve seen good people get too full of themselves when they begin to view themselves as extra special and different from everyone else. In happens in all industries and in all sectors. Nonprofit leaders certainly aren’t excluded. It is never good for any of us to be surrounded by people who are too deferential. Success without humility typically leads to ego issues. I’m not saying we shouldn’t value or respect accomplishment, but we shouldn’t put a disproportionate emphasis on the attributes of the person. Superlative outcomes are usually the result of good timing, hard work and specialized focus not generic ability. In addition, doing good work that taps into your unique talents makes a positive difference in the lives of others should be enough of a reward. Don’t get too caught up with celebrating YOU.
Plutarch (translated by Jeffrey Beneker)
Bryn Mawr Classical Review - Book ReviewView the BookThe ancient biographer and essayist Plutarch thought deeply about the leadership qualities of the eminent Greeks and Romans he profiled in his famous―and massive―Lives, including politicians and generals such as Pericles, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony. Luckily for us, Plutarch distilled what he learned about wise leadership in a handful of essays, […]
Read moreBoaz Rauchwerger
Vistage Interview with AuthorView the BookBook by legendary Vistage speaker Boaz Rauchwerger in which he provide a roadmap on how to change your life for the better through positive thinking and daily habits.
Read moreDavind McRaney
Book ReviewView the BookA terrific book to make you think about why we do what we do, and the traps associated with this behavior.
Read moreMore than 1,000 new business books are released each month in the United States alone. The good ones represent original contributions to theory and practice or provide meaningful extensions or applications of those theories and practices. The others tend to present recycled and superficial treatments of those original contributions. So how can you ensure not […]
Read moreAsking questions and listening to the questions of others helps leaders make better decisions.
Read moreCritical thinking is the ability to analyze and effectively break down an issue in order to make a decision or find a solution. At the heart of critical thinking is the ability to formulate deep, different, and effective questions. For effective questioning, start by holding your hypotheses loosely. Be willing to fundamentally reconsider your initial […]
Read moreProfessional development resource/community for leaders looking to scale their business.
View moreReal-life coaching sessions with leaders working to overcome professional challenges produced by the Harvard Business Review
View moreEvery day a staggering 2.5 exabytes of data is generated making our world increasingly difficult to understand. Visual Capitalist is one of the fastest growing online publishers globally, focused on topics including markets, technology, energy and the global economy. By highlighting the bigger picture through data-driven visuals, we stay true to our mission to help cut through […]
View morePatrick Lencioni thinks it is time to change the way we prepare people for success. Drawing from his book, The Ideal Team Player, Lencioni makes the compelling case that the key to success in an increasingly team-oriented world is being humble, hungry and smart. Whether you’re a CEO or a 7th grader, focusing on these […]
Dr. Derek Cabrera is an internationally recognized expert in metacognition (thinking about thinking), epistemology (the study of knowledge), human and organizational learning, and education. He completed his PhD and post doctoral studies at Cornell University and served as faculty at Cornell and researcher at the Santa Fe Institute. He leads the Cabrera Research Lab, is […]
Brian Johnson has spent thousands of hours studying and teaching (and, most importantly, striving to embody!) the fundamental principles of Ancient Wisdom + Modern Science. In this video, he captures the essence of the program that integrates all that wisdom into ONE (!) “START HERE!” coherent framework to help people fundamentally and permanently change their […]
Very few of us have a life curve that is only upward sloping. The difference is that “lucky” people just do not let their periods of adversity define them in unhelpful ways. They just keep plugging away, learning from their mistakes, continuing to believe in themselves, and taking calculated risks anyway. Their worldview is usually […]
Read moreYour Life: I have always thought that the whole concept of work life balance is a bit of an illusion. It is difficult for me to imagine someone who has a life that is always completely in balance. Things don’t always work out this way. It’s like the idea of a fifty-fifty partnership or […]
Read more“Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.” —Peter Drucker Part Three: It Takes Vision If you ask the average employee of the typical company why the company exists, what sets it […]
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