Leadership

  We think of leaders as people who are focused on what needs to be done. Great leaders are not distracted by interpersonal conflict, politics, or physical obstacles. We depend on leaders to have a plan, foresee challenges, and find ways to put the plan in action. We expect our leaders to help us get […]

Grace is a short word that carries a deep complexity of truth. It can mean very different things to different people. Some people understand grace as athletic, the ability to stay balanced as you complete challenging tasks. Dancers are graceful, skaters gliding across the ice. Grace is an elegance of movement, the ability to transform

There are people who have an unshakable grasp on what is not possible. They know what can be done and are firmly convinced about what cannot be done. They have assessed their organizations and the people with whom they work. They have a clear picture of what is beyond their limitations. People who call themselves leaders

I have known people in positions of leadership who did not strike me as particularly creative. Some people try to be leaders who meet goals, tighten nuts and bolts, come in under budget. Their idea of leadership seems to be doing a little more or a little better than last year. Their leadership priority appears to

Each of us can become a leader. Our challenge is finding the leadership potential within us and translating that potential into actions. Some people take a focused, intentional approach to discovering their leadership. They learn as much as they can then try to apply those lessons in their own work. They may be ambitious, looking for

How many people do we trust? Where do we find the balance between being too trusting and too skeptical? We want leaders we can trust. Each of us might express it in slightly different ways, with words like authenticity, honesty, communicator. We look for leaders who can be trusted to tell us the truth. We do

Leadership is a dance. We need to learn the steps. 1. Spend Time Getting Comfortable with Yourself. Our leadership is a product of how we know ourselves. We can study masterful technique from great teachers, but we dance our own leadership steps. Our knowledge about leadership needs to be demonstrated in how we dance. We cannot lead other people effectively until

Many of us hope for smooth sailing with a nice breeze at our backs, pushing us gently along. We would like our flight to be calm, free from bumpy turbulence. We trust the boat and the plane, the sail and the pilot, when we have a nice, easy trip. There are, though, leaders who come into their own

Leadership is challenging. It takes hard work, creativity, persistence, and insightful wisdom to become a strong leader. We work for years, committing our best efforts to find our own leadership. It is as if our own personal leadership is on the top shelf, in the back, just beyond what we can see. We can almost reach it,

Leadership is knowing yourself well enough to bring out the best in other people. Leaders do the work it takes to be honest with themselves. They share their true selves with the people around them. They guide and inspire other people to become the people they have the potential to be. Leaders do not create