There is no shortage of books, articles, and research papers on the concept of leadership. It is a massive area of study for academics and practitioners alike. Despite the size of the field, there is no common definition for leadership. Consider a few that I have collected, some of which are quite terrible. I will let you be the judge.
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On a recent star tour in Bryce Canyon, I had the opportunity to look through several high-powered telescopes.
Some of these telescopes were almost as big as I am, and all required a step ladder to get to the eye piece and see the object it was directed at in space.
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It is no surprise that we live in a tumultuous world. Over two years ago COVID-19 changed the world, and ever since then we have been surrounded by a continued deluge of chaos, uncertainty, and complexity.
Consider a few of the world events in the last two years:
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I have been in the “corporate” world for nearly 10 years and only recently arrived at an insight that I knew intellectually but have not actively put into practice. This story will sound familiar.
A new year is coming and the business needs to forecast and prepare for the future. Meetings start to spin up on reviewing or creating a strategy for the team. It takes weeks (sometimes months) to get everyone aligned and decide on a strategic direction, the north star, for the near future.
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Several months ago, I learned about an organization that serves individuals whose lives are impacted by the effects of OCD, anxiety, and other forms of mental illness. The challenges these people face are very real and, unlike physical illness, are often unseen. The things they teach are based in psychology and are meaningful and impactful to all. One of the tools is a distress tolerance skill called “radical acceptance” which helps us when we experience pain.
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Recently I had the privilege to listen to Satya Nadella speak to a small group of leaders at Microsoft and there was a question Satya was asked about how leaders can step up to the challenges that are ahead of us as leaders. His answer was full of wisdom.
(more…)Journaling daily has become an important practice for me as I strive to learn. Each morning I write down what I am thinking or feeling (or both) and whatever else comes as I reflect on the previous day. This week I learned something important that I hope can help others as well.
(more…)Over the last several weeks I have spent a lot of time with family since we wanted to be close to family after the birth of our fourth child. During that time, I have observed in a few relatives a prioritization approach that made no logical sense to me. After careful consideration and reflection, I realized this kind of prioritization also happens in my life more often than I would like it to happen.
(more…)This week while reading I was struck by an idea.
(more…)I cannot know something works or witness results until I have tried it first.
Throughout my career I have viewed leadership through many different lenses. I felt like I needed to work hard to “convince” someone to give me the authority to lead a group. Permission and/or authority do not make a leader.
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I teach and invite people to act. Proud husband, father and amateur pizzaiolo