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Category: Leadership
Respected leaders own their mistakes
We all make mistakes. That is a given. We have also realize that we can learn from our mistakes. Even though learning is positive, making mistakes always hurts a least a little. We want to make sure a mistake doesn’t hurt us twice. We need to admit it and own it as quickly as possible. Read More…
When little things become big things…
“Part of good leadership means having a delicate sensitivity towards others and walking with them side-by-side” -Charles Hobbs
Effective leaders are very good at filling up emotional bank accounts. Here is a story from Stephen M.R. Covey’s book “The Speed of Trust”:
“One afternoon we were preparing for a special dinner in the home of the president of the University. The following day was commencement, and that night we were hosting a dinner for major donors to the university and the honorary doctorate recipient, a prominent government official from Latin America.
As we were setting up the tables, a delivery of beautiful floral centerpieces arrived, obviously ordered by the university development office. The wife of our university president came over to him in a dither and said, “We have a problem.” She held up a plain-looking margarine tub containing violets from the garden. As it turned out, Lola- an older woman from Europe who had been their housekeeper for many years – had already prepared the “centerpieces” for the event. Read More…
A mark of character
“You can judge a person’s character by the way he treats people who can’t help or hurt him”
I came across the above quote today, and my thoughts immediately went to an event that occurred when I was a child in my early teens. It happened in Cheyenne, Wyoming on a hot summer day. I was visiting relatives, and my cousins and I were out walking around in a small strip mall. Someone came up to me and said, “There is a guy over there giving out free ice cream!” I looked over, saw the crowd, and made a beeline to the free ice cream. My eyes were glued to the prize like a heat-seeking missile. Just a few feet before I got there, an arm gently stretched out and halted my momentum. Read More…
Face-to-communication is still the king
In this virtual world of high tech and social media, it is easy to be seduced into the mindset that an “in-person” conversation is getting a little old fashioned. It isn’t! Whether selling, leading, or parenting, there is no substitute for a quality face-to-face conversation. I am vividly reminded of this almost every day.Read More…
Strong leaders are straight talkers
When I reflect on the most effective and respected leaders I have worked with in my career, there is one quality that is a common denominator among all of them: They are straight talkers. They say what they mean and they mean what they say, and they do so in a way that builds trust and goodwill. Like the quote in the old Jack Nicholson movie, they can “handle the truth”.Read More…