Let’s start with the obvious: if you don’t have the trust of the people you’re leading, you will fail as a leader. Without trust, people can’t put stock in your vision, won’t commit themselves to your directives, and will lose confidence in you. If people can’t trust...
If we’ve learned anything during the last couple of years, it’s that people are frustrated with “establishment” leaders. We worry that such leaders aren’t capable of acting independent of their party or organization, even when acting independently would be doing the...
If you want to be a good leader, you have to start by being a good person. Leadership is an inside job. It’s your integrity and character that will make the biggest difference on the impact you have as a leader. Most of us think we’re good, but we also are more...
It always makes me cringe when a leader prides himself on being “brutally honest.” As in, “Hey, I just tell it like it is; if that hurts people’s feelings, too bad so sad. I’m just brutally honest.” Think about it. Do you really need to bring violence to your...
Despite the overwhelming evidence about fear and its debilitating impacts on performance, many leaders still resort to stoking people’s fears to get work done. Don't let fear rule your organization. Given how damaging fear is in the workplace, it is useful to know...
Everyone knows about the “Golden Rule,” right? The ancient law of reciprocity reminds us how we should engage with others in society. Well, I would like to propose a set of golden rules for the business world. These rules can help guide a positive daily engagement...
Great teams take time to develop. For seven years I traveled around the world as a member of the U.S. High Diving Team, diving from heights that scaled to over 100 feet into small pools that were only 10 feet deep. If we didn’t team well together, people could die. So...
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