Leadership Articles

The team faced a significant challenge on the project. After a very successful brainstorming session they felt they had several ideas that would address and alleviate the problems they faced. They were truly energized by some of the ideas they generated. But soon, the glow wore off, because ...

“Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily. If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented. So, to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise.” – Maya Angelou Where does leadership originate? What makes a good leader? There are a multitude of ...

I recently heard a quote on the local news that indicated that less than 10% of Americans who make New Year's resolutions actually keep them. And what was even more surprising is that, for those who make resolutions, the majority have given up on them by January 20. It takes less than one month to give up on what we set out to achieve on January 1.

True Conscience-based Leadership encompasses vision, trust, respect, integrity, understanding, responsibility, compassion and generosity. It totally rejects coercion, dishonesty and a ruthless approach to living. Which model do you embrace? Hello and welcome. My name is Kieran Revell: I’m a Conscience-based (Ethical) Leadership Consultant and Speaker; Coach and Author. Thanks for joining me on this great jou ey. Over coming weeks and months it’s my pleasure to spend time with you through the presentation of a series of powerful posts and videos.r

Mark Twain once said, If you want energy go out and give it to someone else. Over the years I have been fortunate to lead not only businesses but several volunteer organizations. The ones where we had the greatest success is where all of us were creating energy. Yet, many self-employed business owners, entrepreneurs, solo professionals, corporate managers and corporate executives are unknowingly sabotaging themselves by not bringing or giving energy in their business or workp

Every day we deal with a variety of matters of urgent importance in our organizations. Seldom is leadership development on that urgent list. While perhaps not urgent, few things are of greater importance to the future of our organizations that the conscious and consistent development of our ...

The ladder was braced against the railings going to the basement. I started climbing up. I had to get to the ceiling and this was my Rube Goldberg way of doing it without having to put up scaffolding. I made it up two or three rungs before coming to my senses. It would be so easy for the railing to break and for me to go tumbling down the stairs. nnYou see I was trying to paint my living room with a cathedral ceiling. I had to get up near the apex at 12 feet. The problem was

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. If you are like me, you learned that rhyme sometime in elementary school. Specifically, Columbus left on his first voyage on August 3, 1492, sailing in search of a seagoing route from Europe to Asia with the vision of creating a trade route for spices, silk and more. He led a crew of three ships on that voyage and, as history shows, instead found islands of North America. While not the first European to make this discovery (the Norse d

One hour north of Ely, MN, off a gravel road called Echo Trail, Little Indian Sioux River meanders through lily-pad waters and past beaver houses to meet Loon Lake. It’s but a tiny part of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilde ess, a vast chain of lakes and rivers that divide Canada and the United States. It was our fourth season to canoe for a week, testing our ability to paddle against wind gusts of 35-mph, fight mosquitoes and stinging flies, drag our boat over beaver dams, portage up and down slippery trails and sleep most nights under the stars.

You can pick up any business or news magazine at any time and read articles about the rapid pace of change, the increasing speed at which everything moves, the globalization of industry and commerce, and how technology is changing our world. Of course all of these things are true. Further ...

Ethics is defined as the "standards governing how human beings ought to act in various situations." Would you describe yourself as an ethical leader? If so, what values drive your ethics? How do you apply those values in your everyday decision-making?

When it comes to leading others, there are several traits that are necessary for success. The average person doesn't realize how difficult it is to inspire others in proper manner to move forward. Leading others is not an easy thing to do, but there are several keys that can help move the process into proper light. No matter what kind of leadership role you're placed in, there is a greatness that is involved with following the following 3 keys. The following are just 3 simple things that can be utilized for proper influence.

This may seem like a very strange title for an article. After all, a vacation is supposed to be… a vacation. The title seems to imply that we should strive to make our vacation, somehow strategic or productive. In a way, that is what I am suggesting, but maybe not in the anal-retentive way ...

We are surrounded by off-the-shelf brands and prepackaged professional images. But those who have learned to listen to their intuition and trust their instincts will always be one step ahead of the pack – and they’ll exude the kind of brand and leadership presence that others want to emulate. Experience is one of the best teachers, so own yours. Allow it to guide you forward. Your story is one-of-a-kind and nobody else has learned the same lessons life taught you. Leverage that uniqueness.r

Leaders and managers or supervisors require different skills. A description or list of management and leadership skills may have some overlapping qualities but they are distinct proficiencies. Leaders require the ability to see the big picture and make decisions about missions and goals. Supervisors and managers need to excel at efficiency and productivity to carry out goals. Both supervisors and leaders require excellent communication skills. Excellent communication skills i

Back in 1990 I joined a world – wide professional services firm in the UK. It was my first step into the private sector ( I'd previously worked in Education, then the Civil Service ) and it seemed a bit of a risky move. But then I thought, this is a huge international firm, it must be quite a safe environment. Anyway, within a couple of years, we had a recession and there were cutbacks, redundancies and uncertainty amongst the people who worked there.

Do you, your team or organization need to overcome obstacles and deliver results? Perhaps, you are having issues motivating your team or even yourself? Do you need to know how to find those elusive “hot buttons” that ignite people into action? Until a few years ago I would have answered, “Yes” to all of these. Then one day I had an epiphany. You cannot motivate anyone! Yep. You heard me. You cannot motivate anyone...except yourself. Think about it. Motivation is very personal and comes from within us. Let’s look at the definition.

You know how it goes: you start your workday with a pretty good idea of what you want to do and need to accomplish. You have really good intentions about how productive your day will be and then, you get an unexpected phone call. Someone is sick or hurt or perhaps it’s your spouse calling to let you know the basement has flooded and you are immediately needed at home. Whatever it is, it is not what you planned and you immediately need to shift your focus.

No matter who you pulled for this season, you have to agree that the Super Bowl winning Giants reminded us that we have the ability to control our own destinies. With the right attitude, a little luck, and powerful perseverance propelled by great leadership anyone can be a champion. They scratched and clawed their way through the playoffs – managing a win against the Packers, who were having one of the greatest seasons in the history of football. Finally they outscored the Patriots in a tug-of-war world championship.

It’s a well-known fact that a happy work environment can have a ripple effect throughout the business creating happy employees and happy customers. If your employees are happy, it will show in their work. It’s obvious, right? That being said, a lot of businesses don’t think that office morale is an important factor to consider in the workplace. It happens all too often that business overlook this aspect, treating the workplace like a prison (or so it feels). There are c

Grow taller 4 Idiots program is one of the most popular topics searched on the internet. This program aims to help people who want to grow taller beyond their puberty years. There is this notion that a person cannot grow further once he achieved a certain age. However, according to the author of this program, this is just a myth. It was also found out that 24 out of the 33 vertebrae in our body are not yet fused together and have left some room for growth. These spaces are called intervertebral discs. This program concentrates on this part of our body.

10 Easy Things You Can Do That Will Create Significant Results In keeping with my own rule (see #5), let me get to the point: here are 10 simple steps that you need to take to improve your personal results as well as the results of your business (or department). Per rule #5 again - the next steps are for you to read each of the 20% rules and adopt them. 1. 20% of your clients/customers should be fired. They are a pain in the butt and are costing you time and money (and happiness). Plus, for every one you dump, there is room to find a better one. Stop being a victim.

Podcasting is one of the most exciting new forms of communicating to an audience to have emerged in recent years. Many types of businesses as well as the government and people in education have started to discover the advantages of delivering their messages to their listeners at a time and in a place that suits them.

Businesses are in the process of uninterrupted change. Nobody can stop these processes. No particular action is required for changes to happen. Some changes in businesses may be positive; then it’s ordinary to use the term development. Which organizational changes are perceived ‘positive’ – that depends on the development’s desired direction. Other changes may be unexpected and when they use may be referred to like defacement. Both the organizational development and

There is nothing new in the statement that San Diego has the most beautiful beaches and the perfect weather. It is home to a lot of friendly folks of the whole nation. There is yet a lot more about this city that you yet do not even know. Here are some fun historical facts about this city that would make you want to visit it even more.

I think you’ll agree with me if I say that being a leader is one of the most difficult things to do. I mean, if you just watch from a distant, it may seem easy, but as soon as you are the one who has to portray the role, then you’ll see the difficulty. Dealing with your own work is hard enough. What more if you have to manage another person’s work too? It’s really not that easy, especially if you are not equipped with enough tools to handle the job.

Any discussion of great leaders will include the cliché that the best leaders lead by example. Stated in conversation, everyone will nod and agree. And if you are reflecting personally on the attributes of those you have willingly followed, you will find that common trait too. It seems there is little doubt that we influence others through our actions, especially when we are in a leadership role.rnThe challenge is that it isn’t just great leaders who are leading by example

What does it take to acquire effective leadership skills? First, you have to be good with people. Leadership is highly interpersonal, so many people skills are involved. To name a few: listening, accepting feedback, giving feedback and resolving conflict. These are skills you use with people, and you can learn them. But people skills take you only so far. You need something else. A lot of people say, "It's not just what you can do, it's who you are." I talk about this as "per

I know that there have been people with the title of Project Manager for many years, and there has been a growing body of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques in the area of project management for a long time. Yes, there have always been projects. But never before has it been so important ...

St. Thomas Aquinas is considered by many to be the Catholic Church’s greatest theologian and philosopher. Among the many great works he created, Aquinas wrote about the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. As I was reminded of these gifts during a recent Sunday church service, I thought it would be ...

There are countless horror stories of a phenomenon called "workplace bullying." According to The Workplace Bullying Institute (www.bullyinginstitute.org) it’s defined as: repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms: * verbal abuse rn* offensive conduct/behaviors (including non verbal) which are threatening, humiliating or intimidating rn* work interference -- sabotage --

As women, we have dynamic lives, full of opportunity and continuous challenge. We fill a variety of roles – we are mothers, daughters, friends, volunteers and mentors. We also are called upon to lead everyday, though many of us have never considered ourselves leaders. We are leaders, whether we recognize it or not. This is because leadership is not about prestige, power or position. Leadership is our ability to influence outcomes, to inspire others and to continually set goals for future success.

Even before the big ball dropped in Times Square to celebrate the advent of 2011, the media had been bombarding us for weeks with advice about our New Year’s resolutions. Lose a few pounds. Get back in shape. Kick a bad habit. Spend more quality time with your kids. Make better choices in your love life. Refinance your mortgage. Grow your IRA.

Collaborative Leadership: of the six different leadership profiles described in Leadership Strengths Profiles, this is the one most commonly misunderstood. This is not surprising as the hallmarks of Collaborative Leadership, subtlety, refinement, nuance, elegance, and unobtrusiveness are the exact opposite of the stereotypical descriptions of leadership – boldness, daring, visionary, and audacious. Collaborative Leadership is restrained and understated and its presence is n

There are three ways to define revolutionary leadership for corporate leaders. It can be viewed differently, especially in relation to historic leadership and examples of leaders. One important thing with understanding on this leadership is that it helps to know and understand the world politics and ways of governance by tracing the history of leaders, especially corporate leaders. The other important thing of knowing revolutionary leadership and different forms of it is that

Without strong leaders, the world has become ï¬lled to overï¬owing with fundamentally good and honest people who have become addicted to the demands of a self-centered lifestyle that is focused on acquiring the things and experiences that (so they are told) will enable them to enjoy life. But the strategy is not working: good and honest people cannot bank on leaders or truly enjoy a lifestyle that ignores and/or omits the fundamentals: 1. In the physical aspect: Order. 2. In the intellectual aspect: Loyalty. 3. In the spiritual aspect: Truth.

There are at least two definitions of the word insanity: the one in the dictionary, and the cliché we’ve all heard, used, and knowingly nodded our head at when hearing it.rnFirst, from Merriam-Webster:rnInsanityrn1. a deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder (as schizophrenia)rn2. such unsoundness of mind or lack of understanding as prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter into a particular relationship, status, or tr

Once you start a business, the clock will start ticking faster sometimes. Other times it will be slow and dull. If you want to be a great leader you should learn how to make even the dullest of days count. There are many things to do everyday. You just need to have your eyes open and ears alert. The more you understand the importance of each day, the better you will do to make each day count. Here are a few steps to help you turn a dull day into something productive: Set a M

Every so often, the kind of leadership that brings success to an organization can change. However, there appears to be a common denominator no matter what style of leadership is present in an organization, and that common denominator is the emphasis on results. Indeed, a results based leadership appears to have more success in helping an organization turn its vision into reality and deliver the mission it has set. This is why more and more organizations are striving to find d

Resistance.rnWhen I ask groups to tell me what first comes to their minds when they think about change, resistance is always on that list. And their thoughts about it aren’t positive – in fact, I used the word “fear” in the title purposefully. Resistance is typically seen as a negative occurrence and as something to avoid, deny or downplay as much as possible.rnThe truth is that resistance isn’t to be feared and isn’t a “bad” thing at all. Resistance helps us

It’s the season of love – the week of Valentine’s Day when everyone who sells anything is trying to tie their product to romance.rnI’m not trying to sell you a bouquet or a bottle of wine. I’m trying to sell you an idea.rnAnd admittedly, the love I am speaking of isn’t the sort that takes place in front of a roaring fire or across from a flickering flame of a candle. But make no mistake; it is love we are talking about.rnTo be a great leader, there are things you

What do you believe about your business? Your business beliefs are the core values of your “how” in leading your relationships and managing the details. Have you ever taken four minutes and written them down? Make sure you include these three things you gotta believe about your business: Business Pacer When my daughter ran distance races, she trained her body to build endurance by putting in the necessary miles daily. She also exercised her mind to learn course management.

Without question, courage is essential to the work of entrepreneurs and change agents, and anyone Working for Good. The journey to creating something new and changing something old is not easy and continually calls for courage to face the unknown, the uncertain, the never-been-done before, the "how the heck are we going to make it through this passage" passages. Here are some more reflections on Courage by my friend, colleague, and collaborator, Elad Levinson. And remember, i

The idea for this article came from a question I recently received from a manager, who asked:rnWhat do you do when a group of people that work together have a lot of history and just don’t generally like each other?rnAs you can see from the title, I’m not answering the exact question, but I am confident that what I am about to share with you will shed significant light on that question, and the hundred related ones I have been asked in the past (and I make a specific comm

Local Government professional executive managers, like their private industry counterparts have highly visible public profiles that often leave them open to criticism and attacks from many avenues including disgruntled employees and dissatisfied unions.

Recently, I heard from a gentleman who feels as though his business is managing him instead of the other way around. He said that if he had to do it all again, he’s not sure if he would grow his business to the size it is now. Who is ‘in charge’ here? Unfortunately, I don’t believe it’s him.

Here is a suggestion for your next sales meeting. Create a list of all the job functions of the people your sales team members need to reach. These can include decision makers and decision influencers. Then, on a flip chart or white board, brainstorm as many business issues you can for each person. Don’t argue about any items – just let them flow. Next, edit the lists and prioritize with the issues your company’s products and services can address. Try to name at least one cu

Hey! “Keep Your Eye on The Ball”! How any times have you heard that expression? Was it as a kid at bat for the first time? It could have been any sport really where one needs to focus “on the ball”. Or, maybe you’ve shouted it out to your child during their little league baseball or softball game. Regardless of whether you heard it or said, it is probably the universal call to pay attention, focus and avoid distractions.