January 26, 2013 by 2 Comments

Character & Courage

Leadership is not defined by the position we hold. We all lead others, for someone is always watching us. We lead people to make decisions in or out of alignment with what we are doing by what they observe in us.

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Leadership is also not defined by how many are following; everyone is a leader at the core, for each of us must lead our “self”. In a way then, we lead each other within “an influence relationship”. Some are leaders and some are active followers. An active follower is a leader as well.

If we are all leaders of some magnitude, then Please Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Leadership Tagged With: , , ,
December 30, 2012 by 4 Comments

Anxiety

Good morning! I am excited to share an excerpt from my soon to be published e-book: “Resilience; How Culture Impacted the Rebirth of Ford Motor Company”.

“All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.” 
John Kenneth Galbraith

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Hmmm…but what if the “major anxiety” exists within the leader as well? Is this then an advantage…that the leader can relate? If a leader can not relate to the anxiety, do they have enough empathy to care…enough knowledge of the “stuff” to deal with it appropriately?

“The mass of men lead lives of  Please Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Culture, ONE Ford Tagged With: , , , , ,
July 3, 2012 by 2 Comments

Balconey View – Going “deeper” amidst conflict

“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” Henry Kissinger

It is easy to get frustrated as we lead/work with people. Especially when we encounter negative feedback or resistance to partnership as we journey together. In the midst of the conflict it is important to remember that conflict gives us the opportunity to see what lies beneath the surface…which would otherwise have remained unseen.

Example: An employee/partner may approach you and suggest that they are disappointed with how they are being treated, how they are being paid, or something like. Your mind goes to the defense…”Have you any idea how hard I…” and so on…

This path leads to the cycle of crazies.

Stepping back and taking a balcony view brings fresh perspective. Why does the employee/partner feel this way? What has/has not be communicated in regards to their feelings? This is the first level of questioning…

 Please Continue Reading …

Filed Under: Culture, Leadership, Team, Values Tagged With: , , ,