Leadership is about transformation. If your leadership does not transform people, you are not meeting your potential. The first person your leadership transforms is you. Leading is not something that can be learned from books or in school. You cannot learn to be a leader by watching a movie. Your leadership comes from who you are. Becoming the leader you have the potential to be is based in recognizing and appreciating who you are, your true self. Your leadership is... Read more
One thing I remember hearing while I was growing up was “Young man, if you do not straighten out right now you are headed for deep trouble.” It may have been that someone wanted me to sit up straighter, or be quiet longer, or work harder on my homework. Now, I was headed for deep trouble, but not because of any of that. The trouble in my path was deeper. We may be anxious about troubles in our relationships, troubles... Read more
We live in a world obsessed with quantity over quality. We spend our lives focused on quantity; how many points, how much money, how many followers, how many square feet, how many calories. It is easy to lose track of quality because we do not know how to measure it. Quality eludes our fleeting attention. Quality takes time. We live lives in which we spend time to make money, which we can measure. Each new model displaces the quality that... Read more
The leaders who inspire me bring out the best in the people around them. Leadership is not about perfect people surrounding themselves with other perfect people, marching in lockstep toward exceeding their goals. Leadership is about people making mistakes together, learning lessons, then making better mistakes. The leaders who inspire me give themselves opportunities to make mistakes. They set challenging goals, and bring out the best in people working to meet them. They appreciate the value of saying, “Yes, I... Read more
For as long as I can remember I have had a passion for justice. Strengthened by what I watched and read as a child, my commitment to justice is one of my core values. My passion fueled my interest in law and history, in how we make decisions as a society. It inspired me to go to law school, and to become a practicing attorney. The best times for me practicing law took place in a courtroom. I constructed my... Read more
For as long as I can remember I have had a passion for justice. Strengthened by what I watched and read as a child, my commitment to justice is one of my core values. My passion fueled my interest in law and history, in how we make decisions as a society. It inspired me to go to law school, and to become a practicing attorney. The best times for me practicing law took place in a courtroom. I constructed my... Read more
We have a complicated relationship to time. We are motivated to achieve. Whether it is the way we were brought up, or something inherent in our personalities, what we accomplish is important to who we are. We are people who get things done, and managing time is an essential part of how we do that. We hope to use our time effectively, squeezing the most out of each day. At the same time, we are motivated to find meaning. We... Read more
Leadership can be puzzling. Leaders translate the deep picture, the values and the vision, into specific goals, objectives and practices. Leadership is all about making concepts and principles tangible; turning ideas into actions. The leaders who inspire me have a passion for putting things to work. Leadership is the bridge between the picture on the front of the box and all of the pieces inside. Leaders need the big picture. We need to be able to see the vision. We... Read more
It is not easy for me to forgive. Some people are harder to forgive than others. There is one person in particular who I find it almost impossible to forgive. I have known them for a long time. I can see through their games and tricks, even when other people cannot. I know when they are trying to manipulate me, to get me to see them in the most positive light possible. I can tell when they are hiding something... Read more
I am a focused person. Few obstacles will stop me from continuing to focus once I start working on something. I may not know all the sources that feed my focus, or all the ways in which I practice focusing. I do know at least three steps that strengthen and sharpen the way I focus. Understanding Why My focus begins with the Why. A good reason compels me to pay attention. A great reason can keep me going almost indefinitely. My... Read more
Strategic Monk
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