“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” ~John Maxwell Defining an Extraordinary Leader The question of what defines an extraordinary leader has been argued back and forth for centuries. In some ways what determined the greatness of a leader was determined by the culture…
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” ~John Quincy Adams Follow the leader is a game many of us played when we were children. The rules were simple: do what the leader does or get kicked out of the game and the…
In today’s world there is quite a bit of discussion about the word authority, and for the most part it has a tendency to be spoken of in a negative context. We too easily associate it with force, brutality, and manipulation, which is far from its original meaning. Force is about control and is the…
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken adults.” ~ F. Douglas In times of craziness and chaos, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) can play a critical role in your level of happiness and success. Let me explain… First let’s start by defining EQ so we are all on the same page. Webster…
“Commitment is an act, not a word.” ~ Jean-Paul Sartre Whether it is a decision to exercise, be engaged at work, or a decision to spend the rest of your life with someone you love … no commitment can be complete unless you are ALL IN! So how do you define ALL IN? How do…
“Success is all about what we do for ourselves, significance is all about what we do for others.” ~ Cole A. Randall There is a story about a man who spent his life chasing success. He ran as hard and as fast as he could and surpassed every milestone that he had set for himself. And…
“If all the world’s a stage, please stick to your own script and read your own lines!” – Joe Contrera With all of the chaos unfolding in the world, I am struck by the level of judgment folks have towards others. Social media has given everyone a voice and so they use it to…
“The mind is slow in unlearning what it has been long in learning.” ~ Seneca “It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.” ~ Seneca I have always believed that growth as a person, a leader, or a professional meant that I needed to learn, whether it…
“Nothing will kill a great employee faster than watching you tolerate a bad one.” ~Percy Belcher Over the course of the last 25 years I have had numerous opportunities to Coach leaders in a variety of positions. There have been quite a few times when someone from HR or a leader reaches out because…
Last week I wrote about Honesty, Wisdom, & Leadership. In that blog, we defined wisdom as the accumulation of knowledge and experience. We also discussed the importance of honesty in relationship to wisdom. This week, I want to do a little deeper dive into the topic of knowledge and experience. Specifically knowledge in the context…