But making decisions is of the essence in leadership—that is, handling large problems whether or not you are at war or at peace. When you make these decisions it is not done with any reaching for the dramatic. It is almost everyday and commonplace.
“A leader is only as effective as their capability to recognize and understand their surroundings, whether it is a crisis, a team, or a project. I always begin with promoting adaptive situational awareness, meaning a leader has to have systems that provide them accurate and timely information, is accepting of bad news, and is willing to pivot in light of changing circumstances. In so...
Without mature self-leadership competencies, leaders face an increasingly unsustainable environment. The stress of growing job complexity, difficult decisions, limited time, information overload, the high stakes of negative consequences (this list goes on for a while) combined with the attention required to maintain family, friends, church, hobbies (this list also goes on) can be impossible to...
[Your subordinates] will take queue from you: You show loyalty they learn loyalty; you show them it’s about the work it will be about the work; you show them some other kind of game then that’s the game they’ll play….there will come a day when you will have to decide if it’s about you or about the work. Lieutenant Daniels, The Wire
“We want to make good time, but for us now this is measured with emphasis on “good” rather than “time” and when you make that shift in emphasis the whole approach changes.” “The truth knocks on the door and you say, ‘Go away, I’m looking for the truth,’ and so it goes away. ” “Sometimes it’s a little better to travel than to arrive” “In the high country of the mind one has to become...
“In the high country of the mind one has to become adjusted to the thinner air of uncertainty, and to the enormous magnitude of questions asked, and to the answers proposed to these questions. The sweep goes on and on and on so obviously much further than the mind can grasp one hesitates even to go near for fear of getting lost in them and never finding one’s way out.” Robert M. Pirsig, Zen...
The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear – Socrates
Reading When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you...
Many statements don’t stand the test of time. Even the most visionary people say things that are proven false and useless with time. In his final days, John records an exchange between Jesus and the disciples who deserted him. The final two words of the exchange are timeless: Scripture Reading: Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when...
“I constantly make sure we’ve created an environment that encourages people on the team to really say what they think, to get their ideas out on the table and to give them an opportunity to argue those perspectives and make sure they’re not holding them inside . . . . That’s something I’m constantly working on — how can I create that environment, how can I ask the...