I was delighted when I was sent a free copy of Barack, Inc.: Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign to review. Not just because I voted for him, but because this is a book about how to sell change, major change, to strangers and in doing so turn them into a community of supporters. That̵...

In a comment Monday Denis asked, “What do the people you hire tell about your leadership style?” The short answer has been around a long time in one form or another. Good leaders (managers) hire people smarter than themselves and don’t feel threatened by people who are better at gi...

It seems that more and more people these days confuse accountability and consequences with ultimatums and punishment. I thought it would be a good idea to sort this out, since the former is a part of a strong, healthy culture, while the latter is a major factor in an abusive one. Accountability stem...

As you probably know there are hundreds of ways to mess up a culture and a lack of authenticity is one of the big ones. There’s a lot about written about authenticity, but are you aware that one of the quickest ways to announce your lack of authenticity is to issue ultimatums? Thousands of tim...

Another day, another leadership book. I sometimes wonder how far around the earth they would stretch if laid end to end. Most have viable lessons, useable by everyone, not just the person running the show. Many of the attitudes, actions and lessons learned and offered are similar, but each seeks a t...

Dan McCarthy writes a great blog over at Great Leadership; we don’t always agree, but I always learn something from reading him. He recently wrote one with which I disagree, but I see the same topic over and over, so I thought I’d offer up my two cents on the it. The post lists “st...

I adore Bette Midler. I like her singing and acting, but mostly I love her chutzpah, humor, and all around sense of life; she’s feisty and independent—all traits that I respect enormously and do my best to emulate. Now, without more ado, I present a few choice Midlerisms. On Personal Develop...

Egoship. I doubt that I coined the term, but I did think of it independently. It’s been popping into my head for a number of years now as I read stories of astronomical pay packages for business leaders. It didn’t take a business guru to start noticing that along with those salaries seem...

When Idris Jala was hired as CEO of a failing state-owned airline he had exactly three and-a-half months operating cash in which to turn it around—no bail out, no other options. He succeeded well beyond expectations with a combination of laser focus on the P&L statement and his own view of lea...

I came across the kind of commentary that so angers me. The post was about how to recognize leadership traits in children. Of course, parents should encourage their children to grow, but this type of thing furthers the myth of what to look for in those who become ‘leaders’, while those w...