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leadership lessons

Cornerstones of Leadership - P = PURPOSE

September 9, 2011 by Lary Kirchenbauer with 44 views

This is the 10th article in our 10 part series, The Cornerstones of Effective L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. Next time, we’ll pull it all together in a concluding article. In a vision statement, Purpose is often subsumed by a celebration of values. Values are critical to “how” you’ll go about realizing your Purpose … but Purpose describes “why” you’re in business. Then, let your Mission Statement fulfill that Purpose. [read more]

Cornerstones of Leadership - I = Integrity

September 8, 2011 by Lary Kirchenbauer with 56 views

What would you do if you found your competitor’s customer list in your inbox one morning? Would you keep it? Would you use it? Would you destroy it? Would you return it? A tiny demon with a pitchfork, oversized ears and a red tail will be camped on one shoulder, urging you to keep it and chase down every one of them to make them your customers. [read more]

Cornerstones of Leadership - H = Humility

August 31, 2011 by Lary Kirchenbauer with 63 views

“Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself … [It is] freedom from thinking of yourself at all.” —William Temple. At this point in our Leadership series, I hope you’ve begun to think of these essential building blocks as an interlocking structure that strengthens your ability to lead. As we saw last week, for example, Reliability is one of the linchpins in the exercise and the embodiment of many of these qualities. [read more]

Cornerstones of Leadership - R = Reliable

August 29, 2011 by Lary Kirchenbauer with 49 views

This concept is pretty simple, isn’t it? We expect that Sam’s mom will pick up our child from school when promised … that our salary increase will take effect as scheduled … that our boss will fight for our marketing budget as he said he would. We expect our leaders to have our back, to be responsive, to honor their word and generally do what they say they’re going to do when they say they’re going to do it. It’s simple … but when it’s absent, it can be paralyzing. [read more]

Cornerstones of Leadership -- E = Education

August 26, 2011 by Lary Kirchenbauer with 64 views

Interestingly, this L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. series has prompted several suggestions about what concepts I should use for some of the letters remaining in the series. I considered several candidates, as I’ve done for each column … Élan, Enjoyment, Energy, Engagement … and while there are a lot of worthy candidates, my objective is to select the 10 essential qualities of leadership that truly differentiate great leaders. For me, there is nothing more powerful than E = Educaton. [read more]

Cornerstones of Leadership -- D = DISCIPLINE

August 25, 2011 by Lary Kirchenbauer with 84 views

I’ve written previously about Steve Jobs’ conviction that his most important mission is to make sure Apple decides what not to do, an axiom known as, “Get rid of all the crappy stuff.” Likewise, in the growing body of work under the heading “What Only the CEO can do“, A.G. Lafley, former CEO of Proctor & Gamble, and Peter Drucker, the legendary business author, have discussed extensively the critical role of the CEO to decide what business his company is not in. [read more]

Cornerstones of Leadership - A = ATTITUDE

August 24, 2011 by Lary Kirchenbauer with 75 views

Attitude can make people gravitate to you and your business, or push them away. An installment in the leadership lessons series. [read more]

Leadership Lessons - E = EXCELLENCE

August 23, 2011 by Lary Kirchenbauer with 94 views

Do you promote excellence, or seek to blame? The second installment in our leadership series. [read more]

Leadership Lessons - Start with L = Loyalty

August 22, 2011 by Lary Kirchenbauer with 68 views

L is for Loyalty, the first of ten in the Leadership series. Isn’t there something almost magical about having a loyal friend? They know when we need help and even better, offer their help without our asking. They’re committed to a lasting relationship with us and they inspire us with their loyalty. They don’t judge us, they overlook our shortcomings, and they expect nothing in return. We have no trouble understanding that kind of loyalty. [read more]

The Building Blocks of Leadership - What are They?

August 22, 2011 by Lary Kirchenbauer with 120 views

As a business leader, how often have you paused to wonder, “Am I a very good leader?” “Is it possible that I’m really just a ‘legend in my own mind’ and that when I turn around and look closely, not many people are following?” [read more]

30 Challenges That Can Develop Leaders

October 18, 2009 by Dan McCarthy with 549 views

There is no shortage of developmental challenges a leader could face throughout their careers. Here is a summary of three decades worth of research that describes these challenges. Note the overlap and similarities between the lists.1988: The Lessons of ExperienceThe Center for Creative Leadership’s Morgan McCall, Michael Lombardo, and... [read more]

Leadership Lessons from Mom

May 9, 2009 by Dan McCarthy with 169 views

I'd like to introduce a new leadership development blog, Leadertalk, written by Rebecca Robinson, from Mountain State University. I have the feeling this one's going to catch on, and I've added it to my blogroll.In honor of all the Moms (including my own), here's a two part post Becky wrote for Mother's day:Leadership lessons from... [read more]

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