Last week I pointed to an idea that is quite simple. Namely, that one of the most important decisions a leader can make is the people with whom he or she chooses to associate. I referred to King Solomon, who several millennia ago, expressed the insight that, ““Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
One of the most important decisions a leader can make is the people with whom he or she chooses to associate. Several Millennia ago, King Solomon expressed the following insight:
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Though this Middle-Eastern King lived in ancient times, he was considered then, and to this day remains, a source of the highest wisdom ever known.
The coffee stain in the carpet (pictured above) illustrates the point…
Last week we looked at the topic of “making mistakes” in leadership. This was prompted by a question asked of me, “If you ever were to write a book on leadership, what would be the title?”
As mentioned last week, my response was immediate, “I would call it ‘1,001 Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them.’”
Someone asked me the following question, “If you ever were to write a book on leadership, what would be the title?”
My response was immediate, “I would call it ‘1,001 Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them.’”
Here is what I meant by that answer…
In leadership, mistakes are inevitable. And yet the reality is that mistakes are very valuable. There are valuable because they can cost a lot; they can be painful (and usually are); they are memorable (pain is like that); and most importantly, because we can learn a lot from our mistakes.
Last week I met with members of a Board of Directors who oversee an organization that governs many millions of dollars in assets. As we talked, one of the Directors said, “It is so hard to hear people complain when we are doing the very best we can on behalf of our organization [with this recent project]”
My response: “By analogy, as Directors you are like the quarterback(s) of a football team …because you receive more of the credit - and more of the blame - than you deserve of either one.”
What follows in response to a report that was in the news last week.
According to the journalist who wrote the article, and who was provided a written copy of the speech by officials close to the leader, a major international governmental leader gave a speech about an issue facing their Country. In the relatively short speech, the leader used the words, “I,” “me,” or “my” over 195 times.
Really?
What is the most valuable asset we could ever possess? The answer proposed by an increasing drumbeat of television ads is “precious metals”…after all, as we are continuously reminded by such ads, these are volatile times. And as if that wasn’t enough, the litany of similar messages with a variety of “urgent” issues and postulated answers continues daily regarding that which we should consider “most valuable.”
Yet maybe the most obvious answer is ticking away as we read: time.
As those of us who live in America celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July, it causes me to pause and reflect on the bravery of those who have preserved our freedoms through service in the military as well as those who protect us here at home by serving as First Responders.
My encouragement to those of us who have leadership influence is that during this week let’s each find one or more ways to honor our military or first responders.
As we all know, leadership can be exhilarating as well as challenging. One thing it is not: boring!
And such a wide spectrum of experiences, challenges, joys and sorrows that come with leadership – and the emotions generated at each juncture – can wear down even the most robust personality. Therefore, it can be a good discipline for those in leadership to “pull the plug” from time to time.
Here are some ideas on what that can look like:
Wow! We had great news last week… we have been selected as a 2014 Telly Award winner for our video production, “The Best Answer is a Team,” produced for a Seattle client (click here to view).
We have now been selected each year since 2010 – that’s five years in a row – and it’s down-right-humbling! Copied below is some of the language from the announcement we received:
June 13, 2014
