Leader, is your work worthy of contact with life’s realities?
The best leaders have withstood direct contact with life's realities. “A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticize work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life's realities—all these are marks, not ... of superiority but of weakness.”
What’s new in your new year?
January 1 is a marker for new beginnings, an opportunity for a reset, or a clean palette upon which to write or draw the next lines of our future.
The weakness of weaknesses
In a client meeting I inquired about a mutual acquaintance I had not seen in a long time. My client said, “He plateaued early.” I discovered our mutual friend was tracking in new orbits now;[...]
Eating Crow, the art of apology
“I recently had the opportunity, responsibility and privilege of apologizing to a colleague.” “You mean you HAD to apologize to someone, right?” “Well, I didn’t HAVE to, I chose to take advantage of the opportunity[...]
Rules – should you break ‘em?
I was recently in the home of friends who have a LARGE family. How large? Large enough to field almost any sports team from their ranks; large enough to be lovingly referred to as “the[...]
Criticism – can you take it?
The British monarchy is known as a bit stuffy, centuries-old institution that is much revered by the British people. It was almost beyond criticism. But in the 1950’s, the national post-war mood in Britain was[...]