I remember reading about Frank Blake when he was Home Depot's CEO. He routinely visited Home Depot stores around the country. I liked how he dealt with and addressed the problems he would encounter during his visits. His style and methods reminded me of something that I still believe is a key to good leadership. Frank Blake is obviously a "systems thinker," and he led like a systems thinker. It's one thing … [Read more...]
Organizational Culture
What Is "Culture" And Why Is It Important?
The success or failure of an enterprise is almost entirely dictated by how well the organization's senior leadership creates a healthy culture. I know that that’s a bold statement, but it's painfully true. Culture happens when the senior leader(s) in the organization does or doesn’t practice good leadership. (See the Leadership Fundamentals, previously posted.) Let me say this differently. If the leader(s) is … [Read more...]
“What We Do” Leadership
It's Not What We "Say" That Influences People, It's What We "Do"
I remember a Michael Hyatt post a while back that told the story of 46 penguins at the San Francisco Zoo and how six new penguins from Ohio impacted them. I'm not sure the post is still there, but it was basically about how the six new penguins "influenced" the other 46 by doing nothing but behaving differently. They didn't stand up in front of the room and "cast vision." They didn't go around and talk to … [Read more...]