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...]
The 8 Fundamentals Of Leadership
The Fundamentals Practiced By Any And All Leaders Who Would Be Called "Good" By Those They Lead
Leadership boils down to what we do, not the results of a spiritual gifts assessment or Myers-Briggs assessment. These are good tools to help evaluate an individual and their leadership “potential,” but they do not tell us whether or not a person is good at leadership. Going to school, no matter how advanced the degree(s) or prestigious the school, doesn’t make a person a good leader. Good leadership is about putting … [Read more...]
Be Very Accessible
The 7th Leadership Fundamental
I believe leadership is more about "being a servant" than it is about "being served." I've been around many people in leadership positions that don't get this. Amazing isn't it? Let me illustrate my point. As a leader what I most often do is delegate, direct, answer questions, solve problems, etc. In other words, I don't actually "do" anything. So why am I here? I'm here to enable others to be effective ... to … [Read more...]
Be A Contagious Optimist
The 2nd Fundamental Of Leadership
I've been accused of being "the most consistently optimistic person I've ever known" by more than a few individuals. I've also been given feedback during performance reviews over the years that my optimism is "contagious." Why has this been true of me? Have I always had it great? No. I've been through my share of difficulties in life. I've had my share of troubles. But, I've always been very serious about my work, … [Read more...]