ESSAYS
Leadership #2: Unreasonable
"Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, there, depending on unreasonable people." - George Bernard Shaw. While it looks good at first glance; often a leader too willing to compromise...
Leadership #1: Influence
If you want to be an effective leader, in business, your profession, the creative arts, social service, community, school... wherever you want to lead - a great place to start your journey is with understanding influence. Understand who you are already influencing....
Heroic Habits – Return and Reward.
“You’ll get what you give.” “You’ll get back out what you put in.” “You’ll reap what you sow.” There are lots of ways that we imply that action or investment should generate a return or reward. That philosophy underpins lots of daily interactions and decisions we...
Provocateurs Must Be Problem-Solvers.
When I was asked the question, “How can I, as a community leader, engage with these new provocateurs?”, there can be only one answer. Do whatever you can to help them stay in community and learn to be great problem-solvers. Give them the mandate and chance to put their words into action. Give them the benefit of the doubt.
Front Row vs Back Row
‘ have never regretted a front row seat to life. In fact, I find the further back I sit, the less beauty I am able to see, the poorer I am.’
Solving The Little Problems.
In my line of work, we call them the ‘pain points’. They are the often unspoken, yet overwhelming reasons why people don’t do something. Whether it’s a simple online transaction, completing a survey, finishing an assignment or responding to email – everything from...
LATEST
LEADERSHIP
The Greatest Church I’ve Ever Been To.
We ought to rid ourselves of any flimsy thread of cleanliness or tidiness between spirituality and humanity. It’s all dirt and grit and messiness, and we’re the better for it.
These Wasted Sacred Spaces.
We should splatter the walls of our cathedrals with the acrylics and plaster of our artists, sculpting, painting and making in the vast caverns of space that we devote to holy emptiness. There is an authencity to stains on the carpet and on the walls that says ‘humanity is welcome here’.
Why I’m Proud Of My Ass & You Should Be Too.
I’m short and curvy and strong, but all of that is acceptable in the curvaceous globes of those gluteous maximus and their supporting muscalature. In those moments, I belong to the beautiful crowd – we are alike. Those rounded curves are just as well formed as some of the best I’ve seen, hidden in clothes.
Why You Should Consider Selling Out.
I was talking with a recent design graduate the other day. They were talking about how they were never going to ‘sell out’ by working for a big corporate agency. Their philosophy was pretty simple – as far as they were concerned, working for a big agency would mean...
Why You Need A Truth Superpower. (Leadership #8)
Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing. - Warren Bennis, Ph.D. "On Becoming a Leader" Doing the right thing is much more complicated that what we like to admit. Doing the right thing usually means dealing in truth in...
Why No One Wants To Follow You. (Leadership #7).
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” - Henry Ford What cripples people from becoming the leader they want to be is how they deal with failure. First, their own mistakes and failures but most importantly, the mistakes and failures of...