The idea of the “fearless leader” owes more to myth than it does to leadership reality. The goal is not to be fearless, the goal is to be courageous. There’s a world of difference. A fascinating conversation I had with a professional athlete painted a vivid picture of this. During my college days, I supported…
Ready to Lead with Speed? 4 Signs You Should Act Now
This article is part of my Global Leadership series; Insights from more than a decade of leadership training around the world… Knowing the pace at which you take action as a leader is often as important as the action itself. Sometimes you need to kick your leadership into high gear, and lead with speed. Such…
The Power of Courage: 3 Qualities Every Leader Should Master
In challenging times, leaders are called upon to exhibit inspiring levels of courage. But finding the ways to develop such courage can be a leader’s greatest challenge. The traditional approach to courageous leadership has often been found in such qualities as bravado, fearlessness and sheer power of will. But today’s leadership landscape has changed, and…
Making Declarations: A Simple Step to Stronger Leadership
What you declare will go a long way to determining who you will become. Many leaders have values, most have opinions, and some even have convictions. But declarations are different. A leadership declaration is a personal statement of resolve that definitively underscores a leader’s core “DNA”. As an example, when I was in my early…
Why Leaders Sometimes Need to Be Gloomy to Succeed
As a leader, should you always be an optimist? The answer is “yes”…and “no”…and “sometimes”… The reality is, there are times when a leader must be a grim-faced pessimist, while in other times it requires being a cheery-faced optimist. How do you know? Here’s a basic guideline to help you navigate this. A leader must be…
