A drowning man will clutch a straw. – 19th Century Proverb We’ve heard it said often that “desperate times call for desperate measures.” I’ve found in leadership that the default mode in stagnant organizations is “desperate times call for comfortable measures.” We tend to do what has worked in the past without considering that times,Continue reading “Monday Quick Tip ~ Think Beyond the Obvious”
Category Archives: Creativity
Monday Quick Tip ~ Shake and Stir for Best Results
A rolling stone gathers no moss. – Publilius Syrus, 1st century writer of Latin maxims In the organization I lead, we’ve been going through a time of assessment and transition. My days have been filled with charts and graphs of income and expenditures. In my research, I’ve discovered the health of the organization is notContinue reading “Monday Quick Tip ~ Shake and Stir for Best Results”
Monday Quick Tip ~ Don’t Become a Dull Person
Fans of writer Stephen King will remember one of his main characters in The Shining repeatedly typing the phrase, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It’s a phrase that serves as a good reminder to us in our “get to work” world. We struggle with “work-life” balance as leaders. The peopleContinue reading “Monday Quick Tip ~ Don’t Become a Dull Person”
Monday Quick Tip ~ Find Your Song
Those who wish to sing, always find a song. ~ Swedish Proverb As leaders we set the tone for the teams we lead. If we have a negative, small, critical attitude, we will soon experience the same among our team members. A story I read years ago in Max Lucado’s book In the Eye ofContinue reading “Monday Quick Tip ~ Find Your Song”
Monday Quick Tip ~ Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Life Skill 101 advice for those of us who want to live a meaningful and profitable life is to “find a need and meet it.” The world is full of opportunities brilliantly disguised as needs. Life is exciting when need meets creativity. The old adage is true: Necessity is the mother of invention. One ofContinue reading “Monday Quick Tip ~ Necessity is the Mother of Invention”
Monday Quick Tip ~ Don’t Cross the Bridge Until You Come to It
As leaders we are people of responsibility. We plan. We worry. We take risks. We think ahead. We try to stay at least one step ahead of our followers. I’ve discovered that my “futuristic” strength (See Strengths Finder 2.0 and Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath) has a downside in that I can sometimes imagineContinue reading “Monday Quick Tip ~ Don’t Cross the Bridge Until You Come to It”
Monday Quick Tip: Do it Well!
“If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well.” ~ English proverb This past weekend, I got to attend my first Renaissance Festival (http://renaissancefest.com/). There were jousting demonstrations, comedy and danger shows and lots of opportunities for shopping. One of the highlights for me was watching a glassblowing demonstration. The glassblower formed aContinue reading “Monday Quick Tip: Do it Well!”
Whew! That was Close: A Leadership Lesson from a Crash
Living within earshot of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, it is common to hear fighter jets roaring by overhead. I’ve gotten used to it. On Monday, August 19, 2013, Ellsworth was in the national spotlight when a B-1B Lancer Bomber crashed in southeastern Montana. Fortunately all four people, including the two pilots andContinue reading “Whew! That was Close: A Leadership Lesson from a Crash”
The Colors of Leadership
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net What’s your favorite color? One of the blessings of being human is the ability (unless you are color blind) to see things in color rather than in shades of gray. Our leadership styles display a kind of color to those we lead. Our leadership often has the characteristics of certain colorsContinue reading “The Colors of Leadership”
Igniting Hope 4 Leaders 