In our last blog (Part 1 of Leading in the Shadow), we ended with the poem, The Hollow Men, by T.S. Eliot, beginning with the fifth movement.Here we go around the prickly pear, Prickly pear prickly pear, Here we go around the prickly pear, At five o’ ...
Leading In The Shadow: Accomplishments That Last
LEADING IN THE SHADOW: ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT LAST Leading in the Shadow – Reflections on the Inherent Difficulty of Getting Anything of Lasting Value AccomplishedLife is hard. And if life is hard, it follows thatleadership is doubly difficult.A be ...
Leadership & Persistence Part II: Great Lessons Learned From Failure
In August 1978, the first successful trans-Atlantic balloon flight became a reality when the Double Eagle II touched ground in a barley field in the French village of Messery. Between 1873 and 1978, thirteen trans-Atlantic attempts had been made—all ...
Leadership & Persistence: The Lessons Of Bamboo
Sooner or later, leaders confront the three hard truths of persistence. To review:(1) Initial success is no guarantee of future success.(2) There are no shortcuts to enduring success.(3) Life is hard so those who want to succeed must work hard. ...
The Genius Of Persistence – Part 3
Research indicates that even among the most gifted scientists, athletes or performers, more than a decade of intense training and preparation is required before achieving a world-class level of performance. Two very different individuals and thei ...
The Genius Of Persistence: Part 2
It’s a common fallacy that great endeavors are accomplished with effortless grace—that the talent, gifting and genius of some people is so great, and the opportunities so many, that outcomes are achieved “all at once” with little effort. ...
The Genius Of Persistence: Part 1
Thirtieth president of the United States Calvin Coolidge earned a reputation for being honest, direct, and hardworking. Coolidge honored persistence with a plaque in his office.Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.Talent will not, ...
Power Of Priority Series: The Most Precious Of Organizational Resources
A leader’s attention is a precious commodity, perhaps the most valuable of organizational resources. Others compete for it and seek to direct it. Enormous quantities of information flow across a leader’s desk. Changes ...
Power Of Priority Series: Leadership & Priorities
British political philosopher Isaiah Berlin once described the perspective that public leaders bring to their responsibility to govern as the difference between the hedgehog and the fox. The hedgehog knows one big thing. The fox know ...
Power Of Priority Series: Focusing Your Passion
Purpose connects us to our reason for living. Passion is the power to live out our purpose. Priorities focus our passion, and order our days and decades to accomplish our purpose. The dictionary definition of a priority is that wh ...