Leadership is fundamentally about using pooled resources to achieve some purpose. The narrative behind traditional organizational leadership goes something like this:
That approach has served us well for several generations. But as has oft been said, “what got us here won’t get us there”. Continue reading The Changing Narrative of Leadership
In his book, Hills, Skills, and Wills: How to Improve Yours (and Others) Performance, Michael J. Ayulo identifies three categories of obstacles that hinder a person’s performance. As the title suggests, he labels them as hills, skills, and wills. These are useful handles to put on some important distinctions.
If I go to the doctor with a serious illness, it’s important that the doctor diagnose the cause of my illness correctly. Otherwise, the treatment he proposes may not work or might even make things worse. The same is true in diagnosing a performance problem. Continue reading Hills, Skills, and Wills
Three generations. Global cultures. Diverse values. Blending them together for a common goal? 
Leadership today is tough. What if you had to knit together four generations of even more multi-cultural, more diverse values? That’s what our next generation of leaders has to look forward to. Millennial values are no more permanent than those of any previous generation, although no one knows yet what the values of the Millennial+1 generation will be. Continue reading If You Think Leading Today Is Tough…
By some definitions, Adolf Hitler was a leader. So were Joseph Stalin and Pol Pot. 
But would you have chosen to follow them?
The most fundamental characteristic of a leader is the presence of followers. You might be a manager or an entrepreneur, but until you have followers, you’re not leading. Continue reading Future-Focused Leadership
Pete couldn’t wait to implement the new project management process his friend Bill told him about. 
After Bill described the incredible success their organization had with it, Pete ran out and bought the book Bill recommended and read it that week. Replacing their aging donor management system seemed like the perfect project to launch it on.
Fast forward six months…
Pete’s frustrations were at an all-time high. The original project plan called for the implementation of the new system to be well under way by now. Instead, they were still arguing over which vendor to select. How could Bill have been so successful with this methodology that was failing him so miserably?
Continue reading Building on Quicksand
When Jack launched his homeless shelter he had no idea
it would grow to house over a hundred people at a time and provide meals and showers for thousands more. He didn’t expect to have a staff of eighteen people and numerous volunteers. But his passion for helping the homeless was contagious. He discovered he was good at raising support, launching creative programs, and recruiting people.
He knew he wasn’t good at the administrative stuff, so he hired people or outsourced those functions. But now he had hit a plateau that he just couldn’t get past. Continue reading Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill…Now What?
