Multiple priorities. Duplication of efforts. False starts. Wasted energy. Do any of these working conditions sound familiar? If so, it may be time to revisit your three-part vision: What is your purpose? What will the future look like if you are successful? What values will guide you as you work toward your picture of… Read More
Happy Families Are No Accident
Years ago, Peter Drucker said “Nothing good happens by accident—put some structure around it!” So if you want something good to happen, put some structure around it. This doesn’t just apply to business; it’s also for family life. I can name several traditions that are perfect examples of Drucker’s line of thinking. Like many families,… Read More
The Precious Present
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift—that’s why they call it the present.” You may have heard this quotation, attributed to many different people including Eleanor Roosevelt. It reminds me of when I first met Spencer Johnson. He had just finished a manuscript entitled The Precious Present (Doubleday, 1984). It’s… Read More
Vulnerability in Leadership: A Good Thing or a Bad Thing?
Every day, one of my friends sends me a quote from a little book called Live and Learn and Pass It On, edited by H. Jackson Brown. Here is one I particularly enjoy: “I’ve learned that everything I truly value has been gained by vulnerability on my part. It is the secret to life.” (Anonymous,… Read More
You Don’t Need a Fancy Title To Be a Servant Leader
One of my favorite stories in our recent book, Servant Leadership in Action, comes from James Ferrell of the Arbinger Institute. The leader James writes about doesn’t have a fancy title, but he’s a living example of Robert Greenleaf’s definition of a servant leader as someone who “focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of… Read More
Greetings from a Servant Leader
“Good morning everyone, this is Ken. It’s a little bit after eight o’clock in San Diego, California….” That’s an example of the way I begin my morning message that goes out to most of the people in our company every weekday morning. I’ve been doing it for the better part of 20 years now! When folks outside… Read More
Surround Yourself with Great People
One of my favorite quotes is “None of us is as smart as all of us.” Two of our company’s cofounders, Don Carew and Eunice Parisi Carew, came up with that simple truth when they coauthored our team leadership program. It’s one of the basic tenets for building and maintaining high performing teams. In a… Read More
Managing the Ups and Downs of Performance
Every year we have a Final Four basketball week at our company. Teams of three from departments around the company compete with each other for the championship. We also have a free throw contest from the foul line. The prize goes to the person who hits the most out of 20. In the past, I’ve… Read More
Escape the Tyranny of Your To-Do List
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get overwhelmed by my to-do list. I can end up grinding my teeth thinking about all the meetings, projects, and deadlines piling up on my calendar. That’s when I know it’s time to take a deep breath, calm myself, and affirm, as the Daily Word recently reminded… Read More
Leaders Talking About Serving Others
We’re going to do something a little different this week. Below is a guest blog from my friend and colleague, David Witt, marketing program director at The Ken Blanchard Companies. David was the catalyst behind our Servant Leadership in Action Livecast, which was broadcast online last week to more than 3,200 viewers. Read on for… Read More
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