Most new leaders are excited to have power because they feel they finally have the title and position to do things their way. But having power doesn’t guarantee cooperation from your people. Leaders who think they are a big deal because of their position are at risk of losing their best people and not getting […]
Are You a Trustworthy, Self-Aware Leader?
In our new book Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust, my coauthor, Randy Conley, and I cover a lot of topics—fifty-two, to be exact. As the subtitle suggests, a primary focus of the book is the area of trust in leadership. To be truly trustworthy, a leader […]
The Power of Your Leadership Point of View
Pop quiz: What is your leadership point of view? By that I mean, what are your thoughts about how you lead others, and where did those thoughts come from? I learned from Noel Tichy, author of The Leadership Engine, that the most successful leaders have a clear, teachable leadership point of view and are willing […]
SLII®: The Magic of Varying Your Leadership Style
Millions of people the world over know the massive positive impact SLII® leadership training has had on leaders at every level and their team members in every industry. If you’re not one of these people, I’d like to introduce you to the basics of SLII®. SLII® is based on these two beliefs: People can develop […]
Developing Your Leadership Point of View
Leaders are not robots; they are human beings with values and worldviews shaped by their own experiences. In the best leaders, these values and experiences lead to a personal leadership philosophy—what we like to call a leadership point of view. Professor Noel Tichy’s extensive research determined that the most effective leaders have a clear, teachable […]
5 Strategies for Leading Through The Uncertainty Of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be a testing ground for leaders around the world. Leadership is always important, but especially during times of crisis. When each day brings new challenges, the choices leaders make can have a tremendous impact on outcomes, positive or negative. It is normal for people to lose focus during a […]
What’s Your Leadership Point of View?
Margie and I recently spent a wonderful weekend teaching our “Determining Your Leadership Point of View” class at the University of San Diego. It’s part of the Master of Science in Executive Leadership (MSEL) degree program offered by USD in partnership with our company. I often start off training sessions with managers by asking: “How […]
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 […]
3 Actions Every Leader Can Take to Serve Their People
Over the years, I’ve written a lot about servant leadership. I was recently reviewing Ken Jennings and John Stahl-Wert’s book, The Serving Leader (Berrett-Koehler, 2003 and 2016) when I realized how much I like the term serving leader—it makes the point that leadership is about doing something, it’s not just a philosophy. When you are […]
Let’s Clear Up Some Misunderstandings about Servant Leadership
When people hear the phrase servant leadership, they are often confused. Their assumption is that it means managers should be working for their employees, who in turn would decide what to do, when to do it, where to do it, and how to do it. If that’s what servant leadership is all about, it doesn’t […]