Match your content with your intent “My strength is the strength of ten, Because my heart is pure.” — Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1842 Did you ever plan a conversation in your mind, carefully mapping out your words and anticipating the response — a scene that a scriptwriter would envy — only to have the actual conversation go completely sideways? Maybe you botched your opening or awkwardly stumbled over words after hearing a reply. And in the end, you made the situation worse despite your sincere desire to improve it. What happened? You obscured your good motives with your poor execution ..read more

It is happening here. “All men would be tyrants if they could.” — Daniel Defoe, 1712 There are moments in history when speaking up matters — when remaining silent is no longer an option. And this is one of those times. I write about leadership and communication as they intersect with values and principles. And I frequently ask myself, “What kind of unprincipled leader would I be if I didn’t give voice to my conscience?” That’s integrity, isn’t it? When you act in accordance with your values. So today, on Election Day here in the United States, I’m drawing attention to It Can’t ..read more

 Leadership is about inspiration, not intimidation “We promise according to our hopes, and perform according to our fears.” ― La Rochefoucauld, 1664 Have you ever felt real fear? Like the kind of fear that gives you a palpable sense of dread? That makes your chest tighten and your heart pound? I remember feeling like that when I first visited a lake in New Hampshire when I was 14 years old. Growing up in Connecticut, I was fortunate to have a backyard pool. We used to host YMCA-taught swimming lessons each summer for our friends and neighbors. I remember the pride I had ..read more

Something we should be asking ourselves “Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live.” — Socrates, c. 430 BC Did you ever notice how the best leaders ask a lot of questions? (See what I did there?) Now, let’s be clear. This isn’t the same thing as the “I’m just asking questions” brigade, who attempt to camouflage their insidious implications as if they’re engaging in some high-minded Socratic discussion. The seemingly innocent “I’m just asking questions” method is designed to introduce doubt or misinformation, thus keeping their intellec ..read more

Leaders need to balance self-awareness with external competition “The chief proof of man’s real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness.” — Arthur Conan Doyle, 1890 “Alan, what kind of car do you drive?” That was the question I put to Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company, in December 2008 — the final question at a Q&A session on Twitter that would mark the first time a Fortune 500 CEO took questions from Twitter followers. I had engaged him in this impromptu interaction with fans about five months into my tenure and weeks after some high-profile appearances in front o ..read more

The Comical Hotch-Potch, or the Alphabet turn’d Posture-Maker by Carrington Bowles, 1782 (Wikipedia - public domain) “Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons with the greatest for the last.” — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1911 There’s something about First Days, whether it’s the first day of school or the first day of a new job. It seems to me that there’s an opportunity there for leaders, as we tend to be more wide-eyed and impressionable on such exciting days. Do you remember the anticipation of that first day of school when you were a child? That f ..read more

Photograph of the National Archives Building Constitution Avenue Entrance Portico and Pediment (National Archives Catalog - unrestricted use) “Trying to plan for the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers.” — Daniel Boorstin In the not-so-distant past, employees could expect to spend decades—even entire careers—at the same company. Doing so would not only build up a sizeable pension, but would also contribute to institutional memory. But now, with fewer opportunities to climb the ladder vertically, no company-sponsored pensions, and a dec ..read more

Landscape with Mountain Lake, Morning by Caspar David Friedrich, 1823-35 (Wikipedia - public)  “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” — Irene Dunne, 1945 Everywhere you look, unethical behavior seems rampant. We see lapses of judgment and an absence of being guided by our better selves. Good leaders know that corruption, greed, or calumny are selfish and small-minded behaviors that do nothing for the greater good. That last word — calumny — isn’t widely used anymore. Calumny is “a false and malicious statement designed to injure the rep ..read more

The Gulf Stream by Winslow Homer, 1899 (The Met - public domain)   “The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts. ” — Charles Darwin, 1871 Last week, I explored the need to — how to put this politely? — keep your yapper shut. If, at times, we’re better served by remaining silent, then what happens when we’re forced to be alone with our thoughts? We seem to be always running to one thing or another; in some cases, running from ourselves. Solitude and reflection afford us the opportunity to use such moments to forge a ..read more

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