Not all critics are created equal and leaders treat criticism (and critics) unequally. Straight off, I ignore any unsigned or anonymous criticism. I bin it without a second thought. Why? Because I believe in talking TO and not ABOUT. If you don’t have the decency and maturity to reach out privately with an intent to strengthen and … [Read more...]
Not all critics are created equal.
The Class of 2030.
Hey Mancub, Ed Cole taught me that “You are male by birth and man by choice.” Such truth in that my sonshine. (That’s what I call my boy) When we found out we were having a son, I took about two hours to process that news. I had readied myself to be told Zaza was getting a sister. To be truthful, I had … [Read more...]
The Class of 2027.
Hey Zaza, I’ve loved you since before you were born. I cried tears of joy the first time I heard your heartbeat 148 beats a minute when you were in utero. The overwhelm of loving someone I didn’t know was incredible. And now, I know you, I see you, I hold you, I kiss you. We do life together and it’s a privilege … [Read more...]
I Don’t Believe In Luck.
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in favour. The kind of favour that is the result of the hard work you do on your craft and your character, your passion meeting your potential, your determination to see something through, even if it takes 12 years. The kind of favour that has reward for effort, turning up day after day and … [Read more...]
Tribe and Purpose.
Everybody needs a tribe to belong to and a purpose to fulfil. A community to be part of and an assignment to be responsible for. Leadership is the dance of someone and something. Too often we elevate one over the other and make results wrong at the expense of relationships, or relationships more important than achieving … [Read more...]
When no-one laughs.
Getting it wrong is always part of getting it right. “The essence of people is imperfection. Know that you're going to make mistakes. The person who never makes a mistake takes their orders from one who does. Wake up and realise this: Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success.” John C. Maxwell - Failing Forward I don’t … [Read more...]
Everyone’s a Someone.
“I’ll be riding shotgun, underneath the hot sun, feeling like a someone.” George Ezra - Shotgun “Of course!” yells my son, leaning into the personal space of his older sister. “Of course you feel like a someone, everyone's a someone don’t you know!?” Then, and … [Read more...]
Some people don’t believe.
Out of nowhere while driving down the freeway into the aftermath of a storm, my son’s voice yelled and he pointed, “Dad, some people don’t believe!” He had my attention in that split second and I quickly followed it up with curiosity. Have you noticed that about kids? Their ability to extract, in seemingly random ways, data from nowhere that … [Read more...]
Possessions of the Soul
The possessions of your soul, beat emotions that you feel, every time. Leading by and through emotions is the hallmark of immature leadership. Mature leadership has a depth and consideration to it that understands whatever is happening ‘right now’ as an event, is much more of a still shot in the context of the movie that is … [Read more...]
Progress over Perfection
(Five inputs from this year with a payoff in the next)
“It’s a mistake to dislike what you’re reaping when you haven’t evaluated what you’ve sown.” (Attribution: Mark Cotter) Last week I wrote Failure IS an Option and introduced some reflections on the past 12 months along with the three following big ideas as an introduction. Being wise is more important than being right. Leadership is far … [Read more...]
Failure IS an option.
(Five Personal Reflections on 2018)
Being wise is more important than being right. Leadership is far more paradox than it is perfection. A leaders goal is to be authentic, not perfect. These are just three mantra's that I believe and live by. They shape my thinking, decision making, my priorities and direction. There are many more but these three are at the top of the list … [Read more...]
Creating Cadence: Leadership Longevity
Leadership becomes great when we see our skills as talents. Given to us. For others. Leadership is fundamentally stewardship, isn't it? We steward who we are and what we have been given. We steward the mission before us and the people around us. In doing so we then steward the future. Megan and I remind ourselves constantly that we're not … [Read more...]
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