Sometimes, we believe leaders are supposed to be fearless. We believe that they are like Superman, able to leap worries and anxieties in a single bound. Never nervous. Never worried. Always confident and brave and courageous.
But what if we’re wrong?
Leaders are busy. They have meetings and obligations and travel and decisions and a thousand other things that take up their time. And to be a good leader, they manage them all.
But what’s the difference between a good leader and a great leader?
Most companies these days will tell you they put a priority on their people. That is a fairly common “business thing” to say. But sometimes, if we’re not careful these kinds of ideas end up being something we put on mugs but don’t really live out in our corporate culture.
I am busy. You are busy too. We have full lives that seem to get a little bit fuller every day. With a thousand commitments and families and jobs and everything else we have going on, it’s no wonder we push back against change
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet with Dan Nordstrom. As evidenced by his name, he is one of the leaders of the Nordstrom’s chain of stores. A fifth generation family business, Dan had books of wisdom to share and I was all ears.
I love the trumpet. If you spend anytime with me, you’ll find that out quickly. And one of my favorite things to do when it comes to the trumpet is to play it at the Chick-fil-A Bowl in the Georgia Dome.
It’s just a pepper grinder. When you see it sitting on a white tablecloth in a restaurant where they play soft, melodic music, you might not even really notice it.
We all feel stranded sometimes, stuck if you will by the circumstances of the day. We have to make a difficult decision or step out and do something risky, and we feel a bit lost at sea in those moments. But what if that wasn’t just a feeling?
You see it on posters. It’s printed on coffee mugs. But despite how often it pops up, it’s still one of the most subtly damaging ideas for your company and even your family. What is it?
“Thank God It’s Friday!”
The word “legacy” is a popular idea to put in business books. But how does the word “legacy” apply to our families? How does that word apply to our relationships with our kids? What does it mean to create a legacy in the context of being a mom or a dad?
