Leaders Edge Blog

June 16, 2017

Recently while on a long drive I was deep inside my own thoughts when I realized that instead of driving the 65 mph speed limit, I had unintentionally slowed down to 45 miles an hour. I was surprised that I had slowed down 20 mph, and I was totally oblivious to the fact.

Has this ever happened to you? I don’t mean literally. I mean in your life. Have you ever lost momentum or lowered your sites about important goals or ethical standards without even realizing it, as if

Years ago, I worked briefly for an organization with a boss, “Kim”, that we all suspected frequently used “alternative facts” when telling us about business matters. He was smart, energetic, likeable and had a great strategic mind, but there was also something going on in him that caused him to “spin” the story and try to make himself look better than reality. Sometimes he withheld information to give himself an edge that others didn’t have (a false belief, by the way). Sometimes he exaggerated, again to position himself in a

I’ve been thinking lately about how organizations (universities, businesses, and even countries) have their culture shaped and set by the person at the top. (Think Theo Epstein, Adolph Hitler, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Angela Merkel) If you’re the president, CEO, executive director, or director/manager you are the primary reason the culture is as it is. You need to own that, because culture propels or destroys your strategy.

Two very close friends of mine are retiring this spring. Coincidentally, they’ve worked in the same niche. Another coincidence is that, years ago, both had remarkable

If you were asked to share your greatest failures with me, you may wonder what I was up to. I know that if I shared mine with you that we’d have a lot to discuss. Some people are reluctant to share failures thinking that they might appear weak or perhaps they were poor leaders or managers.

I view failure as a necessary byproduct of life, and an important part of learning and maturing. You’re probably familiar with the Thomas Edison quote, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that

I just got off the phone with someone who has a lot more experience in a particular area of leadership that me. It was a humbling and important conversation for me. He pointed out a couple of my blind spots. Fortunately, I was in a healthy frame of mind, and receptive to his suggestions. Upon reflection, here are a few of my observations.

How open am I to feedback? It’s critical that my attitude is wide open to suggestions, criticism, and new ideas. If I’m projecting some sort of judgement about

I recently had a fascinating experience “trapped in a mine shaft” in an escape room with six other people. Escape rooms are physical adventure games in which players are locked in a room solving a series of puzzles trying to escape within a 60-minute time limit.

Being “trapped in an abandoned Utah mine shaft”, I began thinking about how we all can get “trapped in a mind shaft”. Here are a few leadership observations from the experience:

Curiosity. Age and experience are not always helpful in problem solving. Ross, a curious 13-year

March 27, 2017

Recently, I was asked to chair a committee whose job it was to gather information, provide information and ultimately, make some recommendations back to a governing body. The topic was one about which some people have deeply held and passionate beliefs. It’s also one that has caused some deep divisions in our society. Let me share a few of the personal leadership learnings from the past year. 

When asked to chair the committee, my intuition screamed, “Say no, say no!” And then the words, “Yes, I’ll do it” came

March 10, 2017

I recently spent two days with five colleagues interviewing candidates to be the next executive director of a nonprofit, Lutheran Music Program, where I sit on the board of directors. LMP is a sort of Interlochen music program, but add a Christian faith component. I was feeling a little overworked going into those days of intense volunteer activity, and then, fortunately I had a change of perspective.

I realized that I could turn this time into a great learning experience as we listened to highly capable leaders tell us

February 28, 2017

Did you happen to watch Viola Davis’ Oscar acceptance speech recently for Best Supporting Actress in Fences? It was passionate, articulate and moving. I was totally with her right up to the point where she said, “We (actors) are the only profession that celebrate what it means to live a life”. Really? I thought.

Don’t get me wrong. I think she’s an amazing talent. But really? Is Hollywood the only place that celebrates what it means to live a life? Aren’t there any other people who fully live life?

Yes,

February 15, 2017

I’m Invisible (Culture)

I recently met with a friend, we’ll call him John, who is very skilled, passionate about his work, a self-starter, a real producer in his organization…and he’s dusting off his resume. He described how, in spite of being a high producer, he feels “invisible”. His supervisor has her nose buried in numbers and reports with no recognition of productivity or affirmation for creative, extra effort that’s paying off for them.

John described the culture of his workplace as one “with no pulse”. In my opinion, culture is