Leaders Edge Blog

In just a few days my wife will be inducted into the athletic Hall of Fame at Illinois State University. I’m really proud of her and her accomplishments. We’ve been told that she’s the only woman in the history of the university to, not only play three sports in a year, but to be a starter in three varsity sports in each of her four years at ISU.

Over the last few weeks we’ve been talking a lot about what it was like 40 years ago to play college sports in

It’s a well-documented that prescription antidepressant and painkiller use rose 400% between the early 80’s and 2000, and then another 65% increase in the last 15 years. It’s true that some people receive great benefits from these drugs. For some it is literally life-saving. It’s also true that doctors are getting better at identifying mental illness. But a 400% + a 65% increase?

To me this is a stark reminder of how our society seeks a quick fix for most problems, and will go to great lengths to avoid emotional and

Last week my long-time friend, Don Christian, president of Concordia University Texas, was in Chicago for several meetings and we met for an early breakfast to catch up. I’ve known Don for 40 years and continue to be amazed by how genuinely curious Don is about people, business, society, and almost any topic that may lead him to some new insight. I am also struck by the contrast between what some of our modern-day society portrays as leadership versus how Don actually leads.

There’s much in society that tells us to

I’ve studied, observed and have been in leadership positions for more than 25 years. I’ve been watching our political leadership these past few months and I would have thought it was impossible to make up a scenario whereby so many basic leadership principles have been broken. The comments that follow, I genuinely hope, are based on objective observations. This has nothing to do with conservatives or liberals, or red or blue states. Here are six leadership observations:

1. Authenticity. People would rather follow someone who is real than someone who is

My son, Jeff, called me late the other evening to tell me that, Kris, his good friend for 25 years just died after a three-year battle with A.L.S. (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). To say that Kris had been “dealt a difficult hand” would be an understatement. His father died of early onset Alzheimer’s in 2006 when Kris was 19. His sister, Eliza, has down syndrome, and Kris was a fierce protector when kids would bully and make fun of her. And then Kris was diagnosed with ALS just a

Back in 2000, I attended a performance of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat starring Donny Osmond. His performances were electrifying and I was amazed at how he could muster up such energy and passion eight shows a week for all those years. I saw Osmond being interviewed while in Chicago when the show reached its 4,000th performance. In the interview he said, “It might be my 4,000th show, but for the audience, it’s always their first time.” He believed in his core that he must bring his absolute best

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