Conventional wisdom says, “10,000 hours of deliberate practice will make you world-class.” A recent study from Princeton debunks this theory. I believe this is great news for leaders.
Tag: Courage
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The Courage to Change Course
Last week, Royal Dutch Shell abandoned a 9-year, $7 billion effort to find oil in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea. The decision was made in the face of tumbling oil prices and unrelenting pressure from environmental groups. The decisions you and I make are probably not of this magnitude, but in our world, no less important.
This post originally appeared on December 4, 2013. It’s a message that still matters. We have to make tough choices every day.
Every leader worth their salt should be constantly re-evaluating their strategies, not just yearly, but quarterly and even monthly. Good leaders strive for improvement and efficiency and one way we can approach this challenge is to consider which choices create the best impact on and for our team.
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Act As One
In the research for Chess Not Checkers, we identified four moves all High Performance Organizations make. Last week, I wrote about the first of the four: Bet on Leadership. Today, I have pulled another excerpt from the Chess Not Checkers Field Guide, which I co-authored with Randy Gravitt. Following is the introduction to the second move… Act as One.
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Do Something!
Our world has always faced challenges – famine, disease, disaster and tyranny, just to name a few. What’s the leadership response to these issues and others? Do we turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to hurting people around us… or not?
I had two experiences Saturday that reminded me of a little discussed responsibility of leaders – maintain relevance. We must not only work to stay relevant ourselves, we must help the brands and organizations we serve maintain relevance in a changing world.
Years ago, when I began the process of writing The Heart of Leadership, I identified dozens of leadership character traits. In my attempt to create a short list of the most essential, I decided Respond with Courage had to be included. Courage is the catalyst for great leadership.
Today is a national holiday in America to honor the work, the impact and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I was just a little kid when Dr. King was changing the face of our nation. I have vague memories of the conversations my parents and others were having during those tumultuous times in the south. Today, with decades to prove his lasting influence, the bright light of history has illuminated his many strengths – Dr. King was an amazing leader.
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A Leader's Christmas List
What do you want for Christmas? When my oldest son, Justin was three he wanted socks and a globe. There was no hesitation. He was sure. I wonder sometimes if as leaders, we don’t get what we want, because we’re not sure what we really want. If there was a leadership Santa Claus who would climb down your chimney on Christmas eve, what would you ask for? (Assuming you’ve been nice this past year.)
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The Right Stuff: Neil Armstrong
The world is mourning the loss of an American hero. Neil Armstrong died Saturday at the age of 82. For those leaders reading this who were not around in 1969, Armstrong was the first man to step foot on the moon. He was also part of an elite group portrayed in Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book, The Right Stuff. What did Armstrong have that all leaders need?