“Dad how come you’re not successful anymore?”
These words cut me to the core.
I am not sure my 13-year old son, Ryan, fully appreciated the power of those words as they blew away all pretence and laid my heart open and bleeding. It was a real struggle trying to find the words to describe u2018successu2019 in a way that would make sense to a young boy growing up in a world where success was all about having a nice home, driving an expensive car, making lots of money, taking great vacations, the number of people reporting to you, what your position was, and the size of the business.
What do you look like on the inside?
In his excellent book, The Leadership Mystique, Manfred Kets De Vries looks at the importance of a leader’s ‘interior’ condition and how this influences all interactions with others (Kets de Vries, 2006). In considering this he asks questions such as:
Forward thinking business partnerships
“The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be” (Paul Valery, 1871-1945). Much could be said about our changing world—economic volatility, political and civil unrest, epic levels of national debt, corrupt governments, a global pandemic and the impact of new technologies on the labor market. While not exclusively, […]
When leadership means something different
Culture significantly influences how the following statements are made, and how people respond to them. “We should take the initiative” “We should wait until we are asked for help” “This could turn out to be a great political manoeuvre” “Let’s not do anything, as it might be seen as a sign of weakness” “We should […]
Are we really surprised to find a link between character and performance?
In the 2018 LCP Global Leadership Survey, we asked 134 Board Chairs, CEOs, executives and senior leaders to respond to a short survey exploring their thoughts on this topic. Apart from my own leadership experiences in seeing the importance of this relationship over the last 25 years, I have extensively researched this topic since 2010 and […]
In transition? Don’t hurry.
After nearly 25 years as an executive, my season ended differently than I had expected. What I didn’t fully appreciate was how much my identity and reputation had revolved around my role and effectiveness as a leader. Many transition experiences can be traumatic and confusing, and because of this we either avoid them or want […]
Right ladder. Right wall
You may have heard about the person who spent their entire career climbing the corporate ladder only to discover their ladder was up against the wrong wall. Though simple, this illustration highlights a profound question many of us wrestle with. What ultimately motivates us? Obviously career progression will, to some extent, motivate us. But so […]
Is the pursuit of balance getting in the way of success?
In Margaret Wheatley’s book, Leadership and the New Science, she challenges traditional perspectives on achieving balance, or equilibrium. She shares the following story – The daily news is filled with powerful changes, and many of us feel buffeted by forces we cannot control… I listened one night to a radio interview with a geologist whose specialty […]
Does leadership coaching improve organizational performance?
The economic downturn of 2009 led to unprecedented challenges in global competition that created high levels of anxiety and uncertainty. This significantly affected stakeholder expectations that resulted in organizations tightening their budgets and standards of governance. As companies tried to do more with less, employees were being asked to carry more load and stress in the […]
How serving others can be the foundation of our success
I have observed that for many people it is easy for their focus to shift from serving a need (outward orientation) to serving themselves (inward orientation), often causing a significant issue with the sustainability of their business. ‘Service’ is different depending on the organizational context. For most businesses, ‘service’ has more to do with making […]