Though I don’t know if he actually said it, Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying something like, “You can please all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time but not all the people all the time.” Over the years, I’ve developed a theory, much like the quote, that has never failed me. A leader who is loved by all is probably not an effective leader. A leader who is hated by all is also most likely ineffective. A leader who is loved (or at least liked) by most but disliked by a few is probably the most effective leader.
Tag Archive: leadership development
Nov 11 2010
Developed Leaders: A Salute to Veterans
Standing on the aircraft flightline in the Middle East in August was a humbling experience. First of all, it was hot. I don’t mean a warm sunny day: I mean hot! With the heat radiating off the sea of asphalt, the temperature easily reached into the 130 degree range every day. There was a nice breeze blowing though — sort of like the breeze coming from a blast furnace. This breeze was a steady 40 to 50 miles an hour and carried with it the sand of the desert. The running joke was that part of our stay there included a free exfoliation. As I looked out at the cargo aircraft on the flightline, I saw the scurry of activity that was my maintenance crews working very long days to make those old, worn-out aircraft fly. They were cheerful and took the weather conditions in stride. The only time they seemed to be upset was when they could not get a part they needed to fix a plane. I say “my” maintenance crews because it was my responsibility to lead them. And that’s why standing there was such a humbling experience. They didn’t need much leadership.
Nov 09 2010
Leadership Training and Leadership Development: Are You Seeing Results?
Leadership development is an on-going process and one that should start early. First level managers are probably leading people, so why not send them to some entry level leadership training. In fact, wouldn’t entry level managers be a good place to start a leadership development program? After all, some of these people have the potential to rise to senior leadership positions and the training and development they receive now will pay big dividends later.
Nov 04 2010
Leadership Development: Learning From Your Leaders
There’s a saying that one can learn more from bad leaders than good leaders. While I don’t think that’s always true, it might help you feel better if you you’re under a bad leader’s thumb. There are many lessons to be learned from both bad and good leaders, and those lessons may not be what we think.
Oct 28 2010
The Secret to Employee Engagement – Leadership Development
What are you a part of? I’ve met many people who feel they are a part of a civic group or a professional organization, or even some who feel deeply connected to a group of fans of a particular sports team. But, rarely do I find anyone who would describe themselves as part of the company that employs them. Sure, they’re a part of the workforce, or an employee of the company, but they don’t express a feeling of being a part of something worthwhile and bigger than the individual.
Oct 26 2010
Four Basic Steps to Team Building: An Essential Leadership Skill
There is much emphasis on teamwork in leadership development these days. Unfortunately, there are many leaders who don’t manage teams very well, resulting in teams that are less effective than they could be. There are several steps to team building that are essential to the success of the team. Note that these steps involve the leader more than the team.
Oct 21 2010
Leadership Development: Five Things Leaders Must Know About Themselves
Who are you? Do you know? How would you describe yourself? I don’t mean your height and weight. Look deeper. Leaders must know as much as possible about the people for whom they are responsible, but they often forget that the first person they need to get to know is themselves. Here are five things that, as a leader, you should understand about yourself.
Oct 19 2010
Leadership Development: Using The Appropriate Leadership Style
Each leader develops his or her own style of leadership. Much has been written on the subject. Rensis Likert’s defined four styles of leadership – Exploitative Authoritative, Benevolent Authoritative, Consultative System, and Participative. Hersey and Blanchard gave us Situational Leadership. I recommend further study of both Likert and Hersey, Blanchard. But for the purposes of easy understanding, I define the common styles of leadership as authoritative, directive, democratic. There’s certainly a place for each of these in any organization, but good leaders must know when to apply them.
Apr 06 2010
Leadership Experts: Are They Really?
In a recent blog by Greg Satell at Digital Tonto, he writes about how so many people hold themselves out as experts when in fact, they really aren’t. He complains that too many of these people don’t have the experience and haven’t done the work to truly be experts. Though he is talking …
Mar 30 2010
Leadership Cultures and Their Effect on the Organization – Finale
For the last five posts, I’ve detailed six different leadership cultures. You may have seen yourself or your organization in one of these cultures. Unfortunately, many leaders don’t understand that they are in a particular situation. But, it falls to the organization’s leader to determine the type of leadership culture that exists. Unlike …
