Category Archives: Leadership Traits

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Leadership is like riding a bicycle

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Learning to Ride a BicycleI admit it. I fell victim to the “Downton Abbey” craze. I watched an episode one night out of curiosity. The next thing I knew, I had found Seasons 1 and 2 on Amazon Prime and we watched at least 2 episodes a night for the next 2 weeks until we had seen them all. Then we went to start watching Season 3 – only this time it wasn’t free on Amazon Prime. You know you are hooked when you hit the “Buy with 1-Click” button and you shell out the money for the entire 3rd season without even thinking about what it cost. But, I suppose all of that is a subject for another time.

I found the story compelling and the dialog incredible. The characters were fascinating and complex. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it.

But I was captivated by a sentence uttered by a relatively minor character in the last episode of season 3. His name is Shrimpie and he is a husband caught in a loveless marriage and he is the father of a young woman who is rebelling against her parents and society in general. I am paraphrasing a quote from that episode:

“What I want is for her [his daughter] to know that family can be a loving thing. Love is like riding a bicycle or speaking French. If you don’t learn it young, it’s hard to get the trick of it later.”

I am taking this in a direction that you would expect and I am going to modify the quote to suit my purpose. What if

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The World Lost a Leader Today

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Margaret ThatcherSome times we fall into the false belief that leadership is a male only club.  Alas, that is far from the truth. 

Today the world lost a truly great leader.  Margaret Thatcher died of a stroke this morning.  She was 87 years of age.  She had been ill for several years and had rarely been seen in public.  And for her contribution to the United Kingdom and freedom loving democracies everywhere her funeral will be second only to a State funeral for a member of the royal family.  And her funeral will be second only to Sir Winston Churchill’s.

Today is not the time to debate or recite her history.  But it is undeniable that she was a great leader.  Dubbed the “Iron Lady” by political allies and foes alike, she, along with President Ronald Reagan, brought about an end to the Cold War and brought an end to the U.S.S.R.

Not many prime ministers remain in people’s minds long after they have stepped down. Margaret Thatcher was one. She even became a character in plays and films.  Some have been humorous as portrayed in at least one James Bond movie.  Fewer still have given their name to a political philosophy.  To this day, ‘Thatcherism’ is used all over the world to describe a brisk, unsentimental, and a pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps approach. It can be viewed by some as political obstinacy. It has also become synonymous with ‘tough’.

She was a true friend and ally to the United States.  History continues to point to her and her working relationship with President Reagan as a model for allied nations to tackle issues on the global stage.

Rest in peace Baroness Margaret Thatcher.

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Easter Thoughts on the Ultimate Leader

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Easter Thoughts on LeadershipWhen you are a blogger it can be sometimes difficult to tackle certain topics.  When you are a Christian blogger, it is really a daunting task to write on the subject of Jesus Christ and His leadership.  It almost makes that aspect of who He was seem corporate or secular.  But, on this day, I feel that I must address it if I am to be true to who I am as a writer and as a person.

There are many aspects of His life that I could point out on any given day.  And I don’t begin to know how to prioritize a few of them as we approach Easter morning.  But, let me point out one or two for our consideration as we approach Easter morning.

One of things that is most notable about His leadership style is that He poured His life into the lives of a small group of men.  You could mention the small crowds, you could mention the 70 that were sent out and you could mention the Twelve.  And that would be appropriate.  But consider for a few moments that He had especially intimate times with three – Peter, James and John.  These few comprised the absolute inner circle and as a result they had the opportunity to see Jesus Christ close up as He walked the Earth for the 3 years of His public ministry.  And they had an extremely close view of the events that lead up to His death on the cross.

So, here is the leadership thought for this post:  Who are you spending your time with?  Who are you pouring your life into?

And here is a bonus thought for today.  Jesus’ leadership continued beyond His death, His resurrection and His return to His Heavenly Father.  His leadership continues today.  And if you have accepted him as the leader of your life (as your personal Savior) then you will attest to His current and eternal leadership in the way you live your daily life.  And it will make a difference in the way you lead your family.

He is Risen!  And we celebrate that today.

I hope you have the opportunity to read this in time to lead your family to worship this Easter.  Do not send them to church to worship.  Take them and lead them in worship.

 

Photo credit: Travis Seitler / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

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Courageous Teams

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Courageous TeamsWe recently took a look at the collective courage or cowardice of a team. And we noted that much of the collective courage of a team is drawn from the leader. But we would be incorrect in assuming that courage is inbred. It is a developed over time and through withstanding hardship and challenges.

Unfortunately, many brave leaders convey the impression that this is how they’ve always been. Whether or not they were born brave, bravery seems to come naturally to them. Even if it does not, it appears to be so.

For teams it is no different. Teams, like individuals, have to learn to be brave and to stand strong in tough times. It is imperative that they can communicate with each other about what this developing shared bravery looks like.  And the courage must be communicated in terms of what it looks like within the context of that team’s experience.

What is the leadership principle here?

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Leadership Lesson from Pope Francis

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Pope FrancisI do not pretend to understand the ins and outs of the Catholic church.  But I can recognize leadership when I see it.  We have touched on this before.  But one of the traits of a good leader is that they are humble and comfortable in their own skin.

It is very early in the papacy of Pope Francis.  But consider one of his first actions as Pope once the immediate pomp and ceremony was over. He rode the bus with his former fellow Cardinals back to the hotel.  He packed his own luggage and paid his own bill.  Could he have dispatched someone from the vast Vatican staff to handle that task?  Of course he could.  Would he have been well within his rights and within the bounds of acceptable behavior to have dispatched someone?  Of course he would.  Does he set an example of humble leadership?  I think he does.

I am not Catholic, but if this Pope leads in the days to come as he has in his early days, he may help the Catholic church recover from some dark days in recent years.

 

Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images.

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Collective Courage or Cowardice

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Collective Cowardice or CourageWhen you list adjectives that describe a leader, what words would be on that list?

For many of us, words like strong, determined and courageous would probably be near the top of the list, don’t you think? We like our leaders to be brave and strong and determined. Everyone loves a heroic character.

When you list adjectives that describe a highly functioning and successful team, what words would be on that list?

Are they the same sounding words?

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Where have all the leaders gone?

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Where have all the leaders goneI “feel” (and we know how dangerous it is to operate on feelings) that there are fewer leaders now than in days gone by. It may or may not be so. But it seems that is the case. Leaders must be a lot like heroes. I wonder where all of them have gone as well.

One of the characteristics that define a leader is that they are growing and developing leaders around them.

So, what is the point and the leadership principle here?

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Do I really want better vision?

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Optometrist ToolEvery couple years I visit the eye doctor for an examination. I am coming to the realization that losing your sight or vision is a natural progression, so it’s important to keep our prescription current on our glasses. Too much strain on the eyes to focus is damaging, so going too long in between examinations will only hurt your overall vision.

The doctor will generally dial in the right numbers on the lenses and ask you which setting looks better. It’s a process you must work with the doctor on so he can find the best prescription setting for you. Endure to the end and it will be worth it.

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