Many leaders tend to be competitive, hard-driving people. They have high intellectual IQs, but sometimes their emotional IQs lag behind. I coached one manager, let’s call him George, who had been one of the most successful salespeople at a financial services company. He’d been promoted to manager and was poised to move up to the next level. But as I worked with him, I quickly saw that he lacked the ability to connect well with others, he needed to improve …
To celebrate MLK’s birthday, last week we had a special event at Leaders Connect which featured three prominent local African-American leaders who discussed leadership lessons they learned from the teachings of Dr. King. The three speakers were… Demond Johnson who talked about the influence of Dr. King in leading him to become a trailblazer. First in his 20 year army career and currently as the founder of a holistic health center Ann Arbor fitness pro.com. Former UofM Football star Vince …
As part of their final presentation, my students in the Center for Entrepreneurship at the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan selected their favorite questions from the course. Many of them come from my book, Balanced Leadership in Unbalanced Times (publisher link). So, in case you’re looking for some interesting conversation starters, here they are: What is my mission? What are the things that have driven me since I was a young adult? What actions have I taken to further my …
Keep on moving Keep on focusing on becoming a better person Keep inspiring others Keep on eating your fruits and vegetables, and don’t forget the ice cream Keep showing respect to others Keep in touch with those you care about and with those who have helped you get to be where you are today Keep making this a better world for those who will live in it in the future Keep on setting and achieving goals Keep on trying things …
Most of us want to have an impact – and not only at work. We realize it’s not enough just to have a title on the door. We want to have influence in civic life or in a faith-based or social network or movement. We want time to take care of our bodies and our souls, and we don’t want to be strangers in our own homes. The challenge for all of us is to find a way, every day, …
This week, I’ve had the privilege of hearing the dreams and aspirations of 80 University of Michigan students. As many of these students are seniors, their dreams seem well within the realm of possibility, but many still face doubt and uncertainty. To encourage them, I shared with them the following quote: Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of …