Two weeks ago I had the privilege of hearing Ken Blanchard, author of many books including One-Minute Manager, and Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines.  The two of them sat on the conference stage in two big comfortable living room chairs and talked to the audience about their recent book, Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success.  They talked for one hour, without any not ...

How many places have you worked where they SAID, "we put our people first?" And how many places was it a true statement? Putting people first is an essential pillar of servant leadership based on the writings of Sipe and Frick in the Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership. But the words have been so overused and abused, I almost decided not to write a blog this week. Who would listen to ANOTHER article about p ...

Be a Person of Character "Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. Gen. H. Norman Schwartzkopf There is an initiative being taught in school systems called Character Counts (Josephson Institute - Center for Youth Ethics). The curriculum teaches six core values to being a person with character: Responsibility Respect Trustworthines ...

For the next several weeks I will be blogging about the essential traits of servant leaders. The framework for the conversation comes from a book called Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership by James W. Sipe and Don M. Frick. For those of you who think the term “servant leader” is a tired, old idea, this conversation may change your mind. First, the authors present the business case for servant leadership wit ...

Here is a question I love to answer. Does servant leadership deliver SUPERIOR financial performance results? The answer: Unequivocally YES. The reason I love this question is that I meet skeptic after skeptic that cannot follow this logic. It is not plausible that you could serve the people you lead AND deliver superior financial performance. This is a deep-rooted objection that is embedded in much of our t ...

Visiting restaurants is where I learn the most important leadership lessons. Better than conferences, books, speeches, and blogs. Restaurant leaders don't complicate leadership. They DO leadership. A leader is one that knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. John Maxwell Meet Min Cho, leader of the Popeyes restaurant on Osan Air Force Base in Korea. Min Cho is no ordinary leader. Last year she won th ...

Feedback is a gift. Last night my daughter said to me, “just what is the point of your blog, Mom?” In case you have the same question, I offer this answer … I want to challenge you to re-think your approach to leadership. Or perhaps, come to a point of view on why you lead for the very first time. Power and Authority. The business leaders of my generation have been an embarrassing bunch. Their model for lea ...

I’m intrigued by companies with strong core purpose and principles. Once such company is the advertising agency, GSD&Min Austin, Texas. This agency was founded in 1971 by four graduates of University of Texas at Austin,Steve Gurasich, Roy Spence, Judy Trabulsi, and Tim McClure.  While the founders recently retired, this agency remains the longest standing partnership in the advertising business. And ove ...

It is a rare occasion that a highly visible Fortune 500 CEO puts their personal values out for all to see.  One such individual is Bob McDonald, CEO of Procter & Gamble.  If you go to the P&G website, and search for his biography, you will also find a section called Values-Based Leadership.  It includes a PowerPoint presentation on leadership and an outline of his values called “What I Believe In.” ...

Several of you have asked me what traits I look for that I believe are essential to servant leadership.  One good book on servant leadership, “Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership: Practicing the Wisdom of Leading by Serving”, by James Sipe, says there are seven core attributes of a servant leader and 21 behaviors to look for. This is an excellent treatise on the subject.  For today, I'd like to share my fiv ...