With the limits of a title fresh in mind, let’s look at why it’s crucial that we EARN trust - and thereby, influence - so we have a legitimate shot at achieving all we need to as leaders. Spoiler alert: the humility we looked at previously is key! Before we do, though, it’s important that we each re...

Let’s be clear, positional authority can get results - as long as the individual with that authority is present and willing to crack the proverbial whip. But the authentic influence we earn through humble leadership earns a level of discretionary effort that even the most demanding chain-of-command ...

In detailing the role mentors play in helping bridge our leadership gaps, I shared an example Terry provided in dozens of behavior-based safety training sessions explaining that influence, not authority defines leadership. The humility we’ve been looking at here not only has the power to overcome eg...

In What’s KILLING Your Profitability? I referenced how I frequently caught flack from our plant operations manager because employees across his areas routinely bypassed the chain of command by taking issues to behavior-based team members for resolution rather than their immediate supervisors. Throug...

One of the most fulfilling things I’ve had the privilege of experiencing in professional career (and personal life, too) has come as a direct benefit of the power of paying forward the many lessons mentors have provided for me, specifically in seeing measurable growth with those that have latched on...

I had been extremely consistent in completing the expected weekly observations, became a member of the steering committee, and got somewhat involved in the training sessions during the two years leading up to accepting responsibility for facilitating the behavior-based safety process at our plant in...

If we think back to how we started this look at Leadership Misunderstood, the biggest myths we’ve taken aim at here were few but extremely common:

• People automatically follow a business owner, executive, manager (or whatever other title you want to insert here) because their paycheck depends on i...

As we started down this path, I shared a piece of John Maxwell’s story about how he learned that influence was far more important than a title or position when it came to getting anyone to follow you. And let’s be honest: if no one is following, we ain’t leading!

To provide a personal response to D...

Now that we’ve identified a few of the most common misconceptions (or myths) around how leadership impacts EVERY organization and we’ve connected the dots on how productivity and profitability come into play for nonprofits and public sector organizations just as much as they do for those of us over ...

Before jumping into the meat and potatoes of some of the most common misunderstanding Cindy and I run into when working to build better leaders in the teams we serve - leadership myths if you will - I want to share a special invitation with you to join us at 3pm on Friday, December 8 where we’ll be ...

With all the characteristics that worked in Benjamin Franklin’s favor to earn influence ( and the leadership that comes with that earned influence), he certainly wasn’t perfect; no one is - not even you or me! In his presentation at Grand Valley State University, Whitney mentioned Franklin’s limited...

While many think of him with quotes like “a penny saved is a penny earned” or “early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,” I’m quite fond of the response he gave Elizabeth Willing Powel when she asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” Although it do...