There’s a popular saying, “when we assume, it makes an ass out of u and me.” We take a lot of things for granted when we are in positions of leadership. We assume that we have been elected because people thought we were the right person for the job. We assume that we will figure […]
We can’t wait until it’s over. All the drama. All the rancor. Even when things seem calm, we still seem to be spending all our time thinking about it. The crown of leadership can weigh so heavy for so long. We spend so much time putting out fires that we never think about what you […]
Good leaders are hard to find. Or at least is seems that way. The problem is that we don’t have a good way of describing a true leader. There’s just something about the person that inspires us and makes us trust them. The secret is that good leaders reflect a delicate balance between warmth and […]
How to choose a politician Every four years, I – like many other people – face the same issue: a ballot filled with unknown or uninspiring names of candidates for elections. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the local dog catcher or the president of the nation, being able to vote is a sacred rite and […]
Leadership is all about managing egos. The egos of the fellow board members or staff. But sometimes the hardest ego to manage is your own. We take criticism to heart and we may constantly suffer from a low-grade “imposter syndrome”. Who am I to be in this position? Those kinds of thoughts can sap your […]
Keep all eyes on the road ahead Running a meeting is like operating a piece of machinery with as many moving parts as there are people in the room. If participants in the meeting are distracted, they may not hear all the information they need to make the best decisions for the organization. As the […]
Heavy weighs the crown. Few people understand the weight and responsibility involved with being in charge of a group or an organization. Moreover, it is quite lonely at the top because few people have the perspective of being the one who is in charge of everything. It can be quite a daunting and slightly disorienting […]
“Decorum” has the same root as the word “decoration”: the frills and fixtures that make a room a pleasant place to be. In a meeting, decorum is what keeps the discussion polite and respectful. It includes not only what is said but also the way things are said. The order, the subject and the tone […]
You know they are out there. They are like snipers sitting around the table. Ready to open fire with no warning. The moment they think that any rule might possibly have been broken. The price of their vigilance is intimidation. A nitpicker in the group can effectively shut down debate, as people prefer to say […]
“The fights are always vicious when the stakes are really low.” But the big issues fester silently… It is easy to debate the small stuff. Where there is no real money on the line, and no one has anything to lose. This kind of problem plagues nonprofits and other creative organizations. But it is tougher […]