Learning “With” vs. Learning “About” Cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Tawheed Manzoor “You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” –The Matrix I sometimes get these secret emails or direct messages from some pretty amazing thinkers in education, talking about how they feel really constrained by the leadership in their schools.
The misconception for many is that if you start using social media, you are focusing on “technology” and not really what is important in schools. Stepping Back About four yeas ago, I did not blog, read blogs, or really read much anything other than “From Good to Great”; I only looked into the really popular books and felt that this was enough for me in my leadership pursuits. Then I jumped into Twitter. Then I ignored it for a year. Then I tried again. Then it stuck for good. Present Day Our people have great intentions.
This is a problem. Leadership Skills, Techniques and Tools from MindTools. 3 Things Every Great Leader Gets Wrong. Every great leader possesses a degree of what Walter Isaacson (in his biography of Steve Jobs) describes as "an ability to distort reality. " What Isaacson meant is that Jobs forced his will on Apple, often pushing people to create things they never thought possible--a powerful asset in any leader. But that reality distortion effect works both ways. It also means that every leader, to a greater or lesser degree, distorts the reality around themselves, leading to tensions, inconsistency, and bad decisions. There are two reasons why leaders who live in a bubble become so dangerous to themselves and those they lead. First, the most insidious aspect of this is that it happens in seemingly mundane ways which are hard to spot, but which have far-from mundane consequences to the group, team or organization.
Second, the bubble effect is directly proportional to the ability of the leader. 1. 2. 3. Weirdly enough, this works on two almost contradictory levels.
Dealing with People. Persuasion & Influence. Characterisitics. Feedback. Project Management. The Character-Based Leader Book Project: My 10 Leadership Lessons. Aside “Let’s write a book.” Often we don’t see significant turning points in our life. Or we don’t realize their significance when they happen. Many times radical change comes from a simple decision. Some decisions fire off a chain reaction of additional decisions leading to unexplored territory.
Have you made any of those commitments? The end result of that comment above, paraphrased from a Lead Change conference call in May 2011 has just been published. I learned several lessons about leadership and life. Ideas create possibility and possibility creates hope. Do you consider yourself a leader? If you’d like to decide to move forward on your vision, check out The Character-Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution… One Person at a Time at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble or on our website. 7 signs you’ve been promoted but not prepared. Promotions are about more than the Peter Principle — the concept that one can be promoted beyond one’s competence. Those who promote others have a responsibility to ensure they’re prepared to actually do the job, not just hold the title. Athletes train to win medals; actors hone their craft to win Emmys and Oscars, but managers can be given a title without a minute of practice or an ounce of instruction.
They’re supposed to be the “best of the best” and the best at what they do. But are they? Here are seven signs that you — or your manager — have been promoted, but are not prepared. Trial and error is tried. Monica Wofford, CSP, is a leadership-development expert who works with managers who’ve been promoted but not prepared. Who’s Writing Your Song? “I write the songs that make the whole world sing!” … OK, so maybe Barry Manilow didn’t write “the songs”… he just wrote ONE song, and chopped off parts of it to release as a new hit! HA! Whether you’re a Manilow fan or not, one thing is certain–you are most likely a fan of someone’s music. Whether it’s an Iron Maiden anthem, or Michael Buble swing, a Faith Hill love song or an Eagles classic tune, just about everyone has a favorite song.
And every great song has a life of it’s own, a great story behind the song. Our lives are a lot like a song. When you look back at the end of your life, will you be able to say with pride, “I wrote that… that’s the song of my life, and it’s amazing!” 1. I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment’s gone. Ever feel like life is passing you by, wondering if the world really is any better because you’re here? Seriously, what are you waiting for? 2. “Because of you, I never stray too far from the sidewalk. 3.
Leadership lessons from real, live leaders. In leadership and management, we love to look at best practices. In leadership literature, we love to look at the people themselves for insights into what makes a great leader. People are so interesting! Here are my top-line take-aways from some interviews I’ve done recently with a diverse group of leaders including a newly minted chief operating officer, the president of a boutique ad agency, an Air Force lieutenant general and the chief of security for Microsoft.
Despite the differences in their responsibilities, their wisdom boils down to similarities we can all learn from. Leaders are problem solvers. Leaders master many styles. Leaders care, genuinely and passionately, for others. Leaders are on an inner journey. I’m very grateful to these four amazing people for sharing their wisdom so I could pass it on to you.
4 Reasons Why Questions are a Leader's Best Friend. The best leaders I know wield questions like a surgeon wields a scalpel…carefully, precisely, respectfully and always with an objective in mind. 4 Reasons Why Questions are a Leader’s Best Friend: 1. Questions teach. They encourage those around us to think through and around issues. 2. 3. 4. The Bottom-Line for Now: Learn the art of asking questions, but remember to wield them like a surgeon: carefully, precisely and respectfully. School Principals.