Leadership
Good Leaders: When does goodness hurt?
Hang in there with me: my point of view is “goodness pays.” No, I’m not a pastor, priest or a Boy/Girl Scout. I coach on leadership, and I see everyday that goodness pays. But lately, I have been re-learning that sometimes using the word “goodness” turns people away. Normally, I just chalk that up to a combination of the Bell Curve, and basic segmentation – there are a lot of people who think “goodness” is a soft and squishy waste of time. Last week, we experienced rejection on something we really wanted…
Read MoreGood Leaders: Who are you helping today?
You’ve heard me say this before: Nothing significant ever happens alone. That’s why public/private partnerships are formed to help people in our community thrive.
This year, Melinda and I agree to lead by example by committing to a Platinum Corporate Sponsorship of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. We see our role as catalysts to show other private businesses what’s possible with a commitment of time, talents and money to help people in need thrive.
Read MoreGood Leaders: What did you do yesterday afternoon?
So, yesterday was anything but a normal day at the office. In the afternoon I was on TV at the local NBC studios talking with Pat Evans about The Bucket List Book. It’s fun to be on TV! Pat’s a great guy – someone who radiates goodness. Continue reading for a summary of the interview and watch the segment.
Read MoreGood Leaders: Who sparks what’s possible in you?
Good leaders can look back on their lives and identify specific people, and specific moments when someone helped them see the possibilities in their leadership. For me, there have been several. One of the most significant conversations was with Mark Bergman. You may know him as the inventor of the HANDy Paint Pail. He sparked “what’s possible” in me, and we wrote a book together.
Read MoreGood Leaders: Why keep your Bucket List a secret?
“What surprised me the most about the Bucket List research we did, was that most people prefer to keep their Bucket List a secret,” said Jeri Meola. She’s the CEO of SMS Research who designed and interpreted the research behind our new book: The Bucket List Book. We hired Jeri because after searching online databases, we couldn’t find any research on the concept. Read on to find out what we learned.
Read MoreGood Leaders: Is it Time for Your Bucket List?
On Father’s Day weekend in 1999, I made the commitment to become and author. I created an outline and wrote the first 2000 words while flying from Minneapolis to London to visit my sister Liesl. When that first book, Inspire, Persuade, Lead was published, I decided that writing a Best-Seller book someday was on my Bucket List.
Read MoreGood Leaders: Why do you volunteer?
“I’ve discovered I feel so much better about myself when I spend time helping others,” the man quoted in the article professed. It’s the law of Karma, and reciprocity: when we put out helping energy into the world, it comes back to us in amazing ways. At Good Leadership Enterprises, we believe goodness pays. We call helping others: living generously. And I know it pays.
Read MoreGood Leaders: How would you recognize your finest hour?
So the next time you think your work is hard, imagine this: Standing in front of your Board of Directors, your immediate boss gives your part of the global project a “vote of no confidence.” So how would you turn it around? Continue reading and watch the overview video.
Read MoreGood Leaders: What habits help you be grateful today?
The words, “we felt compelled to do something in our son’s honor,” caused the lump in my throat last Friday. The speaker at the Good Leadership Breakfast, Marc Miller, was sharing how in his state of grieving over the sudden loss of his son, he felt called to start a non-profit to honor the name of his child, Gunnar.
Read MoreGood Leaders: How does your faith affect how you show up?
Today the theme Back to the Future (not the movie) is alive in me. This Friday is the second Good Leadership Breakfast of the year. We are going back to the formula of the Seven Fs: faith, family, finances, fitness, friends, fun and future for organizing the speakers for the whole series. Last month, our kickoff speaker Richard Leider explored the idea of how “purpose” is at the center of the Seven Fs Wheel. Going forward we are focusing on each of the Seven Fs, starting with “faith.” So, this being the second breakfast, “faith” is the back to the future subject.
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