Recovering Leader

A Challenge for Worried Leaders

Worrying: is a trait shared by many leaders. is completely optional -- up to you whether you do it or not. is fed / encouraged by society and the media. never made anything better, despite the notion that you may think it keeps you on your toes. boils down to making up stories / lies to yourself and repeating them.... Read more →

Monday LeaderTip: People-Pleasing

Leaders who attempt to please others too often can unintentionally do more harm than good. However positive the goal, being likable is a poor substitute for leading. It simply gets in the way of making tough calls and incisive decisions. As you consider your approach to those you lead, it’s important to gauge the extent to which your concern for... Read more →

Leadership in Avoiding Future Disasters: 5 Ideas for Reinventing Regulators and Regulation

Considering the recent regulatory meltdowns over Credit Default Swaps, Madoff, and less-publicized failures at the FDA, it's clear that leadership in overhauling regulation itself--something way beyond tinkering with old rules--is long overdue. Regulators—folks working for the FDA, FCC, the SEC, DOE, and so on—are the referees of commerce. Regulations are the rules of the game. We need to think in... Read more →

Monday LeaderTip: In Your Own Way

How do you tend to get in your own way? If it strikes you as an odd question, consider that some level of blind self-interference is universal, even among great leaders. For example, a client’s colleagues will tell me, "Jack doesn’t realize how harshly he judges his people, making delegation a big problem for his team." From mild to severe,... Read more →

Comatose Leadership: Our Complicity in Denying AIG's Future

From a leadership standpoint, failure can be a wonderful teacher, yet failure denied cements problems in place, for which insurance conglomerate AIG is the latest and most toxic poster child. Take a look at results: AIG is producing no new ideas/strategies, no new public value (in fact, just the opposite), and no tangible success or achievement in the marketplace. In... Read more →

Leadership: Being in a Beginner's Mind

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few" —S. Suzuki (Japanese Zen priest, ?-1971) Certainty and effective leadership do not tend to work well together. One executive's predecessor left him with a piece of parting advice: "Just never show them you’re not sure." Under this predecessor’s watch, the organization not only stagnated,... Read more →

Monday LeaderTip: Empathy

Tumult, the unexpected, and change are the new “business as usual.” In turn, denial, anger, sadness and fear are the quiet yet powerful human responses to this upheaval in many organizations. Unfortunately these strong feelings radiate among your people at the very time you need them to do their best and most creative work. It’s important to take notice—to widen... Read more →

How a Leader's Beliefs Drive Results

"Thoughts are things," as my friend Gale St. John likes to say. As a leader, it's critical to be aware and mindful of your thoughts, as they drive the results you get. For example, I worked with an executive who runs a consulting firm, and is an excellent and highly in-demand speaker for professional groups. Speaking engagements would lead to... Read more →

"On Leadership" at the Washington Post

Short and well-worth-it interview with Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Chairman of the Carlson Group, owner of Raddisson Hotels and other enterprises. I found it inspiring, particularly the lesson she learned about leadership from the loss of her daughter in a car accident. Indeed, a great reminder that the future is uncertain, and the time is NOW. Hope you enjoy it! Many... Read more →

Monday LeaderTip: Conflict Works

Constructive conflict creates an effective environment for innovation. Leaders who make agreement or consensus more important than candid, rigorous debate cause problems for themselves and others. Results suffer. Remember that engagement is more important than agreement. Take a hard look at any need you have for others to agree with you. Then notice the tone you are setting in your... Read more →

Bipartisanship is on the Rise: Leadership in Washington Means Engagement, Not Agreement

I'm thrilled that Bipartisanship is beginning to return to Washington! What did you say? I’m crazy? I hear you: watching the Sunday morning news shows today I was about to start beating my head against the more-of-the-same wall until I realized: Hey, dude: leadership needs engagement, and not agreement. So our elected leaders who engage in smart and open conflict... Read more →

Think Like an Owner, Not an Employee

People who think and act like owners are happier, healthier, and more effective at work. Layoffs, dinosaur management styles, "do more with less," and constant role/responsibility reshuffles are the new "normal." And, these things certainly haven't made it easy for folks to have a sense of ownership and engagement in their companies. In fact, I had a junior executive tell... Read more →

Monday LeaderTip: Question Authority

People in positions to lead hinder themselves and others by having too many "answers" and not enough questions. In fact, truly bad decisions are made by those who fail to question or probe what's really going on. This is a very common problem. Being overconfident, apathetic, or uninformed about leadership are generally the causes. While it may take some doing,... Read more →

Wanted -- Your Comments on BusinessWeek Online

Last week BusinessWeek Online ran five of my leadership tips with self-coaching questions (links below). I invite Recovering Leader subscribers and visitors to comment on them on the BusinessWeek site: Achievement and Sustainability Stepping Away from the Familiar When High Standards Turn Toxic Leadership in Uncertain Times Combining Responsibility and Authority Many thanks! David Peck Read more →