Are You Ready To Lead?

A dear friend of mine, Sonia Di Maulo recently launched her wonderful book called The Apple in the Orchard.  Apple-in-Orchard-book-cover-300x239

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It is a beautifully written story about a little apple that has a burning desire to be a part of something greater than herself, and the journey that begins when she chooses curiosity and courage instead of life as she knows it.

When I read this book for the first time I was reminded of a favorite quote from Albert Einstein, “If you can’t explain it to a 6 year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

The story and the illustrations are simple enough to be a child’s bedtime story, challenging enough to be shared in an executive boardroom and inspiring enough to be read and savored again, and again, and again.  It is a perfect gift for yourself and for those you love and serve.

I asked Sonia to make a short video so you could see her, hear from her, and discover her passion for this book.

Ken Blanchard was the first Leadership Expert I followed.  If he wrote something, I bought it, studied it, I talked about it and I shared it!  Although I read lots of leadership material, I still quote him the most.  Check out what Ken has to say about Sonia’s book:  The Apple in the Orchard by Sonia DiMaulo is a lovely little book with a profound message: To pursue greatness, aspiring leaders sometimes must dare to leave the familiar. Opportunities for growth and learning are all around you—so take the leap, and grow!” To learn more CLICK HERE.  

 

Why don’t they understand… And what if they did?

Have you seen our NEW Post on Lead Change?

Why don’t they understand…  And what if they did?

In many of our organizations our employees and customers are trying to connect dots that don’t make sense to them.  

  • When we don’t take the time to help them understand, we miss opportunities to clarify our vision and our purpose.
  • When we push people to nod in agreement, we miss opportunities to build trust.
  • When we don’t seek first to understand what their questions are, we miss opportunities to engage their hearts, we miss opportunities to learn, and far too often we miss opportunities to adjust our plans and grow our organizations.”

Click here to read more.

5 “Sticky” Posts on Leadership

Over the past couple of years I have read and shared lots of blog posts.

The posts listed below bring understanding to anyone seeking to lead at a higher level. 

  • They are posts that “STUCK” the first time I read them.
  • I’ve pondered them, referred to them, and shared them.
  • Most of them are several months old, and they are just as “STICKY” today as the first day I read them.
  1. CEO’s:  Who tells you that your baby’s ugly? By Ted Coine. We’ve all heard the “Urban Legend” that you can’t tell the CEO when they are throwing time and money at something that is not designed to address the root cause of the issue.   The question I keep asking is WHY?  Has that Executive proven that they continually shoot the messenger? If not, why do we believe that giving them information that will make them and the organization they lead more effective, is a suicide mission? If you are a CEO… Do your people tell you when your “baby” is ugly?  If not, what can you do to change that?
  2. Why Executives Get Impatient – Fear!  By Kate Nasser.  I love the use of the word bejeebers in this post.  It makes me laugh every-time I read the word.  Just the use of this fun word in the midst of sound advice planted this post in my long-term memory immediately.  It is a great guide for anyone that is trying to learn how to be more effective when they “lead up.”  

7 Tips For Leading Change From The Middle

Are you convinced that you and your team are capable of making a bigger difference?  …For each other?  …For your organization?  …For your community?  

How to lead change without a title

Do you dream of working for an organization that is committed to Character-Based Leadership?

[Tweet “…Concerned that you don’t have the power or the position to make change happen?”]