Leadership Love from LinkedIn

“Why in the world am I listening to Steely Dan right now?”

That’s not a thought you want to have at 4:30am.

Yet there I sat...Reelin’ in the Years.

My morning routine includes prepping an iced coffee and tuning my old school FM radio to the local classical music station...

I’ve never met a successful leader who put results ahead of people.

Make people your priority.

Or reevaluate your definition of success.

Just when I was about to take the stage, I saw my friend Patrick.

He was holding two ice cold beers.

“Jim likes to drink a beer while he’s being interviewed.”

Jim was none other than Jim Koch, the legendary founder of Boston Beer Company—makers of Samuel Adams and...

I love watching Olympic athletes in action.

It’s amazing to see their years-long practice turn into performance.

Here’s what I find both humbling AND empowering:

I’ll never win a gold medal in anything.

No matter how hard I try, I’ll never be the world’s best...

I had just finished my early morning workout.

I was walking across the parking lot toward my car.

That’s when I noticed something:

I was carrying my gym bag in my left hand.

This wasn’t exactly an unusual occurrence for me.

Ever since my drill instructors warmly welcomed me to Marine...

Want to lead a big team?

Start by leading a small one.

Want to lead a small team?

Start by leading your peers.

Want to make a bigger impact regardless of your level?

Start by leading the most elusive follower of all:

Your best self.

Simple? Yes. Easy? Not one bit.

Lead on, friend.

The most effective leaders are well-rounded.

They can tap into a wide variety of frameworks and inspirations.

Much of this begins with one simple convention:

Having a balanced bookshelf.

It’s long been said that “leaders are readers”.

But what do they read, and in what dosage?

I...

Some days work gets a bad rap.

Many people trundle off each day harumphing about going to work.

Part of the issue is confusion between the job and the work.

A job is very specific. Do this and that. Go here and there. Earn this much for that value given.

Work is more generalized. When done right,...

Competing styles will sink your chances of success if you let them.

My bride and I were enjoying a relaxing summer day at the lake.

We had never tried canoeing before, so we decided to give it a go.

We slipped on our life vests, took our seats in a nearby canoe, and readied our paddles.

I pushed...

In our haste to deliver short-term results, we can damage our long-term success.

An amateur gardener decides to grow strawberries.
> She digs up the soil and covers her plant's roots.
> She returns the next day: zero strawberries.
> She thinks it may be too close to her blackberry plants,...

You should only treat others firmly when you’re able to treat them fairly.

Fairness contributes to employee loyalty and retention while reducing the “people tax” associated with office politics.

I most often see two issues that negatively impact fairness:

First, we sometimes...

If you want to become a more effective leader you have to slow down and listen up.

How are your people coping with the pace of your business?

A manager answers, “They’re keeping up with the workload.”

A leader answers, “I’m keeping up with how they’re each...