Leadership ideas and considerations
When reading “The Prince,” one cannot help but feel Machiavelli’s frustration and pain. His pain could have been rooted in his exile, his desire to return to political life, or perhaps even the desire to reunite Italy. Or maybe it was something else entirely. Perhaps only Machiavelli knows for sure. Machiavelli clearly loved his country, … Read more
Introduction John Kroger of INSIDE HigherED has argued that “a university president may need significantly greater leadership skills to achieve good outcomes than leaders in other contexts” (Kroger, 2018). His reasons include having “a large number of constituencies with very different interests, accompanied by unwieldy board structures and conflicting and vague governance rules.” Kroger suggests … Read more
Learning is essential to leadership (Brown & Posner, 2001). Catch-phrases such as “Leadership is Learning,” “The Best Leaders Are Constant Learners,” and “A Sign of Great Leadership is Continuous Learning” are just a few of the many examples of what one might hear or read about during their leadership journey. While true, learning alone is … Read more
The Difference between Power and Leadership Leadership and Power are two very different concepts, and differentiating the two is quite important. There are about as many definitions for leadership as there are leaders. However, the general idea is that leadership is about influence and courage to do the right thing; by seizing the moment and … Read more
A complete failure can change the world. Someone once perceived as a loser can inspire millions of people to do extraordinary things. Such was the reality of Thomas Paine. Today’s leaders have much to learn from Thomas Paine. Leaders would be wise to evaluate what allowed Paine to become such an effective change agent, considering … Read more
Cobra Kai is one of the most popular digital programs in recent times. With good reason! It has recaptured the imaginations of those who loved the original Karate Kid trilogy. Moreover, while a little over the top at times, the show is pretty good. However, as I watched it, I found myself getting rather frustrated … Read more
Effective leadership is essential for managing change. As the saying goes, the only constant is change itself, yet many individuals struggle to adapt to it. This is because people tend to prefer consistency (Mounsher, 2017). Yet, one of the hallmarks of effective leadership is overcoming the sometimes overwhelming challenges regarding change (Mullins, 2019). Perhaps this … Read more
As a leadership academic and professional, I have always been fascinated with what makes or breaks leaders. Bias specifically intrigues me. This is because, in 2013, I read an article by Carolyn Y. Johnson titled Everyone is biased: Harvard professor’s work reveals we barely know our own minds (Johnson, 2013). This article was an interview … Read more
If you’re in sales, then you might want to consider the following. When talking to a customer, we often use the word “WE” when selling the product’s or service’s benefits. This is a powerful word and conveys a team standing behind whatever we are selling. As a result, the customer feels a bit more confident … Read more
Introduction Leadership is more than just traits or behaviors to emulate. The Oxford Dictionary defines leadership as the action of leading a group of people or an organization or the state or position of being a leader (Waite, 2012). Technically, this is correct. However, this definition is just a starting point of what leadership is. … Read more
