Dan McCarthy

JULY 24, 2012

There are a gazillion sites and books full of leadership quotes, so I’ve never been too inspired to duplicate what’s already out there. However, I did enjoy combing through all of those sites and picking out what I thought to be the 25 best leadership development quotes. Use these to introduce your next leadership development program, build the business case for leadership development, inspire your coaching clients, motivate your employees, or just inspire yourself to develop further as a leader

Leadership Development 143

Leadership Development Manager 143

Leadership Freak

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

I ask G.J. Hart, when he was CEO of Texas Roadhouse, if he could spot emerging leaders. He didn’t rule out talent, education, or leadership presence, but he replied, “I can usually tell if they have the humility to make it.” Hart’s statement so deeply impacted me that I wrote about humility in, “The Character Based Leader.” [.].

Education 111

Education Leadership Development 111

Kevin Eikenberry

MARCH 26, 2012

I caught myself humming a tune from my past the other day. It’s an old Tom T. Hall song titled “I Like Beer.” Just to give you a flavor, here is the second half of the chorus. “Whiskey’s too rough, champagne costs too much, and vodka put my mouth in gear. This [.].

109

109

Leadership Freak

DECEMBER 1, 2012

Talk isn’t always cheap. Words change lives and organizations. However, when it comes to authenticity, talk is nearly meaningless. Authenticity, like trust, feedback, and empowerment are words tossed around in leadership circles likes nuts at a squirrel buffet. Words apart from practice make you feel you know when you don’t. Using the term “authentic” doesn’t make you [.].

Benefits 110

Benefits Leadership Development 110

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

💢 Do you find yourself stuck in never-ending review cycles? Are you wondering if your Subject Matter Expert actually got that last review request? Are you having trouble trying to decipher impractical or conflicting feedback? 💢 If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you may benefit from a crash course on managing SME relationships!

Benefits

Leadership Freak

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Not doing is one side of finding success. Never let the bottom line be the bottom line. Never pretend things are ok when they aren’t. Never let what you’ve never done be the reason not to try. Never get ahead by resenting those who get ahead. Never let those who aren’t doing something prevent you [.].

Manager 105

Manager Leadership Development 105

Leadership Freak

OCTOBER 22, 2012

The challenges of leadership are inside leaders. Stop blaming organizations and others for your shortfalls and failures. Take the bull by the horns. You are the bull. The 12 Toughest Challenges of Leadership: Humility during success. Confidence during setbacks. Stepping back so others can step up. Putting plans into action – Follow through. Experience shows [.].

Organizational Development 105

Organizational Development Leadership Development 105

Kevin Eikenberry

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Yesterday I was thinking about observation and judgement, and how it relates to effective communication and coaching. It reminded me of a particular incident that took place a few years back – an incident I had previously written about on the blog for my book Remarkable Leadership. We were driving somewhere as a family and [.].

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103

Leadership Freak

DECEMBER 6, 2012

Wisdom is about behavior not intelligence. Wisdom is practical not theoretical; skillful not academic. Wisdom gets things done. Fools sit and talk while the wise move out. I’m not suggestion it’s foolish to explore options and discuss plans. I’m saying wise leaders add more value than foolish. On the other hand, foolish leaders don’t talk [.].

Leadership Development 102

Leadership Development 102

Leadership Freak

OCTOBER 17, 2012

“The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” William Pollard Organizations fail because leaders fail and leaders fail because they: Stop learning. Don’t build the team. Can’t collaborate. Won’t adapt. Won’t delegate. Assume. Blame. Lack focus. Don’t communicate. Don’t plan. Adapted from contributions on Facebook (10/16/12).

Organizational Development 102

Organizational Development Leadership Development 102

Leadership Freak

AUGUST 24, 2012

I asked Professor Henry Mintzberg, author of 140 articles and 13 books, “If you waved a magic wand over businesses, what would you change?” He said, “I’d get rid of all MBA’s.” He explained, “We’d lose some good people but in the whole it would be a positive move.” Mintzberg’s quiet voice disarms but he [.].

Organizational Development 102

Organizational Development Manager Leadership Development 102

Implementing new tools or business processes in your organization? Lemon Learning put together a practical 3 part guide to prevent the pitfalls of change management. Drive a successful change management project from diagnosis through to measurement.

Change Management

Leadership Freak

JUNE 29, 2012

Leaders who lift get further than those who push down. Performace improves when people feel encouraged and declines when they’re discouraged or hopeless. You don’t have to beat up high-performers – they do it to themselves – lift them instead. All successful leaders encourage; they fill people with hope. The added responsibility of encouraging others may [.].

Leadership Development 101

Leadership Development Manager 101

Leadership Freak

APRIL 26, 2012

** People who change the world are like everyone else except they do something. They are moms, dads, men, women, young, old, rich, or poor. Some are educated – some not. Race isn’t the issue, either. People who change the world all begin at the same point – the point where you may be today. [.].

Education 99

Education Organizational Development Leadership Development 99

Leadership Freak

SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

The first thing you need to know is: Success is a result not an end in itself. Five organizational strategies: Always create more harmony than discord. Build up more than you tear down, much more. Long-term views build stability. Short-term views produce quick results. Make life easier for those over you. Three relationship strategies: Friends [.].

Leadership Development 98

Leadership Development 98

Leadership Freak

MARCH 10, 2012

** You make a difference by inspiring others to make a difference. Here’s how: 1. Stop fixing. If your passion for excellence and success drives you to constantly fix people, stop it. Problem centered fixers invite self-protective restraint in others. 2. Compassion wins. The pursuit of personal gain and glory doesn’t inspire, it threatens. Inspiration occurs when [.].

Leadership Development 98

Leadership Development 98

Speaker: Tim Buteyn

Let's set the scene: you’ve identified a critical performance gap in your organization and need to close that gap. A colleague suggests training, but you suspect there’s something going on that training can’t address. How can you determine if training is the right solution before you commit your budget and resources to a new training program? In this webinar, you will learn how to determine if training is the right solution using the Behavior Engineering Model.

Engineering

Kevin Eikenberry

AUGUST 13, 2012

“I made a mistake.” “I was wrong.” “I’m sorry.” “I’m not sure.” “I don’t know.” “Would you help me?” “Could you help me understand? I’m not sure I get it.” “What do you think?” “What do you suggest?” “What would you do?” No one likes to show their ignorance, or admit they are wrong.

98

98

Leadership Freak

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

All the interesting things you say make you uninteresting to others. A rare few enthrall listeners. Don’t think of yourself as one. You know too much and have too much to say. Passion sets your tongue on fire. You can’t wait to create enthusiasm, solve problems, and share transformative insights. In a busy world brevity [.].

Leadership Development 98

Leadership Development 98

Leadership Freak

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Mistakes that don’t hurt don’t matter. The worst mistakes are the ones that hurt others. The trouble with leadership is your mistakes always hurt others. The top 5 mistakes of unsuccessful leaders: Not being open to criticism. Trying to hide mistakes. Not making decisions. Failing to explain objectives. Telling people how to do things rather [.].

Leadership Development 97

Leadership Development Manager 97

Kevin Eikenberry

AUGUST 27, 2012

Engagement is a very trendy word, and while it is so powerful, because of its (over)use, people are making it harder to understand and think about than is necessary. In fact, it is writers, speakers and consultants (yep, people like me) who are adding to the confusion by injecting complexity where it isn’t needed. So [.].

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96

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

We’ve all been there. You’ve been given a pile of dry content and asked to create a compelling eLearning course. You’re determined to create something more engaging than the same old course that learners quickly click through, but how do you take this “boring” content and create something relevant and engaging? Many instructional designers will say, “Boring in means boring out.

Compliance

Leadership Freak

JULY 19, 2012

Image source David Lewis, co-author of The Pin Drop Principle, told me he was exposed to poor leadership when he was in his early twenties. “Back then everything was a race and all that mattered was the numbers. In that context customers are statistics.” Lewis explained. It’s been over a month since our conversation and [.].

Leadership Development 96

Leadership Development 96

Leadership Freak

JANUARY 27, 2012

** Living with others in mind is healthy, noble, and useful except when insecurity drives you. Insecure leaders: Defend when they should explore. Take things personally. Blame higher ups for tough decisions. Don’t trust others because they don’t trust themselves. Can’t say no. Threaten, intimidate, and coerce. Shut down input from others because feedback is [.].

Leadership Development 96

Leadership Development 96

Kevin Eikenberry

OCTOBER 29, 2012

At this time of the year being scared or scary is kinda cool – after all it is Halloween! But this is a short season and leaders lead all year long, so the question asked by the title of this piece is a good one – “is it ok for leaders to be scared?” Most [.].

95

95

Kevin Eikenberry

MARCH 28, 2012

I spend many of my days with leaders and employees from all over. Of all of the conversations we have, or of all of the side conversations I hear, one topic is most universal. Time. Or more specifically, that they don’t have enough of it. I get that people feel that they have lots to [.].

Manager 95

Manager 95

Speaker: Chester Santos – Author, International Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach, Corporate Trainer, Memory Expert, U.S. Memory Champion

In October, scientists discovered that 75% of patients who experienced brain fog had a lower quality of life at work than those who did not. At best, brain fog makes you slower and less efficient. At worst, your performance and cognitive functions are impaired, resulting in memory, management, and task completion problems. In this entertaining and interactive presentation, Chester Santos, "The International Man of Memory," will assist you in developing life-changing skills that will greatly enha

Education

Leadership Freak

DECEMBER 31, 2012

I usually sleep the New Year in and watch the ball drop on the news. New Year’s Eve is an imaginary line in the sand but, I must confess, its power is real. New Year’s inspires us to begin again. Step into the future or settle for the past. Three keys to courageously begin again: [.].

Leadership Development 94

Leadership Development 94

Leadership Freak

OCTOBER 13, 2012

“In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.” Warren Buffett Talking about change is easy, acceptable, even exciting. Talking and executing are two different things. Change becomes real when we have to change our own attitudes and behaviors, not until. The wrong picture: Change movements [.].

Energy 94

Energy Organizational Development Leadership Development 94

Leadership Freak

OCTOBER 29, 2012

The past is the future, apart from courage and perseverance. Success is persistently taking the next step. Taking the next step takes courage. “You will never do anything in this world without courage” Aristotle “In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm… in the real world all rests on perseverance.” Goethe The [.].

Leadership Development 94

Leadership Development 94

Leadership Freak

OCTOBER 14, 2012

Questions are the most powerful statements you make. Questions expose. Your questions tell me who you are. Questions invite thought. Answers end thought. Questions enlighten. “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question,” Decouvertes. Questions overcome resistance. People naturally question statements. On the other hand, ask an honest question and people lean in. [.].

Leadership Development 94

Leadership Development 94

Leadership Freak

OCTOBER 2, 2012

More lying happens in meetings than any other place in your organization. Most lies are lies of silence. In meetings, silence isn’t consent, its cowardice, self-interest, manipulation, or political expediency. Honesty, more than anything else, transforms meetings. Truth-telling ends useless meetings. When there’s more honesty in the “meeting after the meeting,” excellence is a myth.

Manager 93

Manager Leadership Development 93

Leadership Freak

APRIL 23, 2012

** You can’t lead with an empty tank. 16 energy drainers: Incomplete tasks. Responsibility without authority. Proving you’re right rather than seeking best solutions. Following urgencies rather than priorities. Pretending you’re something you aren’t. Feeling alone and disconnected. Procrastination. Go do that dirty deed before it does you in. Negative people and complainers.

Energy 93

Energy Organizational Development Leadership Development Manager 93

Leadership Freak

OCTOBER 5, 2012

12 Behaviors that always hold leaders back: Avoiding. Avoiding is the path to mediocrity. Copying others and loosing you. Copying others is useful when it aligns with your strengths. When it doesn’t align, it creates stress, pressure, frustration, and failure. Over thinking and under acting; stressing preparation over execution. Most organizations plan well and execute poorly. [.].

Leadership Development 93

Leadership Development Manager 93

Leadership Freak

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Most people I’ve asked say they’ve worked for a micro-manager. Their frustration shows when they talk about the person who drained joy from their career and under-utilized their skills. You’re a micro-manager if you: Over-estimate your skills and under-estimate the skills of the team. Feel misunderstood and unappreciated. Hear too many questions. See yourself as doers [.].

Manager 93

Manager Leadership Development 93

Kevin Eikenberry

APRIL 9, 2012

Surrender? When you think about surrender, you don’t likely think of great leadership. People who surrender, lose, right? The dictionary tells us that surrender, as a verb, means things like: “to yield possession or power,” “to give (oneself) up,” “to give up, abandon or relinquish.” These are hardly the ideas we connect with leaders we [.].

92

92

Leadership Freak

JANUARY 9, 2012

** Successful leaders exhibit these 30 qualities, behaviors, and skills. Item one is first because it’s most important. The rest are listed randomly. You’re ready to lead when you: Know yourself and live in alignment with that knowledge. Follow well. Fully adhere to organizational values. Practice influence rather than coercion. Listen to the wisdom and experience of [.].

Leadership Development 93

Leadership Development 93