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Future leaders? Today’s leaders!
In the summer between his Junior and Senior years of high school our youngest son kept talking about how excited he was to be captain of the school’s Ultimate Frisbee team in his Senior year. I...
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What a leader is not
What is the opposite of a leader? What word comes to your mind in response to that question? Pondering what something is not can help one better understand what it is. Would the opposite of ‘leader’ be...
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This is my Kala Patthar
This is my Everest (T.I.M.E.). That slogan has provided me inspiration when facing large challenges in my life. More importantly it serves as a reminder to fully experience the journey. It is...
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No more personal leadership
Up until a recent moment of epiphany, I would often use the phrase “personal leadership” to describe my type of leadership. The intent was to distinguish it from organizational leadership. Then one...
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The Mythical Pyramid of Leadership
“Flatten the pyramid!” While the call to reduce or even eliminate the pyramidal management structure is nothing new, I have noticed it gaining volume of late. The new generation of employees demands...
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When the Do Falls
Life isn’t lived in a straight line. There are bends we plan for and hairpin twists we never see coming. These changes in course have an impact on our life, for they are the stuff of life itself. In...
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Leadership of the Heart
By data I know. By reason I trust. By faith I believe. As a leader, I can use data to convince people to follow. As a leader, I can use reason to persuade people to follow. But in a place beyond logic...
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What is Servant Leadership?
Servant leadership – what exactly is it? How is it unique from other perspectives on leadership? Who or what is it that is served? What does it mean to be a follower of a servant leader? One of my...
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Organizational Leadership?
The words ‘Organizational Leadership’ can seem incongruous. The key elements of leadership are very personal and relational. How does that fit within a structured group environment? Basically,...
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Can you?
In a first for the Be blog here is a video post. I wasn’t sure if I could do this or not, so I gave it a try. “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson “Throw...
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Remembering Van Eaton
When I learned the story of Thomas Van Eaton I was troubled by it, but even more so by the circumstances around it. Mr. Van Eaton was an early European settler in Central Minnesota in the 1860s. In...
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When Helping is a Disservice
Servant leadership is more than doing something nice for others. Yes, kind and generous actions are a key element. But the more you assess the situation and the better you understand those being...
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I Would Look Up
The Raggers Program, formed by Thomas Caldwell, began in 1914 at a YMCA camp in California and since has been adopted at many other Y camps. It was designed for youth ages 12 and up. Progression...
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Is reality still real?
The house in the picture was beautiful. And its setting on the waterfront was spectacular. When I saw this photograph about twenty years ago my first reaction was one of wonder at this incredible...
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Leadership on P.A.R.
In leadership all of us are on P.A.R. This is one of the fundamental leadership principles on which I stand. Transcript: “Take me to your leader.” Imagine that you are watching your favorite cartoon...
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An Archaic Definition of Leadership
“A position as a leader of a group, organization, etc.” This is Merriam-Webster’s primary definition of the word leadership. I envision that someday there will be an italicized word next to this...
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Servant Leadership – Going Deeper
John is the manager of a twenty person department. He’s beyond exhausted, he’s burnt out. And he feels great about that. John works very hard to make sure that every single employee performs at a...
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Finding GEMO
Every question had an answer. Every problem had a solution. Success was knowing that one right answer or one correct solution. Failure was not knowing. That was the mindset I had growing up. If I...
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Energize Your Leadership!
As a leader, are you feeling burnt out, done in, used up, worn down, spread too thin in the thick of it all? You are certainly not alone. A group of 16 of us became concerned by how many leaders are...
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Whoosh! Leadership lesson from a Hawk
WHOOSH! The message was to the point and fortunately without any sharp points. Two hawks flew overhead as I was birding at a local nature center. One landed on a branch high above me and the other...
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