Speaking of Leadership^® Blog

Every time I pick up the business page of a newspaper, I read about another corporate ethical situation, albeit carried over form the heydays of the late 1990s. The latest one is the additional indictment of other individuals associated with Enron. While moving through my alphabet of topics, I couldn’t

Many business leaders indicate that their success is based upon their ability to focus “in the moment.” Recently, I have been interviewing business leaders in the Boston area for an article that I am writing and to learn from their experiences. To a person, they have all communicated that a

How often are we in the middle of a struggle, trying to get an undertaking or objective achieved, when we just want to give up. “There is no way I can accomplish this,” we say to ourselves. “I’m just not going to be successful.” Whether you are a sales professional

Have you ever heard the phrase “Ready, Fire, Aim?” Oops, “I meant Ready, Aim, Fire.” Unfortunately, in business and in our personal lives, it is the former that drives our behavior. We speak and act before we think about what we really want to do or say. Successful leaders need

Believe in Yourself and Others When economic conditions become difficult, the door that shuts out self-doubts begins to open, ever so slowly, and those self-doubts begin to creep into our thinking. We start questioning what we are doing and lose our objectivity and perspective of what is really occurring. But,

In this economic environment and observing what is going on in the world around us, we might question our own attitude these days. Can we continue to remain optimistic or is the environment chipping away at our very soul and belief system? Leaders are not immune to this milieu; we

One of the most important jobs any leader has is the need to make the right decision and build consensus, convincing his/her followers that a particular decision is in their best interests. Many organizational consultants will tell you there are varying degrees of building consensus and selecting the degree to

As we close the door on 2011, it is time to reflect on those aspects of our life for which we are grateful. In spite of the economic environment and the status of our professional lives (they actually may be very positive!), we can turn to other facets of our

Like most people who reside in the greater Boston community, I have been following closely the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal and the increasing legal and leadership pain that the church faces. Because of the human drama involved and my interest in leadership, I can’t help but be drawn into

Senator Trent Lott, majority leader of the United States Senate had a misstep with words that could—or should—cost him his job. He referred to Senator Strom Thurman’s candidacy for President of the United States in 1948 (one that supported segregationist policies) as being good for the country. At that time,