Archive for the ‘Servant leadership’ Category
’tis the season to be sensitive…
We’re just a few days past the Winter Solstice, the shortest darkest day of the year. A contrast to the holiday season, it can exacerbate hidden internal sadness in those around us.
I love Christmas music. But not all of it at the same level of love. I prefer minor keys, obscure pieces, and bleak moods that reflect peace and/or sadness. ”God Rest Ye Merry” is a good one, as is “‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime.” Lots of good stuff in the French tradition.
My two favorite Christmas music albums are “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “If on a Winter’s Night…” The latter comes from Sting, who hits on a major theme of this time of year in the liner notes:
…I have an ambivalent attitude towards the celebration of Christmas. For many, it is a period of intense loneliness and alienation… Winter is a time of darkness and introspection… [and] the gravitational pull of home that Christmas exerts on the traveller.
Walking amid the snows of Winter, or sitting entranced in a darkened room gazing at the firelight, usually evokes in me a mood of reflection, a mood that can be at times philosophical, at other wildly irrational; I find myself haunted by memories.
This can be a joyful and jolly time of year; so many lights and happy music and gatherings. But many folks are like Sting; haunted by memories of sadness exacerbated by the short dark days and the contrast with the flaunting of joy.
Enjoy the season – the lights, music, gatherings, festivities – but please stay sensitive. And allow yourself to feel the melancholy, too. That can add to the beauty.
Happy New Year.
Things successful leaders avoid saying (part 4)
The phrase “I don’t care” is often used to give permission. It may be splitting hairs to talk about this phrase, but this blog has often been picky about the words that we use. Words are important.
Three points, in order from Read the rest of this entry »
Three little words for busy leaders…
Sometimes people feel disconnected from us because we come off as “too busy.” There are three words that can reverse this dysfunction.
A piece of equipment went missing, and I wasn’t told about it. I found out Read the rest of this entry »
Leadership lessons from Veterans…
As promised, this week’s blog is inspired by Veteran’s Day last week. These are two stories of veterans that I told at a local Memorial Day service this year. What’s the lesson? There may be more than one, but let’s lift humility out of this. No war hero brags; in fact, they share the credit with others. If these guys can share the credit for these accomplishments, surely we Read the rest of this entry »
Effective Leaders Solve Intramural Feuds
When I was young teacher, I often found myself in the middle of student disputes. My response was always something along the lines of “you need to learn how to solve your own problems.” I was thinking I was doing them a service by empowering them grow up and solve problems on their own. In reality, I was avoiding drama myself, and being selfish. Leaders of organizations need Read the rest of this entry »
Most Read – Top Five + One
According to Google Analytics, these are my top five most popular posts in terms of Read the rest of this entry »
Most Discussed – Top Five + One
These are the posts that have gotten the most comments over the last year. Please Read the rest of this entry »
Most “Liked” – Top Five + One
It was fun to add the Facebook “like” button to the blog to see if anyone really liked the posts…
So, here are Read the rest of this entry »
Educators – Top Five + One
In acknowledgement of this week’s Iowa Education Summit, here are five posts that I think teachers might like. I frankly believe that Read the rest of this entry »
My personal favorites – Top Five + One
Here we are at Avonlea Village (for you Anne of Green Gables fans) on our last trip to Canada in 2009.
As I wrote this, I was preparing for family vacation to Manitoba. Yes, that’s right, Manitoba. That’s where we were when this was going to get published on June 29. Unfortunately, I goofed up the scheduling, so we went a week without the blog; reminder: during this busy summer season, I’m taking a break from original posts and instead, sharing “greatest hits.”
Anyway…
Why Manitoba? Read the rest of this entry »
For New Leaders – Top Five + One
Are you new to a leadership position, and you’ve found this blog? Here are the top five posts with relevance to new leaders.
By the way, please share this with any Read the rest of this entry »
Two Leadership Checklists
Some of us enjoy the tidy list. Nice to have as a touchstone, though if we’re serious, we’ll dig deeper. Regardless, here are two for your consideration.
The first is seminal for me – Read the rest of this entry »
