I recently got reacquainted with our 26th President Theodore Roosevelt when I watched Ken Burns latest PBS documentary “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History“. I learned a lot about this amazing & sometimes eccentric leader; he definitely ranks up there as one of my favorite presidential leaders when it comes to self-reliance & motivation. Roosevelt believed…

Whenever a new boss takes over a work center or as the old one leaves, they look at how they can change or have changed the organization. Whether it was new equipment, a bigger budget, more manning, a better building, etc.; their success is measured by if they made the unit better, faster, or stronger….

In talking to many high profile leaders in my interviews one constant theme that keeps cropping up is this idea of “Self-Mastery”; getting to the truth of who you really are as a leader.  This is a critical first step in your leadership journey. In the Marine Corps this was one of the key Leadership…

[saf feature=”itunes” cta=”Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes”]  Corner-Office Confidential: Avoid These Ten Common New-to-Leadership Mistakes Leadership skills are so essential in today’s workforce, but many new leaders lack fundamental skills. Those who are interested in a degree program that caters to new leaders might consider a masters degree in organizational leadership from an accredited university. Accepting…

I know, there are actually 22 names on this list, but coming up with the Top 20 Leadership & Influence Experts wasn’t easy.  There are so many great leaders to choose from and I couldn’t quite narrow it down to just 20. Looking into the lives of those who have successfully made their way in…

Nothing of real significant value can be accomplished by a single person.  I love John Maxwell’s assertion that “one is too small a number to achieve greatness.” No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to find one example of genuine achievement that was performed by a lone human being.  There was…

When I think of the concept of courage I’m often drawn towards those larger than life, uncommon examples of valor that are held in reverence and awe. For example, Medal of Honor recipient Sgt John Basilone on Guadalcanal repelling 3,000 Japanese for three days and nights without sleep, rest, or food; or Neil Armstrong taking…

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with…

As a father of four daughters (ages 15, 13, 9, & 7), I feel I’m qualified to speak with authority on the concept of living and dealing with chaos. As if having children isn’t challenging enough, we are also the owners of one extremely large German Shepherd, a loving & needy Boxer, two mini Dachshunds,…

Knowing your place as a leader has little, if anything, to do with where you reside in an organizational chart. Instead it has everything to do with fully understanding what you can affect in your current situation as a leader; and consequently putting all of your energy and focus on where you can be the…

When I look back and replay the tape on some of my leadership failures, the failures often stemmed from me taking my eye off of the simple and obvious.  The times I have failed as a leader were those times I was focused on myself. As leaders we have to realize the basic essential hunger…

Panic is bad. It’s inevitable that at some point in your life you will face a situation that will require you to remain calm under pressure. Your child is choking, a customer is irate and irrational, a team member is not pulling his weight, you come upon a car accident, you fly your aircraft through…

How important is charisma when it comes to leadership? When we think of leadership or ask people to define what makes a great leader, we often gravitate to the high-profile leaders with big egos and larger-than-life personalities. In Nov 2011, Forbes published an article titled “Egomaniacs make the best leaders.” In this article they reference…