Lead ThySelf

Several years ago in a meeting, we were asked to share the name of the best leadership book we’d read in the past year. My colleagues suggested books by Maxwell, Gladwell and Collins, yet my mind went directly to the historical account of General George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River in 1776, depicted in “To Try Men’s Souls” by Newt Gingrich. You may remember the story from high school history class. In December 1776 during the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army was demoralized and on the run. Christmas night, while camped along the Delaware River, Washington realized that their only chance to win – or even to survive – was to attack the British at Trenton. It wasn’t evident at the time of course, but historians now consider the events of that evening and the next morning as the turning point of the Revolutionary War. As we study Washington’s decision-making during these extraordinary circumstances, five leadership lessons emerge. 1. Heroes Exist in the Unli...

China’s economy is a constantly evolving ecosystem in which private companies struggle with rapid urbanization, a huge rural market, ingrained corruption, and frequent boom and bust cycles. Many small businesses fail, but the fittest of the species are “resourceful, flexible, and fierce competitors”. These Chinese companies may well be the vanguard of a new era in which agility is key. Chinese companies are “higher in energy and much more nimble than most Western corporations are.”  And here is why: 1) Simple structures.  The simple organisational structures within most privately owned Chinese companies make them supremely agile. “Smart Chinese executives make decisions in an ad-hoc manner and are micro-managers”,  and “there is a Confucian preference for simple organisational structures, with everyone reporting to the top”. But the Chinese market is complicated, with each province developing at its own pace and having its own officials and customs to resp...

Leadership can be learned. In fact, 20 percent of a military leader's career is spent learning how to lead. Here are some of the hard-won lessons from one of the world's top leadership incubators. Congratulations! Due to your outstanding performance and hard work, fortuitous timing, and maybe a dash of good luck, you’re moving into your company's management ranks. You’ve reached the big time—and you’re absolutely petrified by the prospect. How can you possibly be ready for this when the last thing you led was your high school yearbook committee?          Unfortunately, the contemporary business world is filled with such scenarios. Time and again, we see companies thrusting employees into positions of leadership for which they have not received even the most rudimentary training. In many cases, it is assumed that stellar independent contributors will be stellar leaders, that leadership is something that cannot be taught, or that the only way to learn lead...

Many centuries ago, leadership positions often demanded the right family connections. Later an ability to read and compute became a requisite for leadership. Later still, demands on leaders included an understanding of production systems and today, leaders are expected to possess superb people skills. The skills demanded of 21st century leaders are even more diverse and complex, regardless of the size or nature of their organizations. Ask yourself: Do you possess the skills necessary to lead in the 21st century? In this brief quiz, each pair of statements describes two sets of skills - one, a 21st century skill and the other, a 20th century skill. Which do you exhibit more often? For each 21st century skill you usually practice, you receive two points. For each 20th century skill you practice, you receive one point. After you complete the quiz, take a few moments to read the commentary about the skills covered in the quiz. 1.  I'm a "relationship manager,...

Are you tired of running the rat race? Wonder how you can better fulfill your life dreams and live more abundantly? Part self help book, part fable,  The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari  by leadership guru Robin Sharma is a slim novel that packed powerful life and leadership lessons. Written in a semi-autobiographical manner – Sharma himself was a hotshot lawyer before he switched paths to become a personal development life coach – the book borrowed ideas from religious leaders and spiritual thinkers throughout history. In  The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari , we read the story of superstar lawyer Julian Mantle. Collapsing from a heart attack on the courtroom floor one day, his near-death experience resulted in a complete turnaround in his life. From being an overworked and highly paid legal eagle, Mantle transformed into a sagely monk. Schooled in the Himalayas by the “Sages of Sivana”, the lawyer turned ascetic related various life le...