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Leadership

Leadership is Influence. Period.

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Tuesday, February 1, 2022

In 1989, I attended a Pastor's conference at Muskoka Baptist Conference, two hours north of Toronto, ON.  At the time, I was an Associate Pastor in a church in Toronto.

The speaker was the pastor of a growing church in  La Mesa, CA.  I'd never heard of him but I remember one of the first things he said.

Leadership is Influence. Period.

Are You A Nice Person

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Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Years ago I purchased a tiny book called "Swanson's Written Rules of Management".  I came across it this week while I was re-arranging some bookshelves.  Bill Swanson was the CEO of Raytheon when he compliled the book.  Rule #32 is one of my favorites.

A person who is nice to you 
but rude to the waiter - or to others
is not a nice person.

This rule - also known as the "waiter rule" - never fails.

In his book, Swanson writes:

Company Culture - Easy to Talk About - Hard to Do

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Tuesday, November 14, 2017

When you read about new companies, especially in the startup space, one of the topics you’ll see over and over again is this idea of “culture”.  To be sure, it’s an important topic and can be a true distinction (think Uber vs. Lyft).

Two Inc. magazine articles came through my feed this morning and a mashup of the two topics they addressed seems appropriate.

Leaders Take us Where We'd Otherwise Not Go

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Friday, January 6, 2017

Leaders influence people at every level. Some lead thousands or even millions, others lead one or two. The success of their leadership isn't found in the number of people in their "chain of command", but how they influence those for whom they are responsible.

Leaders influence people at every level. Some lead thousands or even millions, others lead one or two. The success of their leadership isn't found in the number of people in their "chain of command", but how they influence those for whom they are responsible.

Leaders Call to the Best of Us

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Thursday, February 19, 2015

When the stakes are high, great leaders can rally people to a cause with just a few words. On October 29, 1941 Winston Churchill spoke to the boys at Harrow School. "Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

When the stakes are high, great leaders can rally people to a cause with just a few words.