Character

Push forward for your team

August 4, 2011
Staff Sgt. Robert Miller was moving with his men through the Kunar province of Afghanistan when they were ambushed. Shot through both sides of his chest, he died before his teammates could extract him from the battle, saving his unit and killing 16 insurgents and wounding 30 others. Last year, his family was presented with his Medal of Honor.

Leadership Tips: Vol. 511

April 29, 2011
Lay yourself off? That’s what the owner of Accurate Background Check in Florida did when business slowed down. She took another job and retained her nine longtime employees.

3 measures of a strong personal brand

April 21, 2011

You already have a personal brand. But how strong is it? Are you using it to make a difference for others? To determine its strength, measure three things:

Nuggets coach comes back strong

March 3, 2011
Denver Nuggets coach George Karl returns to the bench after battling throat and neck cancer and brings with him a few lessons in survival:

What bravery means

February 28, 2011
Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese dissident kept under house arrest for 15 years, shows these traits of a leader: She has a vision, is fearless and keeps her enemies close.

Earn a leadership merit badge

February 14, 2011
If you think about it, the whole process of starting with learning the basics of any discipline and methodically working your way up to some level of mastery makes sense for undertakings far beyond Boy Scout merit badges.  It led me to consider, “If there were a merit badge for organizational leadership, what would the requirements be?”

A lesson from Broadway

January 25, 2011
A New York CEO offers this thought on something he loves about the theater: When actors take the stage, it’s showtime.

When it smells like courage, it’s courage

November 22, 2010

Semblances of virtue are not pure virtue, the philosopher Aristotle said. An action may look good and produce the right outcome, he argued, but there’s something lacking in intent. As a matter of fact, the whole thing could be a fake. But what about courage?

Nip narcissism before it nips you

November 19, 2010

Narcissism is both a creative and a destructive force. It can drive corporate success when leaders blend their own search for self-improvement with improvement of their companies’ performance. But it also can run amok and cause corporate meltdowns. Self-awareness can break the destructive pattern of narcissism, says a top gun on leadership, Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries.

5 personal touches that tech just can’t emulate

September 20, 2010
In our tech-crazed times, now may be a good time to go back to basics. Use these quaint practices to reach out to people.