I often mention in my Kellogg leadership classes and public talks that the first principle of becoming a values-based leader is self-reflection. When I am asked why, I respond with a three-part answer: If I am not self-reflective, is it possible to know myself? If I do not know myself, is it possible to lead myself? If I cannot lead
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The death of former President George H.W. Bush last Friday, who will be remembered in a national day of mourning this coming Wednesday, brought to mind a very personal memory of a man who once shared a flight with me and showed himself to be a true, values-based leader. I am not a political person, and my convictions tend to
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I realize many of my blog posts include serious topics, and several of you have wondered: “Harry, what have you been doing for fun?” So, here we go: A short post about “something fun but sad,” “something fun and fantastic,” and “something fun and surprising!” Something Fun but Sad I had the opportunity to see my Chicago Cubs play the
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I had the opportunity to meet Senator John McCain when he came to Chicago during the 2008 presidential campaign. When it was my turn to shake his hand, I said, “Senator McCain, it is an honor to meet you.” His immediate response as he looked at my name tag: “Harry, it is a pleasure to meet you.” I had read
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Baseball has always been my very favorite sport. My Dad loved baseball, and I remember he started teaching me how to catch and hit when I was only three years old. As soon as my two younger brothers, Steve and Paul, could walk, they became part of the team. And we played and thought about baseball everyday. In the summer
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I have the opportunity to participate on the Relevant Radio show, “Morning Air” (www.relevantradio.com), the first Monday every month at 7:30AM CST. I focus my comments on values-based leadership from a spiritual perspective. Last week we addressed “How Can We Improve Civility?” I admit that the first thing I did was look up the definition of “civility.” According to the
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I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day! I think of this day as our birthday, this year being our 242nd one! July 4th is a day in particular that reminds me of how blessed I am to be an American and how thankful I am for the amazing collection of leaders that made it possible, including Washington, Adams, Jefferson,
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