Category: Leadership

Well, after a 20-hour plane ride from Singapore to Chicago with a stop in San Francisco, it is already time for another blog post (or I will get a lecture from Mr. Khalid Ali) 😉. The trip to Singapore was both productive and fun. Matt Allen, the new leader for the Ward Center for Family Enterprises at Kellogg, and his team put on a fantastic conference for Asian family businesses. I gave a presentation on leadership, but I definitely learned more than I contributed. Kellogg is clearly well-positioned to be the leader in family business education, including governance, research, and balancing family members and stakeholders.

One of my most enjoyable activities is getting together with true lifelong friends. It seems like only yesterday that it was September of 1973 and I arrived at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin for my freshman year where I was assigned to Colman Hall. On that first day I met a group of other 18-year-olds that included Gary, Jimmy, Mark, Steve, and Craig. Our dorm counsellors took all of us outside to play football and get to know one another — it really does feel like yesterday!

A few years ago I had the opportunity to read a fantastic book, “The Road To Character,” by David Brooks, a political and cultural commentator and best-seller author. I use the word “fantastic” because Brooks does a wonderful job in the book of challenging us to differentiate between external success, which he calls “resume virtues,” and what really should matter in our lives — our core values. I often refer to Brooks’ examples in my values-based leadership classes. I highly recommend this book.

I realize that I am a very fortunate fellow. I truly love teaching, especially any aspect of VALUES-BASED LEADERSHIP! It is very clear to me that one thing we clearly need everywhere in the world, including government, business, education, and religious institutions is more VALUES-BASED LEADERS. I often mention to the Kellogg dean that having the opportunity to make a small positive impact on future leaders is an honor and a blessing. I hope to teach at least another 20 years!!🥳 In addition to my Kellogg classes for the full time, part time, and Executive MBA classes, I try to give at least two leadership talks and seminars each week to companies, non-profit organizations, schools, and associations (basically anyone looking for a speaker for values-based leadership). Instead of asking for a speaker fee, I request they make a donation to the One Acre Fund in Africa. Last week was no exception.

One of the assignments in my Kellogg MBA leadership classes is for the students to write a three-page paper on a leader they admire. I require them to include their chosen leaders’ strengths and weaknesses. I love the wide variety of leaders they choose, including everyone from Gandhi to Churchill to Jesus to their parents or bosses. I particularly enjoy the quotes the students often include in their papers, and I save many of them. Once in awhile my former students send me quotes that they think I would enjoy.

One piece of advice I give to my Northwestern Kellogg students (as well as my children but not sure I get their attention 😉) is the importance of reading as broad an array of books as possible on a consistent basis. And to be clear, I am not talking about business books. Yes, if you are in business, it is a good idea to know the business basics. However, if you are interested in becoming a well-rounded global leader, I believe it is critical to have a broad understanding of history, political science, religion, philosophy — in fact all of the liberal arts.

I had the opportunity this weekend to participate in the Coaches 100 annual meeting in Nashville, TN. There were several amazing speakers and panelists, and as usual, I took a lot of notes. I will highlight some of the talks in future posts, but I wanted to highlight in this post comments from Alan Mulally, the retired CEO of Ford Motor Company and Boeing Commercial Airlines. Alan is an excellent example of what I believe is a true values-based leader, and a special friend.