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 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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First of all, I want to wish everyone a fantastic Father’s Day, a day to celebrate all of the living Dads, as well as the Dads no longer with us. It is a great day for reflection and giving thanks for both today and the past. This Father’s Day (this past Sunday, June 17th), my family and I had a
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I usually avoid getting into political discussions because the extreme partisan positions of many people make it almost impossible to have a truly BALANCED discussion. Values-based leaders truly need to understand all sides of the story. I strongly believe the words of St. Francis who taught us to “seek to understand before we are understood.” However, since I spend so
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One of the many reasons I love teaching is I realize that until I can explain something clearly to a bright group of people, I really don’t understand it as well as I think I do. Also, I love the questions students ask because they force me to really make things clear to them and myself. A few weeks ago
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