The Leadership Epidemic

Slow Leadership? Maybe…

noreply@blogger.com (John W. McKenna) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 03:28:00 +0000

I’ve not posted here in some time, but lately, my thinking about leadership has been rekindled by an odd subject, the Slow Food Movement. I’ve been reading about Slow Food and the movement that bears its name. What we eat has so much to do with the quality of our lives, the quality of our communities, and the quality of the world. However, embracing the realities of the Slow Food Movement is a difficult challenge. While reflecting on the challenges of following a Slow Food lifestyle, I came to appreciate the up-hill battle all movements face: people would follow, if only it weren’t so difficult.

However, movements have a way of spawning ideas that, while not necessarily of the movement, carry a piece of the message. I’ve found my piece of the movement, the piece I can follow in Michael Pollan’s, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. His advice,

“Eat Food.

Not Too Much.

Mainly Plants.”

I have been living with this advice for the past month. Not a long time, and not a great leap, but a step, even if just a small step, in doing what I can to move toward live by my ideals.

And this started me thinking…

I hope Mr. Pollan doesn’t mind if I borrow a taste of his advice for overcoming the challenges of eating in a fast food world, and apply it to the challenges of leading during a Leadership Epidemic.

“Lead People.

Not Too Many.

Take Your Time.”

It may not be Slow Leadership, but it is the phrase that has brought me back to posting and I intend to investigate why.

What are your thoughts?

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Take care and enjoy...

JWM

Missing Pieces...

noreply@blogger.com (John W. McKenna) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:52:00 +0000

When I started writing The Leadership Epidemic, I believed the reason most leadership sucked was because most leaders relied on the skills, technical skills, that got them promoted rather than developing new leadership skills.

I also believed when leaders did develop new skills, they focused on the wrong skills--personality skills rather than character skills; cheer leading rather than legitimate culture building skills.

When this deficit was coupled with a failure to Know the Machine, the result was leadership that sucks. I still believe that is true. However, I have come to believe the challenge is deeper than that. While poor skills do lead to leadership that sucks, pieces of the model are missing.

It appears that good skills and knowledge don't guarantee good leadership. Lately, I've been thinking about the missing pieces. What are your thoughts? Are good skills and knowledge enough or does good leadership take more?

If you would like to be the first person on your block to receive the latest post from The Leadership Epidemic, be sure to Subscribe by RSS or Get it by E-Mail.

Take care and enjoy...

JWM

Missing - by Eleanor C. Donnelly

noreply@blogger.com (John W. McKenna) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:37:00 +0000

This morning, while doing some research for my latest project, "The Theory of the Plate", I came across the following poem by Eleanor C. Donnelly.

It reminded me that we, all of us, should take a moment to appreciate the luxury we have of living in a free country and take an equal moment remembering those who have fallen while serving to protect our freedoms.

As you prepare to celebrate this Christmas holiday, please keep all those who are serving our country in your heart and in your prayers; make sure they are not forgotten or go missing...

Take care...

JWM

“MISSING”

In the cool, sweet hush of a wooded nook,
Where the May-buds sprinkle the green old ground,
And the wind, and the birds, and the limpid brook
Murmur their dreams with a drowsy sound, ---
Who lies so still in the plushy moss,
With his pale cheek pressed to a breezy pillow,
Couched where the light and shadows cross
Through the flickering fringe of the willow?
Who lies, alas!
So still, so chill, in the whispering grass?

A soldier, clad in the Zouave dress,
A bright-haired man, with his lips apart,
One hand thrown up o’er his frank, dead face,
And the other clutching his pulseless heart,
Lies there in the shadows cool and dim,
His musket brushed by a trailing bough;
A careless grace in his quiet limbs,
And a wound on his manly brow:
A wound, alas!
Whose dark clots blood the pleasant grass.

The violets peer from their dusky beds
With a tearful dew in their great pure eyes;
The lilies quiver their shining heads,
Their pale lips full of a sad surprise;
And the lizard darts through the glistening fern,
And the squirrel rustles the branches hoary;
Strange birds fly out, with a cry, to burn
Their wings in the sunset glory
While the shadows pass
O’er the quiet face on the dewy grass.

God pity the bride who waits at home,
With her lily cheeks and her violet eyes,
Dreaming the sweet old dream of love,
While the lover is walking in paradise!
God strengthen her heart as the days go by,
And the long, drear nights of her vigils follow;
Nor bird, nor moon, nor whispering wind
May breather the tale of the hollow!
Alas! alas!
The secret is safe with the woodland grass.

- Eleanor C. Donnelly

A Dictator by Any Other Name...

noreply@blogger.com (John W. McKenna) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:31:00 +0000

Yesterday, I read a quote that made me think about the fundamental nature of leadership.

In the culture of the nineties, CEOs were “leaders” and union chief were “bosses”, regardless of the fact that unions [were] often democracies while corporations [were] almost always dictatorships.

Now, please take a moment, set aside your feelings about big business and/or organized labor and think about what is being said. I find two very important points.

First, the implication that the mantel of leadership evolves and migrates across social groups, i.e. leadership is a dynamic social process. However, in the contrast drawn between “leaders” and “dictators”, it eludes to the possibility that the heads of a modern plutocracy have preempted; or worst yet, hijacked and misapplied the title of “Leader” to their actions as a way to achieve legitimacy. While I find this an interesting and important issue, one entirely relevant to the current Leadership Epidemic, one I'll write more about in a future post, the second point is more pressing.

The second point, is the nature of the relationship between the leader and the lead; yes back to the relationship question. In a dictatorship the relationship between the members of society and their “leaders” is unidirectional. Additionally, the outputs beyond the minimal cost of survival, i.e. the cost of labor, accumulate to the heads of state rather than the members of society. Finally, most of the relationship work is done within the “Court of Leader” rather than between the followers and leaders, i.e. followers are not part of the system, rather they are an expense; are expendable.

In this analogy the legitimacy of the CEO as leader is put into question in the same way that a dictators claim to a rightful position is questioned by members of a free society.

In a previous set of posts, we investigated the question, “Does Most Leadership Suck?”. Many of your posts, even when trying to maintain a positive demeanor, answered in the affirmative. I suspect this affirmation is a symptom of the failure of organizational “leaders” to recognize the value of relationships among and between their shareholders.

The fundamental underpinning of leadership is the relationships that a Leader develops within his/her followers. For legitimacy, Leaders must develop two-way, mutually supportive relationship with their followers. When you have a dictatorship this does not happen.

What are your thoughts?

If you would like to be the first person on your block to receive the latest post from the Leadership Epidemic, be sure to Subscribe by RSS or Get it by E-Mail.

Take care and enjoy...

JWM

A Leadership Lesson from Al Qaeda

noreply@blogger.com (John W. McKenna) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 06:42:00 +0000

I have always thought that we can learn a lot about leadership from those with whom we fight and struggle. So today, I would like you to consider a leadership lesson from the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ).

The EIJ’s original objective was to overthrow the Egypt government and turn the country into an Islamic state. However, the EIJ fell on hard times after a number of it leaders were either imprisoned, killed or forced into exile.

To gain a new footing, the EIJ shifted its focus from the near enemy, Egypt to the far enemy, the US and other Western countries. This switch allowed the EIJ to align itself with another terrorist group, Al Qaeda. This was a good alignment because it allowed Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda to trade an infusion of cash in exchange for EIJ operational experience.

Here is the leadership lesson. A lesson that sits at the heart of all leadership dilemmas.

In return for financial support, Ayman al-Zawahiri provided Al Qaeda with about 200 loyal, disciplined and well-trained followers, who became the core of Al Qaeda’s leadership.

Read that again… What ultimately became the core of the most successful terrorist group in the world was as set of loyal, disciplined, well-trained followers.

This says to me that developing followers who are loyal, disciplined and know the machine that makes up your business is infinitely more effective than focusing on the immeasurable activities of organizational cheerleading.

As a leader, there are three questions you must be able to answer. How do you create loyalty within your organization? How do find, instill and value the quality of self-discipline within your people. How do you develop well-trained followers who know your machine and possess the capacity to become the core of your organization’s leadership?

More importantly, do you possess the loyalty, discipline and knowledge as a follower that enables you to take on the responsibilities of leadership?

What are your thoughts?

If you would like to be the first person on your block to receive the latest post from the Leadership Epidemic, be sure to Subscribe by RSS or Get it by E-Mail.

Take care and enjoy...

JWM

Hey Coach...

noreply@blogger.com (John W. McKenna) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:43:00 +0000

Did I mention I coach a 13-15yr soccer team?

This morning, one of my players was in the clinic for a checkup. As we passed each other in the hallway, she greeted me with a quick "Hey Coach".

The group I was walking with looked at me strangely, as if to say, "When do you have time to coach?" Which lead to a volley of questions.

What do you coach? Soccer.

How long have you been coaching? Eight Years.

Are you any good? Well...

Actual, I'm not a very good soccer coach. Sure, I've been coaching soccer long enough to be able to teach the basics, run drills, get players to play their position and develop basic field sense, but not much more. I like to think I'm a minimal-essential-requirements type soccer coach.

Also, I'm not like a lot of the other soccer coaches.

While the "much more" aspects of soccer don't interest me, not even a little, other coaches are consumed by the “much more” aspects...and winning.

Don’t get me wrong. I like it when my team wins but it's not the reason I coach. I coach because I like the challenge of getting my players to see that what they are doing is bigger than the actual task at hand, bigger than playing soccer.

Coaching reminds me of the tale of the three brick masons building Notre Dame de Paris.

A new foreman was touring the grounds and came across three brick masons building a wall. The foreman asked the first brick mason what he was doing. The first brick mason replied, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm laying bricks." Then the foreman walked over to the second brick mason and asked him what he was doing. The second brick mason replied, "Can't you see? I am building a wall." Finally, the foreman walked over to the third brick mason and asked him what he was doing. The third brick mason replied, "I am building the perfect cathedral as a testament to my faith."

Every day, my goal is to be that someone who helps people to recognize that they can be the third brick mason; that what they do is bigger than the task at hand. That's why I coach.

Are you a coach? Post a comment and let's talk about it.

If you would like to be the first person on your block to receive the latest post from the Leadership Epidemic, be sure to Subscribe by RSS or Get it by E-Mail.

Take care and enjoy...

JWM

The Challenge is Closed

noreply@blogger.com (John W. McKenna) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 06:04:00 +0000

16-Sept-07: The Challenge is officially closed. I would like to give special recognition to Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace for both the quantity and quality of the posts he produced; six in all. I am amazed by his ability to consistently produce high-quality posts. His final post in his weeklong series answering the "Does Most Leadership Suck, Including Yours...“ challenge, is our final entry.

While it has been a challenge for me to keep up with all of the e-mail and comments this question generated, the conversations have been invaluable in helping me better understand how real people view leadership. You can expect to see much of what you have taught me in my ChangeThis Manifesto.

Take care all...

JWM

THE CHALLENGE LIST: Update 16-Sept-07

Ernie A. Cevallos a.k.a. Perseus
Biz-Think
Thoughts on Leadership

David B. Bohl
Slow Down Fast
Fulfillment and Leadership

Anita Pathik Law
Power of Our Way Blog
Does Most Leadership Suck?

Lodewijkvdb
How to be an Original
Does Your (Personal) Leadership Suck?

Carlon Hass
Possess Less Exist More
Does Your Leadership Suck?

Halina Goldstein
The Inner Travel Journal
If the World Didn’t Suck

Monday Morning Power
Attitude, the Ultimate Power
A Challenge on “Leadership”

Jason
A Miracle a Day
5 Reasons Why Companies Fail To Find Good Leaders

Deb Call
Spirit in Gear
Does Most Leadership Suck? Is That the Right Question?

Jennifer
Goodness Gracious
Leading the Way

Sam Chan
Acquire Wisdom and Live with Passion
Understanding Leadership and
The Art of Leadership

Alexys Fairfield
Unraveling the Spiritual Mystique
Monumental Leadership

Jeffrey Phillips
Thinking Faster
Does Your Leadership "Suck"?

Barbara Sliter
Creatorship
No John Wayne Here...

Michael McKinney
Leadership Now
You Can Change

Judy Martin
The WorkLife Monitor
Delving into the Mind of a Leader

Jenny and Erin
Jenny and Erin
Top 10 Reasons being a Leader Sucks

Lisa Gates
Design Your Writing Life
What Sucks Leadership?

Heather Goldsmith
A Creative Journal
Leadership Prompt

Priscilla Palmer
Personal Development Demands Success
Leadership Tag

Donna Karlin
Fast Company Expert Blogs
Leadership: Acknowledging Leaders

Michelle
Amusing My Genius
Why Most Leadership Sucks..Including Mine and
Is There a Problem with Being too Positive About Everything?

Dr Hal
North Star Mental Fitness Blog
When Leaders Use the Prevent Defense

Daniel Sitter
Idea Sellers
The Role of Leadership in Selling

Martin Spernau
Tindertraum Weblog
All Leadership Sucks Including Mine

Don Simkovich
Hey Don
The Leadership Dilemma

Chris Marshall
Martial Development
You Have the Sensei You Deserve

Priscilla Palmer
Personal Development Demands Success
Good Leadership

Donna Karlin
Perspectives
The Leadership Challenge

Mark
The Naked Soul
Does Most Leadership Suck? - A Challenge

Joan Schramm
Momentum Coaching
Leadership, Empathy and Knowing How to Follow

Ray
Black in Business
Leadership

Tim Milburn
StudentLinc
What Sucks About Leadership?

Donna Karlin
Fast Company Expert Blogs
Leadership: Tagged for a Leadership Challenge

Steve Roesler
All Things Workplace
Leadership All Week: Accepting the Challenge
- Leadership: It's All About You
- Leadership, Choices, and Implications
- Leadership: Is It About Them or Me?
- Leadership: What About These Factors?
- Leadership: Plucky, Lucky, and Sometimes Sucky

If you would like to be the first person on your block to receive the latest post from the Leadership Epidemic, be sure to subscribe by RSS or Get it by E-Mail.

Take care and enjoy...

JWM

Carrying a Message...

noreply@blogger.com (John W. McKenna) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 04:53:00 +0000

While I am sure that some people do and/or will find Hubbard's essay offensive, it provides a great start for a conversation on Followership. The entire text is available at The Project Gutenberg.

Take care...

JWM

A Message to Garcia

by Elbert Hubbard

As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
--Proverbs xxv: 13

In all this Cuban business there is one man stands out on the horizon of my memory like Mars at perihelion.

When war broke out between Spain and the United States, it was very necessary to communicate quickly with the leader of the Insurgents. Garcia was somewhere in the mountain fastnesses of Cuba--no one knew where. No mail or telegraph message could reach him. The President must secure his co-operation, and quickly. What to do!

Some one said to the President, "There is a fellow by the name of Rowan will find Garcia for you, if anybody can."

Rowan was sent for and was given a letter to be delivered to Garcia. How "the fellow by the name of Rowan" took the letter, sealed it up in an oilskin pouch, strapped it over his heart, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle, and in three weeks came out on the other side of the Island, having traversed a hostile country on foot, and delivered his letter to Garcia--are things I have no special desire now to tell in detail. The point that I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, "Where is he at?" By the Eternal! there is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing--"Carry a message to Garcia."

General Garcia is dead now, but there are other Garcias.

No man who has endeavored to carry out an enterprise where many hands were needed, but has been well-nigh appalled at times by the imbecility of the average man--the inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it.

Slipshod assistance, foolish inattention, dowdy indifference, and half-hearted work seem the rule; and no man succeeds, unless by hook or crook or threat he forces or bribes other men to assist him; or mayhap, God in His goodness performs a miracle, and sends him an Angel of Light for an assistant. You, reader, put this matter to a test: You are sitting now in your office--six clerks are within call. Summon any one and make this request: "Please look in the encyclopedia and make a brief memorandum for me concerning the life of Correggio."

Will the clerk quietly say, "Yes, sir," and go do the task?

On your life he will not. He will look at you out of a fishy eye and ask one or more of the following questions:

Who was he?

Which encyclopedia?

Where is the encyclopedia?

Was I hired for that?

Don't you mean Bismarck?

What's the matter with Charlie doing it?

Is he dead?

Is there any hurry?

Shall I bring you the book and let you look it up yourself?

What do you want to know for?

I wasn't hired for that anyway!

And I will lay you ten to one that after you have answered the questions, and explained how to find the information, and why you want it, the clerk will go off and get one of the other clerks to help him try to find Garcia--and then come back and tell you there is no such man. Of course I may lose my bet, but according to the Law of Average I will not.

Now, if you are wise, you will not bother to explain to your "assistant" that Correggio is indexed under the C's, not in the K's, but you will smile very sweetly and say, "Never mind," and go look it up yourself.

And this incapacity for independent action, this moral stupidity, this infirmity of the will, this unwillingness to cheerfully catch hold and lift--these are the things that put pure Socialism so far into the future. If men will not act for themselves, what will they do when the benefit of their effort is for all? A first mate with knotted club seems necessary; and the dread of getting "the bounce" Saturday night holds many a worker to his place.

Advertise for a stenographer, and nine out of ten who apply can neither spell nor punctuate--and do not think it necessary to.

Can such a one write a letter to Garcia?

"You see that bookkeeper," said a foreman to me in a large factory.

"Yes; what about him?"

"Well, he's a fine accountant, but if I'd send him up-town on an errand, he might accomplish the errand all right, and on the other hand, might stop at four saloons on the way, and when he got to Main Street would forget what he had been sent for."

Can such a man be entrusted to carry a message to Garcia?

We have recently been hearing much maudlin sympathy expressed for the "downtrodden denizens of the sweat-shop" and the "homeless wanderer searching for honest employment," and with it all often go many hard words for the men in power.

Nothing is said about the employer who grows old before his time in a vain attempt to get frowsy ne'er-do-wells to do intelligent work; and his long, patient striving with "help" that does nothing but loaf when his back is turned. In every store and factory there is a constant weeding-out process going on. The employer is continually sending away "help" that have shown their incapacity to further the interests of the business, and others are being taken on.

No matter how good times are, this sorting continues: only if times are hard and work is scarce, the sorting is done finer--but out and forever out the incompetent and unworthy go. It is the survival of the fittest. Self-interest prompts every employer to keep the best--those who can carry a message to Garcia.

I know one man of really brilliant parts who has not the ability to manage a business of his own, and yet who is absolutely worthless to any one else, because he carries with him constantly the insane suspicion that his employer is oppressing, or intending to oppress, him. He can not give orders; and he will not receive them. Should a message be given him to take to Garcia, his answer would probably be, "Take it yourself!"

Tonight this man walks the streets looking for work, the wind whistling through his threadbare coat. No one who knows him dare employ him, for he is a regular firebrand of discontent. He is impervious to reason, and the only thing that can impress him is the toe of a thick-soled Number Nine boot.

Of course I know that one so morally deformed is no less to be pitied than a physical cripple; but in our pitying let us drop a tear, too, for the men who are striving to carry on a great enterprise, whose working hours are not limited by the whistle, and whose hair is fast turning white through the struggle to hold in line dowdy indifference, slipshod imbecility, and the heartless ingratitude which, but for their enterprise, would be both hungry and homeless.

Have I put the matter too strongly? Possibly I have; but when all the world has gone a-slumming I wish to speak a word of sympathy for the man who succeeds--the man who, against great odds, has directed the efforts of others, and having succeeded, finds there's nothing in it: nothing but bare board and clothes. I have carried a dinner-pail and worked for day's wages, and I have also been an employer of labor, and I know there is something to be said on both sides. There is no excellence, per se, in poverty; rags are no recommendation; and all employers are not rapacious and high-handed, any more than all poor men are virtuous.

My heart goes out to the man who does his work when the "boss" is away, as well as when he is at home. And the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly takes the missive, without asking any idiotic questions, and with no lurking intention of chucking it into the nearest sewer, or of doing aught else but deliver it, never gets "laid off," nor has to go on a strike for higher wages. Civilization is one long, anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted. His kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village--in every office, shop, store and factory.

The world cries out for such: he is needed, and needed badly--the man who can carry

-END-

Start collecting your thoughts...

If you would like to be the first person on your block to receive the latest post from the Leadership Epidemic, be sure to subscribe by RSS or Get it by E-Mail.

Take care and enjoy...

JWM

Does Most Leadership Suck - The Challenge List: 13-Sept-07 Update

noreply@blogger.com (John W. McKenna) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:28:00 +0000

13-Sept-07: It's been a very busy week for me. Sometimes, life just happens... Fortunately, while I was busy doing my real job, a lot of you were busy collecting your thoughts on leadership and committing them to paper, or at least to post on your Blog.

If you're not familiar with what's going on... Last week, I kicked off a Challenge with the hopes of getting a few replies. So far, I have had over 35 posts and a ton of comments. As long as I'm getting a strong response, I'll keep updating the list. Also, feel free to publish the list on your site.

I don't think we've reached the end of this conversation so let's see if we can get a broader range of bloggers to participate. If you who haven't already done so, please tag three of your favorite bloggers with the challenge.

Take care all...

JWM

THE CHALLENGE LIST: Update 13-Sept-07

Ernie A. Cevallos a.k.a. Perseus
Biz-Think
Thoughts on Leadership

David B. Bohl
Slow Down Fast
Fulfillment and Leadership

Anita Pathik Law
Power of Our Way Blog
Does Most Leadership Suck?

Lodewijkvdb
How to be an Original
Does Your (Personal) Leadership Suck?

Carlon Hass
Possess Less Exist More
Does Your Leadership Suck?

Halina Goldstein
The Inner Travel Journal
If the World Didn’t Suck

Monday Morning Power
Attitude, the Ultimate Power
A Challenge on “Leadership”

Jason
A Miracle a Day
5 Reasons Why Companies Fail To Find Good Leaders

Deb Call
Spirit in Gear
Does Most Leadership Suck? Is That the Right Question?

Jennifer
Goodness Gracious
Leading the Way

Sam Chan
Acquire Wisdom and Live with Passion
Understanding Leadership and
The Art of Leadership

Alexys Fairfield
Unraveling the Spiritual Mystique
Monumental Leadership

Jeffrey Phillips
Thinking Faster
Does Your Leadership "Suck"?

Barbara Sliter
Creatorship
No John Wayne Here...

Michael McKinney
Leadership Now
You Can Change

Judy Martin
The WorkLife Monitor
Delving into the Mind of a Leader

Jenny and Erin
Jenny and Erin
Top 10 Reasons being a Leader Sucks

Lisa Gates
Design Your Writing Life
What Sucks Leadership?

Heather Goldsmith
A Creative Journal
Leadership Prompt

Priscilla Palmer
Personal Development Demands Success
Leadership Tag

Donna Karlin
Fast Company Expert Blogs
Leadership: Acknowledging Leaders

Michelle
Amusing My Genius
Why Most Leadership Sucks..Including Mine

Dr Hal
North Star Mental Fitness Blog
When Leaders Use the Prevent Defense

Daniel Sitter
Idea Sellers
The Role of Leadership in Selling

Martin Spernau
Tindertraum Weblog
All Leadership Sucks Including Mine

Don Simkovich
Hey Don
The Leadership Dilemma

Chris Marshall
Martial Development
You Have the Sensei You Deserve

Priscilla Palmer
Personal Development Demands Success
Good Leadership

Donna Karlin
Perspectives
The Leadership Challenge

Mark
The Naked Soul
Does Most Leadership Suck? - A Challenge

Joan Schramm
Momentum Coaching
Leadership, Empathy and Knowing How to Follow

Ray
Black in Business
Leadership

Steve Roesler
All Things Workplace
Leadership All Week: Accepting the Challenge
- Leadership: It's All About You
- Leadership, Choices, and Implications

If you would like to be the first person on your block to receive the latest post from the Leadership Epidemic, be sure to subscribe by RSS or Get it by E-Mail.

Take care and enjoy...

JWM

Does Most Leadership Suck – The Challenge List

noreply@blogger.com (John W. McKenna) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:08:00 +0000

10-Sept-07: More updates to the Challenge List. If you have committed to writing a post for the Challenge, you still have time to get it on the list. Send an e-mail of post a comment with a link and I'll add your post the next time I update the list. And remember, the conversation depends on all of you tagging your favorite bloggers to participate.

9-Sept-07: More updates to the Challenge List.

7-Sept-07: More updates to the Challenge List. If you would like to see your favorite blogger posted here, be sure to tag them with the challenge.

Take care all...

JWM

Earlier this week when I kicked off this Challenge, I thought I might get a few replies. Boy was I wrong. So far, I have had a ton of comments and over 22 posts and a commitment to many more.

Before I get to the list, let me say, two things have really surprised me. First, the range of response I have received. When I originally sent out the challenge, I purposefully tagged a variety of sites with vastly different audiences and backgrounds. If fact, as I have privately told many of you, the variety of Blogs was so broad I was afraid some Bloggers would feel the challenge was so far off their topic, that they would take it as pure spam. As it turned out, some of the best posts came from the most unlikely bloggers. Second, so many people who commented that they weren’t really into the “Leadership Thing” turned around and provided some of the clearest leadership thinking I have ever seen. People never cease to amaze me.

It has been a real pleasure getting to know so many people and I’m looking forward to hearing from the rest of you. To that end, and to keep this conversation going, I will be tagging bloggers for the remainder of the week. I encourage each of you to tag the bloggers you would like to include in the challenge; but please, no spamming.

There is no real order or arrangement to the Challenge List; it is more or less in the order that people have let me know they had written a post. If you can think of a better way to organize the list, post a comment and I will see what I can do.

THE CHALLENGE LIST: Update 7-Sept-07

Ernie A. Cevallos a.k.a. Perseus
Biz-Think
Thoughts on Leadership

David B. Bohl
Slow Down Fast
Fulfillment and Leadership

Anita Pathik Law
Power of Our Way Blog
Does Most Leadership Suck?

Lodewijkvdb
How to be an Original
Does Your (Personal) Leadership Suck?

Carlon Hass
Possess Less Exist More
Does Your Leadership Suck?

Halina Goldstein
The Inner Travel Journal
If the World Didn’t Suck

Monday Morning Power
Attitude, the Ultimate Power
A Challenge on “Leadership”

Jason
A Miracle a Day
5 Reasons Why Companies Fail To Find Good Leaders

Deb Call
Spirit in Gear
Does Most Leadership Suck? Is That the Right Question?

Jennifer
Goodness Gracious
Leading the Way

Sam Chan
Acquire Wisdom and Live with Passion
Understanding Leadership and
The Art of Leadership

Alexys Fairfield
Unraveling the Spiritual Mystique
Monumental

Jeffrey Phillips
Thinking Faster
Does Your Leadership "Suck"?

Barbara Sliter
Creatorship
No John Wayne Here...

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Leadership Now
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Amusing My Genius
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Don Simkovich
Hey Don
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Martial Development
You Have the Sensei You Deserve

Priscilla Palmer
Personal Development Demands Success
Good Leadership

Steve Roesler
All Things Workplace
Leadership All Week: Accepting the Challenge

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