Culture clearly plays a part in leadership and how it is expressed in different places.  People who live or move within different cultures encounter these differences and know they are real; the words to accurately describe or understand the differences, however, are often lacking.  We resort to general observations or broad-brush statements that are riddled with exceptions.

The experiences of leaders in different countries clearly shape them.  Two researchers looking at leaders in China, India and Singapore noted difference in challenging assignments, developmental relationships, dealing with hardships, education and personal experience.  All of these influences shape individuals into the leaders they are, and gaining an appreciation for each individual’s personal biography is insightful and essential for understanding their own expression of leadership with its gaps and its strong areas.

One way of understanding leadership differences is through behavior styles.  (more…)

I’ve advocated many times for an “evidence based” approach to management and business.  Too often I come across people who are getting acceptable results but when pressed to explain, they clearly don’t know why it’s working.  When they stop getting results, they don’t know what to change or do different.  That’s why I urge people to test your assumptions, take accurate measurements, keep score, notice what’s working–and what isn’t.   I believe it is crucial to avoid learning the wrong lessons, which happens when we draw conclusions about our successes and failures that are not based on the facts, but on our prejudices, assumptions, or a strong-minded person’s opinion.

We also have to guard against mistaking our measurements and our models with the whole picture.  There’s always more than what we can see or measure, and we need to avoid wearing self-made blinders.  It’s in the hidden spaces that wild and chaotic forces lurk.

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What kind of companies tend to keep top talent?  Those that pay a lot or are leaders in their field?  What about those who have an engaging culture?  Let’s take a moment to look at both of those possible answers and see what part culture plays in attracting, developing and retaining top talent. (more…)

50 Classics

For those of you intently focused on developing your top talent I recommend the following resource as a guide.  It tells you where to look for inspiration, original ideas, the great thinkers.

Tom Butler-Bowdon has put together 50 Classics of Success, Self-Help, Spirituality, Psychology and now Prosperity.  That’s 250 books total… (more…)

Here’s my model of Leadership Levels or what I call “Fields of Leadership.” I still need to show examples of these and work them out in more detail, but here they are in outline form. Leadership Fields are the primary domains where one exercises leadership. Leadership in one area can help one develop leadership in another domain, but it doesn’t guarantee that this will happen. Each field has its own set of skills, competencies and mindsets that go along with it. High levels of Thought Leadership don’t automatically make one gifted in Interpersonal Leadership. My thinking is still developing on this topic; I’ll post more here so stay tuned.

Leadership can be expressed on many different levels, and each field of leadership has its requisite skills and competencies.  The five fields of leadership are:

1. Personal Mastery:  Self-Awareness, Vision, Integrity and Self-Control

2. Interpersonal Skill:  Empathy, Influence, Communication, and Contribution

3. Thought Leadership: Observation, Analysis, Learning/Integration, and Sharing

4. Group Endeavor: Organization, Meeting Discipline, Execution, Collaboration and Teambuilding

5. Systemic Leadership: Vision for Future, Organizational Design, Culture and Values, Strategy and Transformation