· This true story comes from the memoirs of Edward Porter Alexander. He was a Confederate officer from Georgia, the author of what’s considered to be one of the best war memoirs of the Civil War. You’ll see his book pop up consistently in footnotes or endnotes of nonfiction books on the Civil War. Before I forget, the year was 1863, not 1864. October. Sorry for the slip. · Take a breath and … [Read more...]
August 20, 2012 by
August 10, 2012 by
A little more than a month ago I designed a leadership development module around the experience of Lillian Wald. She is generally regarded as the founder of public health nursing and visiting nurses. She began an organization, Henry Street House in New York City, in 1892. It continues down to 2012. Wald was an incredible leader. One of the outstanding parts of Wald’s leadership history is her … [Read more...]
August 9, 2012 by
I’ve now presented to a private client my module on Priscilla. The venue was my one-on-one coaching service entitled Creative Conversations. My client asked if anyone had written a book about Priscilla. That’s a sign that the module went well. The answer to the client’s question is: no. No book has been written on Priscilla. As I said to the client, we don’t know a lot of hard data about … [Read more...]
August 8, 2012 by
We’re all looking for ways to save time. Let me suggest one way not to do it. Be very, very careful about thinking in shorthand. Shorthand thinking is abbreviation of thought. You hear a word or see an image and from that split-second of time you allow your mind to fill in the rest, the things not seen or heard. Here’s an example. You see a person pull into the drive-thru lane of a fast-food … [Read more...]
August 8, 2012 by
Next week I am scheduled to be one of the featured speakers at an event. In trying to practice what I preach, I’m using history. In this case, I’m following the example of Abraham Lincoln. Whenever Lincoln had a speech to give, he developed it in a unique way. He would mull the speech in his mind before he wrote anything. He found ideas, phrases, words, and images that best fit the occasion. … [Read more...]
August 7, 2012 by
I read today that Gabrielle Giffords and her husband have endorsed the plea agreement reached with the gunman who shot her and several other people in Arizona in early 2011. The exact statement was this: “Avoiding a trial will allow us—and we hope the whole Southern Arizona community—to continue with our recovery and move forward with our lives.” All right, it’s understandable. Absolutely. And … [Read more...]
August 6, 2012 by
I presented to a leadership team (equivalent to a vice-president and a tight group of key directors) and two unique things happened. One was the structure of my work for them. It was the department or division’s annual retreat for its highest level of leaders. The client and I agreed that it would be a valuable for the group to use the history of their own organization—a history that began in … [Read more...]
August 5, 2012 by
President Bill Clinton delivers the keynote speech at tonight's Democratic National Convention. I'd like to share a thought with you, but I want to be sure you read it in the spirit with which it's intended. Here goes. It doesn't take a prophet to suggest this prediction. It might be that tonight is the last time that Bill Clinton delivers a formal piece of communication directly from a national … [Read more...]
August 3, 2012 by
Two weeks ago marked the end of my first Leadership Now Walkshop. It was extraordinary for me, I can say for certain, and for my two attendees, I can say with confidence. Let me refresh your memory. The Walkshop was about how a large event collides with your plans for life and leadership. The topic was Benjamin Harrison and two key points in his life separated by fifteen months—when he heard … [Read more...]
August 3, 2012 by
You’re probably like me in that you know, you have a sense, when something you’ve said has really hit home with the person to whom you said it. I saw it recently during Part 3 of my Leadership Now Walkshop. Here’s what I mean. At several points during the one-hour walk and the two-hour coffee debrief, I offered a comment based on Benjamin Harrison’s experience of July 9, 1862 and its potential … [Read more...]
