Charley Kempthorne has been keeping a journal for more than 50 years. Every morning before the sun is in the sky, the professor-turned-painter carefully types out at least 1,000 words reflecting on his past, his beliefs, his family, even his shortcomings. The prolific fruits of his labor reside in an impressive storage facility in Manhattan, […]
Archive for Personal Development
Leadership and the Law of Replication
How the Leader’s Conduct Shapes Everything about an Organization
We all want to build a strong culture in our organizations, but leaders often exclude themselves from the expectations they set for others. By mastering the Law of Replication, you’ll avoid creating chaos in your organization and create a strong, healthy team culture based on your core values.
What Great Leadership Looks Like
How to Set the Right Example with a Growing Team
Whenever I have the opportunity to speak in front of a group of leaders, I often ask them to recall the greatest leaders they’ve ever worked with. I love not only listening to their great stories but seeing how quickly people can understand what great leadership looks like. By now, I’ve probably heard thousands of […]
More is Caught than Taught
A Good Reminder Whether Leading or Following
Lieutenant Norman Dike froze in the face of fire. Dike led Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne, during the wintery attack on the Nazi-occupied town of Foy, part of the overall Battle of the Bulge during World War II. He was a replacement officer who’d allegedly been sent down from higher offices to receive some […]
What Does “Character” Even Mean?
Defining What We All Say We Care About
Consider some famous names from the business world in recent years. Bernie Madoff. Ken Lay. Bernie Ebbers. What do they all have in common? One thing is that they each demonstrated a tremendous failure of character. They acted viciously with no signs of a moral compass, and as a result, they destroyed their companies and […]
Guarding Our Integrity
Watch out for the Fraud Triangle
“I knew it was a fake check,” she said. “But if I didn’t come up with the money, we were going to lose our car.” In more than two decades in law enforcement, this one case still stands out in my mind. Angelique was a wife, mother, and by all accounts, a good person with […]