Last night I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret Wheatley (or simply Meg) for the first time. I was part of a circle conversation about leadership, arranged by my good friend Carsten Ohm. Meg is the author of (among others) A simpler way and Turning to one another.
We had … Continue Reading ››
Category Archives: Leadership
Leadership is an insanely important discipline. Here you’ll find the thought, tools and tricks of the trade of great leaders.
Quote
Perhaps it is the hedonist in me, but I believe that gatherings designed to achieve useful results can only be fully effective when the participants are having fun. The issues on the table, and the implications of the outcome, may all be deadly serious, but creative interchange, to say nothing of innovative results, seems to … Continue Reading ››
Free books on leadership
Questia.com are putting a lot of free books and articles on the net, and this week the focus is on leadership. Here are their prime picks in that category.
Quote
We currently act as if people are not inherently motivated, rather that they go to work each day and wait for someone else to light their fire. This belief is common among managers and employees alike... It is right and human for managers to care about the motivation and morale of their people, it is just … Continue Reading ››
Getting it wrong
If you're not having a fair degree of failures, you're not exposing yourself to the upside of getting it dramatically right on dark horses. If you don't like going home at night with a feeling of uncertainty, then you're not cut out for it. If you try too hard to improve your failure rate, you … Continue Reading ››
Selling fish in Seattle – and having fun
I've never been to the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, but people who have describe it as a joyful chaos. The fishmongers throw the fish and crabs around, catch them one-handed, yell at and with the customers and generally have a great time.
But things weren't always great. Yokoyama, the owner, describes … Continue Reading ››
But things weren't always great. Yokoyama, the owner, describes … Continue Reading ››
The importance of stories
Stories and storytelling have played a major part in three of the books that I've read lately.
It's interesting to see the ancient art of telling stories used in such different settings as change management and child therapy.
Nuts!, the success story of Southwest Airlines', emphasizes the role of the charismatic CEO … Continue Reading ››
It's interesting to see the ancient art of telling stories used in such different settings as change management and child therapy.
Nuts!, the success story of Southwest Airlines', emphasizes the role of the charismatic CEO … Continue Reading ››
Values as clear goals?
I'm currently reading Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The book is about that state of consciousness where everything just flows. Where the gears mesh smoothly, there are no distractions, you loose track of time, and it feels really good.
You can achieve flow at work or in your free time. Concert violinists and mountain … Continue Reading ››
You can achieve flow at work or in your free time. Concert violinists and mountain … Continue Reading ››
Book review: The customer comes second
The title of this book is a deliberate provocation. After endless messages about putting the customer first, Hal Rosenbluth, CEO of Rosenbluth International, says you should "put your people first and watch'em kick butt". (Rosenbluth International is a world leader in corporate travel management, with over 5.000 people in more than 50 countries).
The … Continue Reading ››
Book review: Nuts!
Nuts!, Southwest Airlines crazy recipe for business and personal success is the story of Southwest Airlines. Lars Pind told me about this book, and I have to agree: It's a joy to read about a company that values freedom, creativity, people and, yes, love.
If your driving principles are love and fun, can you … Continue Reading ››