Leadership in Action™ explores the simple, practical, everyday actions that elevate your leadership — helping you show up with clarity, courage, and authenticity in the moments that matter.
On 6/10/01 I wrote the poem below in memory of one of our children, Walter Contreras Valenzuela, Morristown, NJ. He was a young boy who was murdered in my town. I put a link in my last post “What Stands Are You Taking?” to this poem for those interested in reading it. The morning after […]
A few months ago Colin Lewis took a stand for a group of disadvantaged children in his community. He has been investing his time as well as donating the proceeds from subscriptions to his Wisdom Notes to the orphanages supported by the Chiva Foundation. As a subscriber I can say they are truly remarkable and
Following is an excerpt from my father, Jim Ernst’s, memoirs. I am sharing it here because in his story lies a wonderful demonstration of the power of our beliefs. “We didn’t have much food in the house. We lived in a one family house in Baldwin, NY on Long Island. I was born during the
Take a look at the photo below and ask yourself, what is the purpose of the dock? I was at a friends house the other day for the first time in daylight. Looking out from their kitchen window this is what I saw. The thought that instantly flashed in my head was, why the heck
“Do something wonderful, people may immitate it.” — Albert Schweizer I don’t think people give themselves enough credit for their leadership, both their capacity to lead as well as the leadership they do display in the course of everyday work and life. While delivering a Leadership Development workshop to a group of teachers I encountered
“Let me dive into the water. Leave behind all that I’ve worked for. Except what I remember and believe. And when I stand on the farthest shore I will have all I need.” – David Wilcox When you envision your success what do you include? If you are like most people you include things like
What will you do today that is worth exchanging a day of your life for? I was reminded of this question when I came across these words recently. Essence of a New Day: This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste
Are You Setting Yourself Up to Be Extraordinary? Read More »
A few months ago I was working on a deadline with a client and they asked if I could create a pdf from some files I had been working on. Even though I’d never done it before I said sure thinking “how hard could that be?” When I downloaded Adobe pdf creator for a
As so many of us do on this day, America’s 4th of July, I have been pondering the meaning of freedom. While clearing my desk this morning I came across the passage below that was shared with me some time ago by one of my teachers and mentors, Joan Goldsmith. It provoked the thought that
Take a moment and think about the things you have on your plate over the next month. How many of them are you likely to do purely out of obligation? By that I mean things you will do just because you said you would or are expected to by the people around you or even
A manager is not necessarily a coach. Yet it seems we think they automatically are once they become a boss. Just like being promoted to a management position does not mean someone is necessarily a good manager, expecting a manager to effectively coach their people does not mean they will be successful at it. It
The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong question. –Peter Drucker Tim Hurson tells a story in his book Think Better that got my attention. He shares that NASA invested millions of dollars developing a zero gravity pen because the pens
There is a practice on Twitter called #followfriday. The point is to share about who you are following that you think others might be interested in following as well. It is also an opportunity to appreciate people for their contribution to you. And it was a really great thing. At least it was for a
What We Can All Learn from Twitter’s #FollowFriday Read More »
In her post Change and the Credibility Factor, Gwyn Teatro pointed out that a synonym for credibility is trustworthiness. In reading her excellent list of things we can do to earn credibility, I started thinking about this question: What simple, everyday actions can we take to earn trust? This is not to say that I
Fear of losing your job is certainly valid in this economy. But unfortunately that fear often provokes protectionist behavior that is likely to backfire for both employees and their companies. The kind of behaviors I am referring to are things like: hoarding information or knowledge; shifting the blame for breakdowns to others; keeping your mouth
