Tag: Self Leadership

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In the Absence of Good Leadership, We Must Lead Ourselves

A Reformation, Really?

At the close of Drucker Forum 2017, Charles Handy called for a reformation of business enterprises. Frederick Bird and Henry Mintzberg responded with a tongue-in-cheek revision of Luther’s 95 Theses, their 9.5 Theses which included this paraphrase of Luther’s thesis #32:

Those who believe they can be certain of their salvation because they have achieved higher share value will be eternally damned, together with their consultants.

In the US, government seems to gladly allow enterprises to set their own scopes of responsibility, mainly shareholder value, even when that directly conflicts with the best interests of the employees and the communities affected by the production, transportation, and disposal of their products. (Here’s a recent glaring example).

Could it be that in our zeal to separate economic and political considerations, we’ve absolved businesses of moral responsibility and stalled the conversation about the equitable distribution of costs, income and wealth? Continue reading In the Absence of Good Leadership, We Must Lead Ourselves

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Learning Humane Self Leadership From A Teacher’s Resignation

Hooray and dismay.

In reclaiming her own integrity and future by resigning, a Florida teacher in the Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) made a powerful statement about our need to stop following leadership that doesn’t know how to lead. The teacher wrote:

“Florida’s startling attrition rate of 40% for educators [in the first] five years [of teaching] …. means my woes are shared by many. “OCPS Means Success” doesn’t mean squat if those measuring the success only recognize a specific brand of success, and continue to ignore the needs of their educators and students.”

Managers who fail to meet our basic human needs while hiding behind standards and data, have not earned the right to lead us. The current leadership structure may have role-based authority but they also must earn the trust and influence required to lead us. Of course, some educational leaders are doing great work at the nearly impossible task of meeting the changing needs of children, society and the imposed standards, but, clearly others are not meeting the needs of teachers and students.

Continue reading Learning Humane Self Leadership From A Teacher’s Resignation

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Interview with Eloise Lawler

HLC_Interview 18.002

As a serendipitous addition to our work with young people, Nick Lawler’s daughter, Eloise, offered to intern with us for a couple of weeks at the end of the summer. A millennial college student in Bristol, she reviewed our tools and offerings and gave us feedback on their relevance to a young audience. She also hosted our first gathering of teenagers who discussed the leadership maturity curve, the coffee jig, and the hindrances jig with great insights.

Topics discussed in this interview

  • Leading millenials
  • Segregation of generations and cultures
  • Globalization
  • Opportunity and the need for tools to navigate one’s life path

Continue reading Interview with Eloise Lawler

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HLC_Int18.002 Interview with Kevin Christman

Kevin Christman Sculptor Alchemy of Light

We believe that leaders can learn leadership across disciplines, so we were curious about Kevin Christman’s self leadership practices that create the structure and balance in his independent, creative life.

Ashland, Oregon, our home town is a haven to artists of all types, but one of the very finest is Kevin Christman. Formerly an Engineer with Northrop and McDonnell Douglas, Kevin is a talented sculptor, painter, and stained glass artist.

Topics discussed in this interview

  • Leaving the structure of work in corporate settings
  • The role of inspiration in creative work
  • Time management, self care and balance
  • Integrating life and work

Continue reading HLC_Int18.002 Interview with Kevin Christman