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Reminder.. Lead2020 has moved
2007-03-29 18:34:00
Just a reminder that Lead 2020 has officially moved to http://lead2020.blogspot.com/ Modify your readers and links.. 
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Yes.. Moving TODAY!
2007-03-25 15:21:00
MovingI decided.. Just a couple of posts on the new blog and I can see much more capability. I decided this morning that I would make the move. Check out my first real post on the new blog.. It is on sticky ideas. The new site is http://lead2020.blogspot.com/ My thanks to wolfblogs for getting me started.. In way, you have helped Lead2020 graduate. 
More About: Moving , Today , Ving

Moving
2007-03-25 04:23:00
I am still deciding.. but it looks like I will be moving my blog soon.. I have started testing a new site.. http://lead2020.blogspot.com/ and my early reaction is to move. I will keep you posted, but soon I will decide. 
More About: Moving , Ving

The Leadership Impact of Higher Education
2007-03-06 18:57:00
Larry Summers who is the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University recently visited NC State and spoke at the Emerging Issues Forum.  His focus was on the Importance of High er Education in Today's world, and I walked away realizing what I had already known, but never really acknowledged. His talk has plenty of common sense that brings things together for those of us who are grounded in both leadership and higher education. Here is an excerpt from the talk. "Should it really surprise us, that in a society where it all too frequenty, like it was at Harvard before I came, for 90 % of students to graduate with honors, and for more than 50% of the students to be given grades that suggest that their performance was extradonary. Should it surprise us,  if that is what is happening in our Unversities, that those same people 25 years later report the earnings of the corporations with a certain degree of inflation that needs to be restated for honesty... what happ...
More About: Cat , Leadership , Higher

Leadership Lessons for Women
2007-02-23 22:44:00
Check out the great post by my buddy Anne.. It is a great message to parents of those who will one day grow up to be women.. Heck.. it is a great post for parents of those who will grow up to be men. Anne does a remarkable job of not only identifying key atributes of success for women, but in telling real life examples of how she and her siblings were schooled by her parents in these competencies. 
More About: Women , For Women , Men , Leadership , Less

The Rewards of Connecting
2007-02-23 21:57:00
I just reread Malcolm Gladwell original article on Lois Weisberg.. just for the fun of it. It is a must read.. no it is a must reread. Every time I read it, I take away a new idea. This read I came away with the motivation of a connector. I am convinced that Lois is overwhelmed with the need to take care of others.  She is not just connecting to people because she wants to have social power.. she does it because she is geniunely concerned about the well being of others. This concern, leads her to peoples doorsteps and to help them get jobs and find friends, etc... This concern is what drives her to connect and in turn, it results in an uncanny loyality that few leaders in Chicago can claim. Read the article, trust me, you want to learn about Lois.
More About: War , Rewards , Connect , Ward , Reward

Why Change Fails
2007-02-22 12:35:00
John Kotter, perhaps the leading expert on organizational change, has a new article in Harvard Business Journal. If your familiar with Kotter's work, he has articulated an eight step process for transforming the organization. In this article, he highlights the key errors leaders make. His article follows his model ranking the order of errors in a linear manner in line with what he teaches, but I found myself asking the question which of these are the common errors. If I had to pick three I see the most, which three woudl it be. First, here are the errors:Error 1 - Not establising a great sense of urgency.This happens alot in companies. Someone knows we should make a change, but they don't communicate the whys of it to masses. It results in a top down approach. Just DO IT. Never really works very well.  But many times, changes come late in the game. Most of the organization knows there are changes needed. So this one might not make my top 3.Error 2 - Not creating a powerful en...
More About: Change , Chang , Chan

Jeff Hawkins
2007-02-21 14:16:00
Check out Jeff Hawk ins' latest presentation on google. Although Hawkins is best know for creating the palm and treo... his real passion is brain research. He is trying to create a intellegent computer patterned after the real biological systems in the brain. If your interested in how the brain works.. and even more about technology, you might find it as interesting as I do.

Attendr - Social Networking Experiment
2007-02-19 21:17:00
In alignment with my pursuit of social networking knowledge.. I would like to ask for your help. I am exploring the practical application of social networking sites. One I have recently been playing with is attendr. It allows a group to map themselves and also create connections. I am inviting you to the lead2020 attendr page.  It's a way for everyone going to lead2020 to learn about the other people that read this blog. It is a small group, but it will give me a chance to see how this tool could be useful with a larger group.   Check it out here and add yourself:    http://attendr.com/lead2020If you know of other great social networking sites.. please respond to this blog and let us all know about them. Thanks,
More About: Social , Social Networking , Networking , Men , Work

Carnegie's Keys to Social Network
2007-02-19 00:18:00
Social Network ing is the "rage" right now. Some of this might be attributed to the Internet and sites like My Space and Second Life. You could also suggest that Gladwell's book on social power, "The Tipping Point" has added to the emphasis on building strong social networks. So, you might find it interesting that this is really nothing new. In fact, Dale Carnegie's first course has lots on social networking.. and it was so successful in 1916, that began training official "Dale Carnegie Course Instructors."  Here are six lessons from Carnegie on building a stronger relationship with others that fit right into today's discussions: Become Genuinely Interested in Other People Be a Good Listerner Encourage others to talk about themselves Let the other person do a great deal of the talking Talk in terms of the other person's interest Give honest and sincere appreciationSocial networking is really nothing new... but it is exciting to see how today's techonology may allow individ...
More About: Social , Work , Soci , Social Network

Blue's Clues for Success
2007-02-13 12:43:00
Anyone with small child should know what Blue 's Clues is. But most don't know that Blue's Clue changed how we watch TV today. In fact, you could argue that American Idol and other shows that ask us to vote are a product of a path Blue's Clue created. Blue's Clue made TV different. It was the first children's show that sought to interact with the viewer. The host would actually; talk directly to the child watching. This had never been tried, but the creators of the show had studied advertising and vehicles such as the Publishers Clearing House competitions. Seems these types of advertising resulted in higher participantion.. sales. To realize the impact of this approach, ask yourself if you know who Ferris Bueller is? It could be considered the adult version of Blue's Clues.  Interactivity allowed Blues Clues to increase attention (and thus advertising dollars) to great heights! There are other lessons to be learned from this show. What else did they do to make Blue's Cl...
More About: Success

Top Five Derailers
2007-02-13 01:55:00
Based on Research into leadership success by Byham of DDI, Hogan and Hogan, and Others.. The top five derailers are: Approval Dependance or the need to have praise or reassurance from others, especially those higher than you in the organization. Argumentative - A skeptical, tense, and perhaps suspicious nature. Often focusing on one's own interests. Arrogant - Overly self-assured or confident.  Results in poor listening and dismissal of feedback Attention Seeking - A gregarious and persuasive person who becomes melodramatic and excessively self-promoting. Avoidant - Pleasant and cooperative, but tends to be preoccupied with their own agenda. May address issues in an indirect manner and can be percieved as manipulative. Well.. that is enough for one post. Look the five derailers in the eye and ask yourself.. Do any of these describe me. if you quickly think not.. read #3 again closely... Truth be told, if you are really honest.. most of us have struggled with at least one of t...
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Finding Innovation
2007-02-09 02:05:00
1st- sorry to be gone so long.. new role, lots of more work, just getting it all back in balance.. so here is my first post of 2007. My new years resolution.. you ask? To stay true to my value system.. no matter how hard.. :) now here's some knowledge... Gallup published an excellent online piece on the drivers of innovation.. They have some great articles.. but they charge for them, so this is in no way an endorsement! Anyway, the article was all about how you drive innovation. The NUMBER ONE driver was FINDING AND FOSTERING TALENT!  What an interesting concept.. :)Ask yourself the question.. do we really foster talent in our employees.. Think about it. Most organizations spend huge amounts of time and money on lots of other stuff.. good recruitment and employee development is sometimes an afterthought. And even worse.. during bad  ecomomic times, most companies downsize the HR and training functions first. Sure..  "we don't have money to do as many recruitment tri...
More About: Innovation , Find , Nova , Inno

Courage
2006-11-13 01:06:00
I have been consumed by other things this past week. Every day I have thought about blogging, well.. other stuff got in the way. One of those distractions was the book "Flags of our Fathers" by James Brady.  The author uses what was one of the most symbolic symbols of World War II to share the stories of the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima.  What I have found remarkable was the courage these young men required to achieve victory at Iow Jima.  Anyone reading this book will quickly understand why the veterans of WWII were the greatest generation. Almost 7000 americans died in 30 days on this island. Many more came home wounded. We live in a easy world today consider they battles they fought. The contrasts are many, but what strikes me as the most compeling is the number of men who took their own lives to save they friends. In today's business world, the concept of giving one's self for others is rare. Seems to me that we have lost some of what americans had back t...
More About: Rage

Resilience - The Path to Success
2006-10-22 21:15:00
I have been blessed to work with all sorts of successful leaders. This past week I was working with academic leaders from across the United States using one of the many leadership assessments I often administer.  The profile of this group was nothing special... they had their strengths and weaknesses as all groups do!  It wasn't until afterward that I got to thinking in a broader sense and realized that this group had something in common with other exceptional leaders I have worked with in the past 2 years. Almost all of them scored very high in resilience = The ability to recover from a disappointment or failure! WOW.. You rarely read this in the best selling leadership books.. but I believe it may be one of the most critical skills a leader needs.  Think about it.. here are some things go remember as you do:1) Trial and Error is one the world's best learning methods!2) Some of the best leaders failed first, but recovered to be very successful.3) Much of who we are...
More About: Success , Resilience , Path

wiki success stories
2006-10-12 20:16:00
A colleague of mine has captured the essence of leadership in a HopeBuilding wiki.. It is a wiki with success story after success story.. it a way for us all to learn from each other and focus on what works. This is in alignment with movements to lead in a more appreciative way. Focusing on what is done well and how we can apply those successful techniques to other areas. Check it out.. it is a feel good site in that you will learn about leaders and solutions. 
More About: Stories , Success , Tories , Stor , Wiki

Lessons Learned from Texas Hold'em Poker
2006-10-02 17:38:00
I friend of mine and a darn good leadership expert, George Smart, has released yet another interesting video and potential workshop... The Less ons Learn ed from Texas Hold'em Poker . Check out his video: George Smart on Leadership and PokerHe makes good sense... and further proves there is more to success in poker than a fancy nickname and some sunglasses.
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The Leadership Lesson of Dirty Dancing
2006-09-30 03:13:00
Despite the fact that many of you think of Dirt y Dancing as a woman's movie, both men and women have much they can learn about leadership from the low budget movie that became a huge hit. Partly filmed not to far from here.. in Lake Lure North Carolina, I have been able to develop a whole program on leadership reflected in the actions of the major characters. My favorite message is one of trust which is best seen between "Baby" and her dad. When it be comes clear that Baby has lied.. well.. the relationship goes places where it shouldn't and what is really wonderful about the lesson it teaches is that Dad comes to a conclusion much worst than reality.. or what might be the reality of the movie. So.. find someone you can cuddle with and rent this one.. and try and come up with some lessons of your own.. here are a few to get you going:Less on 1: Once trust is broken... we tell ourself stories that may or may not be true.. and everything really goes down hill from there..Lesson 2: Tr...
More About: Leadership