As we have discussed time and again, conflict is spontaneous, dynamic and random. The ingredients for its formation are always around us, and we may never know when the spark might occur that sets conflict into motion. As such...
Category - Leadership
Connected Perceptions in Conflict
The vast majority of conflict we see on a daily basis is that of Individual Perception fed by Perspective. What exactly does this mean? This means that people’s individual perceptions about a situation have a tendency to be...
Seeking the Minimization of Conflict
Let’s take a step away from combat scenarios for a second and look at everyday life for a change. You’re at the office, nothing today is going right for you, that board meeting was a waste of time, your project...
The Importance of the Human Behavior Perspective in...
There are four basic schools of thought when it comes to organizational structure: Classical Management (Scientific Management), Human Behavior, Integrated Perspectives (functional or cultural), and Emerging Perspectives...
Leadership Isn’t About Making Everyone Happy
At the end of the day, you won’t please everyone, but then again, that was never what it was all about in the first place. Going into leadership with the thought that it ever was, is a mistake. Let’s just re-read the...
“Success” is a Journey for the Out-of-Reach Bar
How do we measure achievement? When do we know that we have achieved success in life? How do we measure the value and worth of success? There seem to be many people out there who claim to have the answers to these types of...
Which “Approach” to Leadership is Best?
People often talk about and discuss the five approaches to leadership (trait, style, situational, transformational, or discursive) as a matter of which one they argue is best. However, what they are really convinced about in such...
How Nonverbal Communication Can Help You Be Seen As A Leader
Let’s say that you join a group. You’re the newest person there, however, you quickly realize that the group is a bit lost. They are having trouble staying on track and can’t seem to get things accomplished on...
Mutuality of Concern: A Key Ingredient for Team Success
We all know camaraderie is what makes or breaks your experience in any group, and it can also become the essential component required for the group to achieve success, but what exactly leads to the building of such things? When...
Predispositions and Apprehension in Leadership Communication
Our personally held preferences in communications are an important and integrated part of our intrapersonal organizational experiences. How we relate to each other when speaking in conversation, how we talk to those within our...
Why is “Rhetoric” Important to Leadership?
On all the stages of the world, and in all the stages of the past, have we seen leaders of all kinds give elaborately drafted speeches filled with cleverly crafted rhetoric. Sometimes in response to an event, sometimes as a...
Communication: The Key to Success
It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it… goes the old saying. And in considering the overall simplicity of this classic, we find a sense of remarkable depth and timelessness in its application to modern leadership...
Be Explicit: An Effective Leadership Tool for an Ethical...
Let’s talk about Ethical Behavior, shall we? And in order to discuss the ethical behavior of professionals in the work place, we need to discuss creating an ethical culture. And in order to do that, we must identify any...
Applied Synergy is Order from Chaos
Leadership shines best when order comes from chaos. What does this statement mean? Well, it certainly is not suggesting that leadership is not present in situations where harmony already exists, but instead, suggests that harmony...
A discussion on Leadership Development as a Tool for Cultural...
“‘Cultural Imperialism’ in the United States, in Europe, and in other developed countries is strong. History, however, has shown that it is never sustainable in the long-term” (Moran, Harris & Moran, 2011, p...
Digital Communication Often Loses Context: A Challenge for...
Let us define the concept… It is no secret; the foundations of effective leadership practices lie in effective communication techniques. Today’s organizations are ever more increasingly expanding, and today’s leaders must...
Gaining some Perspective
So… Just how does that picture make you feel? What kind of message did you get from it? Does it agree with your own thoughts? Do you have a different idea of what they might be saying? This is a quick exercise, and if...
Not Everyone Is Capable of “Service” – A...
Leaders are often thought of as those who are ahead of the pack, great individuals who are willing to step onto the battlefield first and leave last, and those who inspire others to action over a worthy and justifiable cause...
Cutting Through the Dust, Limitations in Perception
Let’s participate in some real-life research, shall we? Take a look at the following picture. WITHOUT doing a single internet search, read the following instructions: Print out the following picture. You have (1) minute...
Leadership Character
“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.” — Gen. (ret.) H. Norman Schwarzkopf (22 August 1934 – 27 December 2012). Surely some of us have...
The Dangers of Habits
A Lesson on “Habits”… When I was still on Active Duty, I would teach my soldiers that “habits” are the most dangerous addictions of all. For your average, run of the mill human being, it only takes...
AJ’s 5 Goals for Organizational Leaders
As a professional soldier, I have had several primary jobs over the years, filled with increasing levels of responsibility with each position. During my 12 year career in the United States Armed Services I had some amazing...
Building Cohesiveness, Be a Teacher, Not a Trainer
It is not difficult to imagine that most high performance teams share many of the same aspects. Individuals are highly self-motivated, highly dedicated, and highly trained, and together, they collectively bond and form a...
We Choose Success, or We Choose Failure.
“Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of...
“Leader”, or “Effective Leader” –...
President Ronald Reagan ushered in a new age for the United States with his sweeping transformational economic and geopolitical changes. His vision for his presidency was simple, make government smaller, fight communism, and...
Does being a Manager make you a “Leader”?
Recently, a question was posed to me… “To be an effective manager, one must also be an effective leader; however, one can be an effective leader without necessarily being an effective manager.” Do you agree with this...