Leaders Lead Thyself Before Leading Others

Harriet Tubman Sculpture

Image by Paul Lowry via Flickr

Leaders, how determined are you to accomplish the goals that you ask others to embrace? Are you willing to go it alone, just you and your dream until you are able to lead others down the same path?

Often leaders start out alone, a leader of no one aside from herself. The leader lives and breathes the singular kernel of an ideal, a belief, or a necessity that must be accomplished, no matter the odds. The odds might be life or death, as was the case with Harriet Tubman, a fine example of a historical woman leader. Only her escape to freedom would bring her an opportunity to fulfill her dreams.

In 1849 … the slaves were to be sold, though previously set free by an old will. Harriet resolved not to be sold, and so, with no knowledge of the North … she walked away one night alone (Sanborn, 1863).

The odds for you as a leader may not be life or death, but it could mean your livelihood, or even our credibility. How do you ensure success of your venture or goal? More

Training Your Employees to Get The Correct Results – A Historical Lesson

Could you imagine asking a new employee to write a computer program even though he has never even seen a computer? Would you think that verbally abusing the employee will motivate the employee to write the expected program?

That’s essentially what happened to Harriet Tubman over one hundred eighty years ago as a young child. Of course, she wasn’t asked to write a computer program, but Harriet was ordered by a woman to Keep reading

Great Leadership Principles Endure Through the Ages – And Why This Blog Is Important

I recently listened to a podcast in which Jeffrey Pfeffer, author and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business professor, was  interviewed for Harvard Business Review’s IdeaCast. The podcast is called, Telling the Truth About Power. It accompanied an article he wrote in the July issue of HBR. In the podcast, Mr. Pfeffer acknowledges what I’ve long suspected – and perhaps you have too. More

The Secret to Leading Through Disappointment

As an effective leader, we know there are times when being flexible is more important than being right, right? A successful leader is able to practice flexibility in the face of both disrupted plans and even emotional disappointment. But how does a leader cope when a major disappointment clouds our ability to be flexible? ...

Yes, We Can Be Courageous Leaders

I was talking to an acquaintance about how much inspiration I found in the accomplishments of notable women in history. Nanita (close to her real name) said quite firmly that she could never be a courageous leader like someone such as Harriet Tubman.

I then questioned how courageous I could be as a leader until I remembered something very important. Click here to learn more about courageous leadership

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