Are You a DHB?

Two years ago I attended a doctoral commencement as a guest of a graduate. It’s a great accomplishment to gain a doctorate. It represents a lot of work, and it usually represents a lot of potential for impact. And yes, you get certain letters and titles before or after your name. The main commencement address came…

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Vulnerability and Courage

(A version of this post was originally published here on January 29, 2018.) I’m no psychiatrist but I’ve always been intrigued by the things people do and why they do them. Out of this curiosity, and over many years of observations, I’ve come to my own theories, and even beliefs, about people’s make-up. It is…

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Are You Like Most People?

(A version of this post was originally published here on December 17, 2017.) Here is a little quiz for you: the phrase “seek first to understand, then to be understood” comes from which of the following? The LEAD 24/7 segment on high-impact listening. The LEAD 24/7 segment on leaning in to healthy conflict. Steven Covey’s…

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Leaning Into Healthy Conflict, Part Two

Last week’s post was meant to remind you why leaning into healthy conflict is so important. Today’s post is meant to remind you of the model itself. The First Step: Begin the Conversation In the Leaning into Healthy Conflict model, there are two ways to begin a healthy conflict conversation. The first is when someone…

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Leaning Into Healthy Conflict, Part One

LEAD 24/7 alums, do you recall the number one thing we wish leaders in West Michigan would do better? Yes, it’s being willing and able to lean into potential disagreements, or what we call leaning into healthy conflict. Today’s post is the first of two on the subject. This one is to remind you why…

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Making Decisions at the Wrong Time

Fellow Leaders, I’ve always loved the original version of Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas. For 53 years the Grinch had put up with packages, boxes, bows, trees, singing, jing-tinglers, and roast beast from all those happy Whos down in Whoville. After 53 years the Grinch had had enough. He stood there on Christmas…

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Three-Bucket Leaders

If we were playing Jeopardy, the clue I’m about to give deserves to be the Daily Double: The three “buckets” we are committed to filling in the year of LEAD 365.  If you were the first to your buzzer, you would give the following answer (in the form of a question, of course): What is…

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