2024-04-17 17:29
Want to become a better listener? Talk too much?
Poor listening is related to many of the most common and damaging leadership derailers, including being (or being viewed as) controlling, dis… Read More
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triplecrownleadership.com/blog
Tags:
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listening
bad boss
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The Triple Crown Leadership blog is presented including news and opinion of interest to business leaders.
2024-03-08 21:59
This week, I participated in an event on “Exploring the Strength of Women in Leadership” hosted by my alma mater, Claremont McKenna College (CMC), with presentations from Dr. She… Read More
2024-02-27 22:07
These days, we find ourselves with a dearth of courageous leaders. Too often, we have cowardly leaders who duck, dodge, and go along instead of leading from the front.
This comes with painfu… Read More
2024-02-05 20:51
When many people think about what makes a leader, too often they think about things like vision, inspiration, and charisma. They think about knowing what to do and getting people to do it. O… Read More
2024-01-22 18:39
What’s the deal with all the bad managers out there?
According to a Gallup study of 7,272 U.S. adults, one on two had left their jobs at some point in their career to get away from a b… Read More
2024-01-08 19:19
I’ve been reflecting lately on lessons I’ve learned from playing sports over the years. Last week, I wrote about what sports taught me about life, so here I’m addressing le… Read More
2023-12-19 09:30
Article Summary:
Many leaders are too focused on providing answers than asking great questions. On the benefits of asking questions, plus great questions leaders should ask themselves and th… Read More
2023-10-31 14:44
Article Summary:
Many leaders agree too quickly to the many requests they receive. Such frequent assent can undermine key priorities. Good leaders learn to say no. Here’s how.
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Many… Read More
2023-10-23 09:00
Article Summary:
Creating an execution-driven organization is essential for leaders. There are specific tasks leaders can do with strategy, people, and operations to align their organization… Read More
2023-10-16 09:10
Article Summary:
Factions and office politics are common in organizations. Good leaders learn to bridge such factions and address the politics to help create unified and aligned organization… Read More
2023-10-09 12:44
Article Summary:
Good leaders make sure they don’t talk too much. They listen more and listen well. On the benefits of being a better listener and the best practices of listening, incl… Read More
2023-10-02 13:01
Article Summary:
Deciding when to take credit versus give credit for accomplishments is a more complicated issue than many people realize. Generally, it’s best to give credit to others… Read More
2023-09-18 08:00
Article Summary:
Good leaders tell their people, “I’ve got your back”—and mean it. They make good on that promise. They protect their team, in the process building lo… Read More
2023-09-11 08:00
Article Summary:
Dialogue is a rarely used but potentially transformative gathering and communication process that can help groups tap into their collective wisdom, realize new insights, and… Read More
2023-08-28 22:50
Do you believe that most people are basically good, want to do the right thing, and have inherent talents? Good leaders have that mindset. They believe in the inherent capabilities of people… Read More
2023-08-21 14:40
Article Summary:
A wealth of life and leadership wisdom is readily available in the great works of literature, film, theater, and oratory. We’re wise to plumb this fount of extra… Read More
2023-08-14 10:00
Article Summary:
Are you more of a giver or taker? Too focused on yourself? On ego versus service and focusing on ourselves versus something bigger.
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Are you a giver or a taker?
We… Read More
2023-08-07 10:00
Article Summary:
Why are there so many bad bosses? Why are so many organizations bad at choosing managers? How to distinguish between bad bosses who can be redeemed and those who can’t… Read More
2023-07-31 10:00
Article Summary:
Self-control can be learned and developed. Good leaders demonstrate self-control, mastering their impulses and emotions.
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Self-control is our ability to manage our impuls… Read More
2023-07-24 11:00
You’re in a meeting with your boss and colleagues discussing an important issue. You have a new insight to share on how to solve the issue, so you speak up.
How would you feel if every… Read More
2023-07-17 11:00
Article Summary:
Is leadership an art or a science? That debate has gone on for decades. We believe it’s both—but more of an art, especially in challenging circumstances wi… Read More
2023-07-10 11:00
When business executive Edwin Land was on a family vacation decades ago, he took a picture of his daughter, who was three at the time. She wanted to see the picture right away and asked him… Read More
2023-07-03 11:30
Summary:
Judgment is an essential leadership quality. We outline why some leaders make bad judgments and how to develop good judgment.
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Judgment is the ability to make good decisions. It… Read More
2023-06-26 11:30
Courage is essential for great leadership. Without courage, leaders can’t do the things they must do.
Courage is the mental and moral strength which helps us venture forth, confront da… Read More
2023-06-19 15:17
(This is a guest blog from Frank Sonnenberg on the problem of fishing for compliments.)
People like compliments. I get it. But what if you send the message that you only want good news and p… Read More
2023-06-12 13:45
Article Summary:
A coaching leadership style is on the rise to help organizations be more effective with today’s workers and our current challenges.
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Coaching leaders provide guidan… Read More
2023-06-05 15:38
Article Summary:
Here we profile Martin Luther King, Jr. as an example of someone who has incorporated spirituality into his leadership with great effect. (This is part of a series on spirit… Read More
2023-05-30 00:04
Article Summary:
This article profiles several prominent modern leaders who have incorporated spirituality into their leadership, from JFK and Mother Teresa to Jane Goodall and Indra Nooyi… Read More
2023-05-22 13:00
Article Summary:
This article profiles several prominent historical leaders who have incorporated spirituality into their leadership, from George Washington to the Dalai Lama. (This is part… Read More
2023-05-15 12:36
Article Summary:
Incorporating spirituality into our leadership can be powerful for people and organizations. Here’s how leaders can go about it. (Part two in a series on spirituality… Read More
2023-05-08 12:24
Article Summary:
On the relationship between love, spirituality, and leadership—and leading with heart. The first in a three-part series on spirituality and leadership.
+ + +
Man… Read More
2023-05-01 12:33
Many executives today lead through fear to protect their power and influence. Or they’re closed off and distant from their team. Others lead with love, which entails connecting, caring… Read More
2023-04-24 12:46
Article Summary:
Love-based leadership can be transformative for people and organizations. Here’s how leaders can bring it about in their workplace.
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Our previous article, “Th… Read More
2023-04-17 12:32
Article Summary:
Love-based leadership can help transform ourselves and our organizations. It has many powerful benefits.
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Love-based leadership belongs in our workplaces, but it’s… Read More
2023-04-10 14:07
I was co-captain of the soccer team and we were flailing. Things weren’t all bad. We had good players—some great—and were doing well in league matches.
But for some reason… Read More
2023-04-03 12:20
Article Summary:
Here we describe what you can do if you work for an unethical organization, including specific tips and actions.
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What should you do if you work for an unethical organiza… Read More
2023-03-29 14:15
Article Summary:
Some organizations are unethical. Here we outline how you can determine if your organization is unethical. Our next article will outline what you can do about it.
+++… Read More
2023-03-22 13:00
Some industries are ethically dirty, with widespread corruption, while others are clean. Most are somewhere in between. What are the signs of ethical challenges in an industry—and what… Read More
2023-03-08 20:45
Article Summary:
Here we describe the worst bosses and the best bosses—and we suggest what can you do to become more like a best boss.
“Bosses shape how people spend their days a… Read More
2023-03-01 13:35
Article Summary:
Wise leaders take the time for self-care through a regimen of daily activities, sanctuary, and retreats. The benefits of personal renewal for leaders are enormous, ensuring… Read More
2023-02-22 13:26
Article Summary:
If you think you don’t have a problem with your ego, watch out. That’s when leaders are at the greatest risk of losing their bearings and credibility.
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Aristo… Read More
2023-02-15 13:36
Character should be the cornerstone of your leadership.
“Great leadership is a product of great character.”
-Abraham Lincoln
The Future of Ethics
Professor Corey Ciocchetti led… Read More
2023-02-08 14:07
It’s no secret that leadership can be brutally hard. Think of all the things that can lead to organizational breakdowns as well as all the derailers that inhibit our leadership effecti… Read More
2023-02-02 13:04
In our last post, we wrote about Tiger Teams–temporary special action teams created and empowered to attack problems and exploit opportunities.
Bob first witnessed the power of alignme… Read More
2023-01-25 14:18
The vast majority of organizations today have a traditional hierarchical structure.* They may be organized by function, division, geography, or some other variable, but they’re hierarc… Read More
2023-01-19 14:44
Triple crown leaders—those seeking to build organizations that are excellent, ethical, and enduring—go beyond their natural leadership style, flexing between the hard edge of ste… Read More
2023-01-09 14:02
Triple crown leaders—those who aspire to build excellent, ethical, and enduring organizations—have learned to go beyond their natural leadership style, flexing between what we ca… Read More
2023-01-05 14:48
Article Summary:
Many leaders don’t tailor their communication style to the situation. Effective leaders flex between steel and velvet (hard- and soft-edge) communication, depending on… Read More
2022-12-20 17:19
Article Summary:
Many people are poor at giving and receiving compliments. That’s a shame. High-performance teams are superb at this skill, and praise can make a big difference i… Read More
2022-12-15 17:51
Article Summary:
Reading body language is an underutilized skill for most of us. Body language and tone of voice are important communication conduits.
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There’s a leadership ca… Read More
2022-12-01 15:57
Article Summary:
Many people these days are cynical about an organization’s purpose, values, and vision because they’re platitudes. But great leaders collaboratively elici… Read More
2022-11-21 15:05
Article Summary:
Many people work for a toxic boss. It can be incredibly frustrating. What to do about it? Here are five steps you can take.
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So you’ve got a toxic boss and you don… Read More
2022-11-15 16:15
Article Summary:
Frequently, we hear from job seekers that it’s hard to find good organizations. How to find a great place to work? A step-by-step guide.
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We’ve written… Read More
2022-11-09 15:11
Article Summary:
Most organizations aren’t aligned, reducing performance and causing frustration and dysfunction. Complete our Alignment Scorecard to gauge your organization&rsqu&hell…Read More
2022-10-31 15:14
Article Summary:
Many organizations struggle with accountability. We discovered six words you can use to fix your accountability problems.
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Are you frustrated by accountability problems?… Read More
2022-10-24 15:44
Article Summary
Many leaders struggle with effective communication. Here we address why storytelling is so powerful and how leaders can get better at it.
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Bob recalls a defining moment in… Read More
2022-10-20 16:45
Article Summary
Most organizations aren’t aligned. This reduces performance dramatically and often causes frustration and dysfunction. Here we show leaders how to align their organizat… Read More
2022-10-10 17:18
Article Summary
Many leaders face a crisis that threatens their organization yet find themselves and their team woefully unprepared to handle it well. In this article, five-time CEO Bob Vano… Read More
2022-09-26 18:57
There is immense power in small groups. But not just any small group.
We mean small groups that meet periodically to support each other at the deepest levels in a safe place of confidentiali… Read More
2022-09-19 14:49
What’s the best legacy a leader can leave?
A Track Record of Results?
Is the best legacy a leader can leave a track record of significant results achieved?
Laudable results for a bus… Read More
2022-09-13 22:40
Good leaders don’t worship before the idol of one goal or one stakeholder. They have learned the art of balancing and tilting among competing and conflicting interests and among short… Read More
2022-08-30 21:43
Through many years of research and experience, we discovered many practices employed by good leaders. Some practices were well known. Others were surprises.
We’ve now compiled an alpha… Read More
2022-08-25 14:59
Today, more than ever, we need leaders and organizations to commit to the overarching aim of being excellent, ethical, and enduring.
Commit to the overarching aim of being excellent, ethical… Read More
2022-08-09 13:20
One of the most powerful ideas we discovered in our research for our book, Triple Crown Leadership—including interviewing leaders in 61 organizations in 11 countries—is one we ca… Read More
2022-08-01 13:51
While many people profess not to care what others think, we’re social creatures and want to fit in. Right? But winning acceptance should never take precedence over accepting yourself… Read More
2022-07-25 13:25
You’re sitting in a meeting with your colleagues. They all agree on a course of action you sense is wrong. It’s not illegal, but it certainly doesn’t feel right.
Do you spe… Read More
2022-07-20 14:18
What do you do when one of your star performers, the best salesperson, or the brilliant technical expert is a jerk?
Even worse, more than a jerk, your star performer is a dirtbag who lies, a… Read More
2022-07-18 14:54
Tom Cruise’s 2022 reprise of his 1986 hit movie, Top Gun, has been a box office smash. Top Gun: Maverick has Cruise again playing Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a cocky, rule-br… Read More
2022-06-28 10:28
In our book, Triple Crown Leadership, based on extensive research and interviews with leaders in 61 outstanding organizations in 11 countries, we identified five advanced leadership practice… Read More
2022-06-10 11:18
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
-author unknown
I have a new take to share on retirement.
Search online about retirement and m… Read More
2022-06-03 05:52
There I was, giving a guest lecture on leadership at a European business school, when I got an intriguing question from a student in the back of the room:
“Excuse me, why are we talkin… Read More
2022-05-18 11:58
Most of us are adept at hiding our weaknesses. I know I am.
I’m getting better though. I’ve learned that being vulnerable by admitting my weaknesses often turns the situation aro… Read More
2022-05-13 18:55
Here’s the thing: we all want to be better leaders.
But too often we focus on what to do as leaders while neglecting what not to do.
That’s where leadership derailers come i… Read More
2022-05-11 22:31
Early in my business career, I was a loner. I worked hard and was polite to others, but I never connected with colleagues. I never opened up to reveal what I was feeling. It was all business… Read More
2022-05-03 20:25
(This presentation was given on April 27, 2022, by Bob Vanourek at the University of Denver’s Elevate Ethics 2022 Event, hosted by the Daniels College of Business and the Institute for… Read More
2022-03-23 23:20
In his book, The Five Letters Every Christian Should Write: Reflections on Life, Death, and Spirit in the Age of Covid, a close family friend, Rev. David E. Gray, Senior Pastor of Bradley Hi… Read More
2022-02-08 17:58
(Guest article by Bill Thompson.)
Leadership occupies the vast space between that which is clearly right and clearly wrong. The result often is indecision and inaction at the highest levels… Read More
2022-01-20 22:14
Decades ago, Robert Greenleaf articulated one of the most important leadership frameworks in history: “servant leadership.”
Greenleaf described the essence of this coun… Read More
2022-01-14 23:55
Writing a half-century ago, Robert Greenleaf already saw a new and more active role for board members.* In his groundbreaking book, Servant Leadership, Greenleaf had a chapter on “Trus… Read More
2022-01-07 16:41
A big debate has been raging about the purpose of business for decades. Two opposing theories dominate the discussion: shareholder primacy theory and stakeholder theory. How does Robert Gree… Read More
2021-11-19 17:17
In his classic essay, “The Servant as Leader,” Robert Greenleaf (creator of the servant leadership framework), wrote the following:
“Anyone can lead…. There is a pro… Read More
2021-11-10 17:02
Leadership is rife with paradoxes, seemingly self-contradictory statements that may nonetheless be true. We see this in the servant leadership framework as well as other approaches.
The Ser… Read More
2021-11-04 16:04
Robert Greenleaf was clear when he created the servant leadership framework:
“ … the great leader is seen as servant first.… the only authority deserving one’s alle… Read More
2021-10-28 20:26
In the years since Robert Greenleaf first published his essay, “The Servant as Leader,” many notable authors and experts have built upon his work. As expected, servant leadership… Read More
2021-10-20 22:22
One of the most common structures used in organizations over the ages is based on a hierarchical model of bosses and subordinates. It likely has its origin in military command-and-control un… Read More
2021-10-13 17:27
Robert Greenleaf was the founder of the servant-leadership movement. But who was this self-effacing man? Why did Stephen R. Covey say,
“… I have found Robert Greenleaf’s t… Read More
2021-10-07 14:21
Are you a leader if you’re a boss with people who report to you? If you’re a military officer with personnel subject to your orders? Are you a leader if a nonprofit board hires y… Read More
2021-09-24 17:24
“There are two things people want more than sex and money—recognition and praise.” -Mary Kay Ash, founder, Mary Kay Inc.
It’s not enough to recruit and develop except… Read More
2021-09-16 15:40
Triple crown leaders—ones who build excellent, ethical, and enduring organizations or teams—focus not just on recruiting great people but also developing them intentionally. They… Read More
2021-09-08 22:19
“Acquiring and keeping good people is a leader’s most important task.” –John Maxwell, leadership author
How much scrutiny do you use in assessing people for your team… Read More
2021-09-02 23:30
In “triple crown leadership,” our framework focused on building organizations that are excellent, ethical, and enduring, both head and heart are required for exceptional leadersh… Read More
2021-07-27 21:32
With the Olympics underway—with all the competition, drama, and intrigue—what can we learn from them not only about excellence and teamwork but also about life and… Read More
2021-07-21 01:45
A great leader and our dear family friend, Four-Star Air Force General John T. (Jack) Chain died peacefully in his sleep this month at the age of 86. All who knew Jack mourn his loss and are… Read More
2021-06-16 16:49
It’s one thing for an organization to achieve outstanding results. It’s another thing to do so ethically. And it’s another thing altogether to get outstanding results ethic… Read More
2021-06-10 02:15
It’s one thing to achieve outstanding results. It’s another thing to do so ethically, especially when others are cutting corners. Operating ethically is the second imperative of… Read More
2021-06-02 20:22
Getting results is one of the preeminent tasks of leadership.
What we call “triple crown leadership” (from our book of the same name) seeks not just any results, but excellent re… Read More
2021-05-26 22:51
It’s time to raise your leadership game. What’s your leadership quest? What are you seeking to do through your leadership, and where do you want to take your team or organization… Read More
2021-05-24 20:57
In fortunate parts of the world, there’s a palpable sense of relief and celebration as life begins to get back to normal after a brutal pandemic year. In some quarters, there’s j… Read More
2021-05-18 18:03
With graduation season upon us, new graduates have much to celebrate after navigating a brutal year. Now they face a big transition from school to work (or further school, or gap year, or ot… Read More
2021-05-14 20:59
We all fall into traps in life. One of the most common is the comparison trap: constantly comparing ourselves to others and judging our worth by how we stack up—mostly on things that a… Read More
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