Blog

Speaking to the training partners of World Serving Leaders, I want to reflect a little bit with you about “what is at the root of our worldwide company and purpose”.

When we have a skill that we want to bring into the marketplace, you are skillful trainers. When we have a passion that motivates us to do something, you are people who have seen the impact of good leadership and bad leadership. When we have special knowledge, each of you is certified in serving leadership, and you’ve done many things over the years that have qualified you to speak into the lives of others.

Frequently, I speak and write about how important values are to strong organizations, and the impact that a values-driven culture has on worker engagement, customer devotion, and business achievement. Any leader interested in a strong ROI must make values and the building of a strong culture their priority.

If you ask me, striving for “success” above all else is not the most highly advisable goal for those in leadership. We’ve all heard the old saying, “Nothing breeds failure quite like success!” And it’s true. What are the reasons for this “success-breeds-failure” paradox?

The lion’s share of business opinion about the “soft side” of leadership – the people side, the values and integrity side, the character side – is that these softer issues are nice and certainly worth some attention, from time to time. However, the fact is that there’s a company to run, and hard quantitative data must drive the central focus of the leader.

Lawrence J. Peter, co-author of the 1969 book, The Peter Principle, famously stated that, “Employees tend to get promoted to their level of incompetence.” Reflecting on this over the years has led me to the conclusion that Dr. Peter was both right and wrong.

I’ve had the privilege of holding many titles over a lifetime, and each title has brought me insights, opportunities, and, as is true about everything in life, challenges. I was, first of all, “son,” and then became “student” and in my early teens, “believer.

Early-20th-century philosopher and poet, George Santayana, said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” With that in mind, here’s a quick look back at seven world-changing events from 2016 and leadership lessons we can learn from them.

Without mistake, the Advent and Christmas season holds profound lessons on humility and leadership. Writers and painters and composers have highlighted these themes of humility for two thousand years—the lowly manger, the poor and dispossessed young couple who were unable to find a decent place for their child to be born, the shepherds and sheep and donkeys and stable.

Throughout the course of the year, I have the privilege of working with extraordinary men and women who are committed to serve others and to serve a calling greater than themselves. Such men and women – leaders who chose to serve, or “serving leaders” – fashion organizations that produce extraordinary good in the world.