Entries by gmader

Are you a narcissistic leader?

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I was speaking to a senior executive of a global technology company about leadership. During our conversation, he made an intriguing declaration: “I’d rather be a dwarf that manages giants, than a giant that manages dwarfs”. It was obvious to me that he was referring to the difference between narcissistic leaders who always take the credit, seek the limelight and who remain the stars of the show under all circumstances, versus leaders who view their role as an opportunity to empower, promote, recognize and elevate the people around them. I liked the senior executive’s proclamation because it was powerful, simple, catchy and relevant to many leaders and executives. I have come across and worked with […]

Do Senior Leaders have the courage to confront and own their shortfalls?

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If you want to elevate your team to a new level of ownership, accountability and performance you have to start by taking stock of, and owning your current reality and past. You have to confront what worked, what didn’t work and what still isn’t working. Sometimes, you even have to take responsibility for things that happened before you arrived. Why is this important? Because when you are honest and own your past it is easier to put it behind you. You can then create the space for a powerful new chapter, unlimited by past constraints. If you focus too much on the things that worked, you can easily get comfortable, complacent and/or arrogant, and that […]

Who are you inspired by?

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I was debriefing a session with the CEO of a European division of a global technology company. Just before we parted ways, the CEO, who through our work together had also become a friend, turned to me and asked me a seemingly simple question: “Who are you inspired by?”

Don’t forget to give thanks!

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This week, Americans are celebrating their Thanksgiving holiday. I am not American but I love Thanksgiving because I find the premise and practice of focusing on our life’s blessings and fortunes, as well as expressing gratitude to the people we respect and love, to be extremely healthy, empowering, and necessary to all people in all cultures and geographies.I recently came across a quote from Swindoll that is apropos to this topic: “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.” This quote represents such truth! On a daily basis, we encounter circumstances and situations that give us the opportunity to choose our outlook, mood, and course of action. Sometimes we […]

A salute to Paris and Parisians.

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I am dedicating this week’s blog to Paris and the Parisians. My blog is called Leading and Living Courageously, and I believe this week the Parisians deserve this designation. During the weekend terror attacks in Paris, there were so many acts of courage and bravery by ordinary citizens who went out of their way to help their fellow citizens. I heard stories about people who took injured strangers into their homes and treated them until the emergency units arrived…. People who took strangers in for the night because they couldn’t get home… taxi drivers who drove people back to their homes in the middle of the night without charging them for it… and many other […]

Are you a Leader or a Manager?

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A close friend sent me this chart: I see this chart as outlining some of the differences between leaders and managers. There is such a significant difference between the two. Here are some of my thoughts: Managers manage and focus on the existing reality. Leaders always look forward and think about how to create new realities. I often hear managers brag about how their team’s performance is the best in the region or group. Leaders, on the other hand, seem to care less about how to reach the top of the current scale. They seem to be more interested in how to put their teams at the bottom of the next-level scale. Managers ask for […]

The Five Myths of Strategic Planning: Part Two

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Henry Mintzberg, in his seminal 1993 book The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning, refers to strategic planning as an “oxymoron,” claiming “the process can straitjacket an organization by stifling innovation and commitment.” In my last blog, I shared the first three of five myths that undermine most leaders’ effectiveness at generating powerful strategies and creating the ownership and accountability of their teams toward their execution. Here are the remaining two: Myth #4: Size Matters The typical strategic planning process is an exclusive affair. Executives often believe that the fewer people who are involved in the process, the easier it will be. As such, they often limit participation to a small group of business unit heads and/or the strategy development group. But […]

The Five Myths of Strategic Planning: Part One

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Every year, executives around the world go through the time-honored tradition known as strategic planning. They emerge from days or weeks of meetings with a sacred document that — if adhered to — will increase their sales, make their services shine, engage their staffs and secure their futures. Well, that’s the story they tell us in business school anyway.But unfortunately – as Professor Robert Kaplan of the Harvard Business School and his associate, David Norton of the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative tell us – as much as 90 percent of all corporate strategies fall short of stated objectives. From many years of experience helping global executive teams generate a clear and compelling direction for their organizations, […]

There is always a mental game

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How many times have you seen an athlete or sports team in the midst of their competition or game lagging behind only to somehow, in a miraculous way, turn the tables around and achieve great victory at the end? There are so many examples: Take for example the 3-2 victory of the Canadian men hockey team over the USA in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics finals after the Americans scored 2 consecutive goals tying the score to 2-2. I searched for examples in Tennis and found many, including two of my heroes: Andre Agassi defeating Andrei Medvedev in the 1999 French Open final after being behind in the first two sets. In addition, Roger Federer who […]

Practical steps for taking your game to the next level

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A lot of my one-on-one coaching work is focused on helping leaders and professionals take themselves, their performance, and results to the next level. I coach people who are in various stages of their evolution and growth. Some are at the beginning of their professional careers. They are often working on getting their business started or establishing consistent results. Others are senior executives – directors, general managers, presidents or CEOs – who are at the prime of their career. They command large organizations with hundreds or thousands of employees. They are often concerned about how to get all their team members and functions on the same page, rowing in the same direction. While each coaching […]