by Jane Perdue | Stereotypes
I belong to a professional business club—a great place for meetings, one-on-one discussions and the occasional introspective time (fueled by their extraordinary chocolate chip cookies).
On that rainy afternoon, there were only two of us in the member’s library—a white-haired gentleman and me. The gentleman had spent his time on loud phone call after loud phone call.
I was aware of his voice despite being in my “happy place,” what I call being in a reflective frame of mind, blissfully alone with my thoughts, and mostly immune to what’s going on around me. (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
A March 2012 DDI study “Leadership Lessons from the People Who Matter” reports 40% of respondents say their boss has never damaged their self-esteem.
Only 40% with no damage???
Yikes, that means 60% of respondents have had their self-esteem—their sense personal worth and competence—damaged by their boss.
How disturbing.
In a business world where the fast forward button seems perpetually stuck and performance demands are ever-increasing, leaders can get caught in the quicksand of focusing on results, results and more results.
Look around your workplace. Is morale dropping? Turnover increasing? Are people doing just enough to meet minimum requirements? Are there fewer and fewer smiles in the hallways? (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Stereotypes
Rant alert! Beware! Just read some research, and to me, it’s crazy stuff that perpetuates stereotypes and bias. So, I went a little nuts.
What is wrong with us?!
I’m thinking we’ve lost our collective minds. Why? Buying into nonsense that people who are bald, yep bald, make better leaders.
Come on!
As leaders, we’ve worked long and hard to stamp out overt bias in the workplace.
Then folks fawn like star-struck finders-of-the-holy-leadership-grail over a ridiculous Wharton School study revealing baldness to be a business advantage for males.
Talk about replacing overt stereotypes with covert ones…yikes! (more…)
by Jane Perdue | Character
I’m at the Lead Change Group blog today…check it out!
I’ve long believed life isn’t an either/or choice but rather an array of character-based both/and opportunities.
One place where the either/or versus both/and orientation shows up in stark contrast is in working with people to produce outcomes, whether it’s at work, at home, in the community, etc.
Some individuals have an intense heads-down focus on delivering a finished task. Others prefer to build camaraderie and esprit de corps.
A welcome few understand all work gets done by and through people. They practice the art and science of delivering solid results and developing/maintaining relationships by using their heads to manage and their hearts to lead.
Continue reading…
Image credit before quote: Dreamstime
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Quotes about character
I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it’s only a choice of attitude. ~Judith M. Knowlton
In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
…the art of living rightly is like all arts: the capacity alone is born with us; it must be learned, and practiced with incessant care. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem a turned it into an opportunity. ~Joseph Sugarman
Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death. ~James F. Byrnes
It still holds true that man is most uniquely human when he turns obstacles into opportunities. ~Eric Hoffer
Opportunity is often difficult to recognize; we usually expect it to beckon us with beepers and billboards. ~William Arthur Ward
The paradox is the seed of truth. This germ just needs a fertile ground to flourish and bear fruit. ~Léo Errera
I am afraid all we can do is to accept the paradox and try to accommodate ourselves to it. ~ Willem de Sitter
Whenever the essential nature of things is analyzed by the intellect, it must seem absurd or paradoxical. This has always been recognized by the mystics, but has become a problem in science only very recently. ~Fritjof Capra
by Jane Perdue | Book Review
Check out a new book written by 21 members of the Lead Change Group titled The Character-Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution… One Person at a Time!
the Lead Change Group is a virtual community of authors, business owners, thought leaders, and academics who share a passion for character-based leadership.
Character-based leaders lead from the power of who they are, rather than from their position of authority or designated job title.
People who lead with character don’t wait for others to make something right.
When they see a need, they move to close the gap.
The book combines current leadership thought with personal stories, providing compelling messages, tools and insights for those seeking to enrich their own leadership style.
6 thoughts on sparking a character-based leadership revolution (more…)
