Leadership Blog Network

They have their detractors, but film and literature’s most infamous villains also have their devotees … their minions, henchmen, goons, toadies, and lackeys. Hey, just because they’re horrible, despicable fiends doesn’t mean they have no redeeming qualities. Here’s our Top 10 list of the worst villains’ best leadership traits. 10. Victor Frankenstein –  Fire, Good Despite having plenty of brains, Victor takes some wrong turns: grave robbing and assembling a creature out of human body parts comes immediately to mind. He does, however, have a particular brilliance for taking on the status quo and chasing “the impossible.” He’s the type of guy who will ... Read Full Story

How to Write a Mission Statement from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit Forming a mission statement forces you to question yourself and the company, and formulate a vision of what your business is or will become. It whittles an organization's purpose down to its very essence, its heart and soul. This can be a powerful way to launch or to rejuvenate the organization and make sure it stays on track. Steps to Write a Mission Statement Brainstorm. Ask every member of the organization to answer the following questions, listing any words, phrases or ideas that come to mind without ... Read Full Story

What is the core of leadership? Honestly, this is a question that I have not considered very much before, even though I regularly write on leadership principles. But I believe that how you answer that question will define what kind of leader you are. I have been reading a new book lately by Nancy Ortberg called Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: Lessons in Non-linear Leadership . I will be doing a full review on this book later, and even plan to post an interview with the author as well. However, I was so stirred by how Ortberg answers this question in the second chapter of her book, ... Read Full Story

We all want our lives to have some sort of impact. If it is not in the workplace, then it may be at home with our kids, in the community, or a variety of other places. Wherever it is, the human condition causes us to have this deeply rooted need for our lives to actually mean something...   to leave a legacy. Stephen Covey points out that, "There are certain things that are fundamental to human fulfillment. The essence of these needs is captured in the phrase 'to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy'...   the need to leave a legacy is our ... Read Full Story

The inspiration for this post comes from a book about Abraham Lincoln. Many years and probably more than 100 books later, I have long since forgotten which book gave me this thought. So, with apologies to the writer who penned words to this effect, let me share a lesson we can learn from the sixteenth president of the United States. Much of Lincoln’s strength as a leader came from his ability to be righteous without becoming self-righteous. Just to be clear, here are the definitions of the two words as listed at Dictionary.com : righteous 1. characterized by uprightness or morality: a righteous observance ... Read Full Story