Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 26, 2011
The past is the future for most of us. We cling to misguided notions that persistence, endurance, and more of the same will result in a new future. It won’t. 99% of the conversations I have about the future are actually about the past. People try to create a future by cling to or modifying [.].
Kevin Eikenberry
DECEMBER 5, 2011
Some people think that once they ascend to a leadership role (or to a certain level of leadership) that they are immune from doing “real work” anymore. And even if you don’t feel that way, if you spend a little time as a fly on the wall with groups of front line employees, you will [.].
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Eric Jacobsen Blog
DECEMBER 6, 2011
Eighteen months ago, I posted the question “ What’s The First Leadership Book You Would Give To a New Manager ?” within the discussion forum for the LinkedIn group Linked 2 Leadership. That question generated 603 comments and 690 recommendations. Some people suggested more than one book. Some during the course of the 18 months made the same book recommendations a couple times.
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 30, 2011
Many leaders and managers have a compelling; even perverse interest is fixing things. Average managers solve problems and get results. Great managers build people. A recent conversation with a new manager reminded me that it’s all about people. If you build them, they will fix problems and enhance productivity, not you. If you build them, they [.].
Speaker: Chandra McCormack, CPA, MBA, NACD.DC
Technical degrees might open doors—but it’s the soft skills that keep them open. In the face of disruption, evolving workplace dynamics, and rising expectations of leadership, soft skills like communication, emotional intelligence, and presence have become core business essentials—not nice-to-haves. Inspired by stories from her father coupled with her own career journey, seasoned executive Chandra McCormack breaks down how to lead with impact, connect with purpose, and cultivate a workplace cult
Leadership Freak
AUGUST 28, 2011
Arrogant people say they believe in humility but their life says they believe in arrogance. Humble people speak the truth. The temptation to temper the truth and say what others want to hear, for example, is nearly universal. If you’ve found someone who speaks the truth give them a raise. I’ve seen people negotiate how [.].
Leadership Freak
AUGUST 6, 2011
Much of my leadership career I had a leadership title but did little leading. I didn’t understand leadership. Stop aspiring to become a leader its a waste of time. Leaders don’t aspire to leadership – they lead wherever they are. Always see yourself as a leader even when you’re following. All leaders follow. Leaders don’t [.].
OrgDev Digest brings together the best content for management professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 14, 2011
I’ve asked some friends to bring their insights to the Leadership Freak community. Please give a warm welcome to today’s guest writer, Lolly Daskal. * What is the biggest difference between managers and leaders? Both roles are important but they seek to do different things… Leaders lead people. Managers manage people. Leaders set destinations.
Leadership Freak
AUGUST 25, 2011
Image source No trust – - no leadership. You can coerce without trust but positive influence thrives on the foundation of trust. Losing influence is easy because losing trust is incredibly easy. Trust and respect: It takes more than honesty to preserve trust; you must show respect. People stop trusting you when you disrespect them, [.].
Leadership Freak
AUGUST 14, 2011
The reason you don’t get more done is you’re doing too much. We tie our worth to being busy. The busier we are the more important we feel. There is some truth to the idea that being busy indicates we are valuable to others. Perpetual busyness, however, is more a sickness than an indication of [.].
Leadership Freak
NOVEMBER 16, 2011
The need to tell others you’re important suggests you don’t feel important. Insecure leaders need to build, protect, and validate themselves. They spend their days like male peacocks fluffing their tail feathers. “Look at me, I’m beautify; I’m important.” Fluffing activities suggest people don’t believe they matter. You must believe you matter: “Everything you will [.].
Speaker: Jeremy York
Join us for a thought-provoking exploration of the rapidly evolving HR landscape as we examine how technological innovation, regulatory changes, talent strategies, and evolving diversity approaches are reshaping the profession. This webinar will provide HR professionals with practical insights on leveraging AI and emerging technologies while maintaining compliance in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 7, 2011
Your passion to make a difference makes you do too much. Sincerity is a curse when it turns you into a leaf blown around by the latest possibility for positive impact. Unfocused passion frustrates and dilutes you and your potential. Doing less enables more. The fewer things you do the better you can be at [.].
Leadership Freak
JULY 28, 2011
Courageous leaders do more than listen to constructive dissent, they encourage it. Hot conflict not comfortable collaboration produces brilliance. Encouraging constructive dissent: Don’t answer first. Tell people you expect hard truths and practical answer. Don’t settle for yes. Share all the information. You discourage feedback when you toss out information you withheld that invalidates what [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 21, 2011
I wanted to make a difference when I was a teenager but lacked courage. Encourage means to fill with courage. You have the power to give courage to others. You also have the power to drain people’s courage, to discourage. The hardest thing about my nearly fatal accident isn’t the pain and recovery. It’s the [.].
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 14, 2011
Image source Martin Luther King inspired people not because he had a dream but because he touched the silent dream of others. He said what mattered to others. Leaders that busily talk about themselves and their terrific dreams are bores. Inspiring others, like everything else in leadership, is about them not you. The channel to [.].
Speaker: Carolyn Clark and Miriam Connaughton
Forget predictions, let’s focus on priorities for the year and explore how to supercharge your employee experience. Join Miriam Connaughton and Carolyn Clark as they discuss key HR trends for 2025—and how to turn them into actionable strategies for your organization. In this dynamic webinar, our esteemed speakers will share expert insights and practical tips to help your employee experience adapt and thrive.
Leadership Freak
AUGUST 29, 2011
Image source Three years after the fact, a true friend of mine told me why he hadn’t expressed his concerns. “I didn’t believe you would listen. You’d already made up your mind.” He was right. I’d become convinced of a problem and found the solution. Passionately sharing solutions too soon is a problem – it [.].
Leadership Freak
JULY 26, 2011
Yesterday I asked the Leadership Freak Coffee Shop on Facebook: “What’s the dumbest thing you’ve seen a leader do?” This morning while going for coffee with a local business owner, I ran into a friend and asked them the same question. In a short time they easily listed three dumb things. It got me thinking [.].
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 28, 2011
Image source Emotions are responses to information; believe wrong information and you’ll experience wrong feelings. For example, you think someone neglected their responsibilities causing deliverables to fall through the cracks. Based on that, you feel concerned, frustrated, or even angry. Don’t trust those feelings. Don’t express those feelings. Push those feelings aside.
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 12, 2011
Image source Moving first is the difference between leading and following. Seven ways leaders move first. Leaders: Move toward people first. When you wonder if you should greet someone, you should. Extend your hand first and say, “Good morning,” first. Don’t hold your head down while walking the hall. If you don’t move first, you may [.].
Speaker: Kaitlin Ruby Carroll
Retaining top talent in 2025 means rethinking benefits. In a competitive job market, fertility benefits are more than just offerings - they are a commitment to your team’s well-being. Gain critical insights into the latest fertility benefits strategies that can help position your organization as an industry leader. Our expert will explore the unique advantages and challenges of each model, share success stories from top organizations, and offer practical strategies to make benefits decisions tha
Leadership Freak
AUGUST 9, 2011
Image source While thumbing through, Full Engagement, by Brian Tracy, this heading in chapter one caught my attention, “Four Ways to Change.” Tracy says, “There are only four ways that you can change anything about yourself, your life, your work, or your relationships with others.” The condensed version of Tracy’s list: Do more of something. [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 23, 2011
Timid people achieve less than bold people. Boldness builds the future. Fear stalls progress and congeals the past. Fear is survival mode. Boldness is opportunity mode. 4 Ways to Build Boldness: Prepare people for future challenges with training. Provide mentors. Celebrate mistakes caused by boldness. Most importantly instill people with hope. Don’t press timid people [.].
Leadership Freak
NOVEMBER 4, 2011
The truth is we tell ourselves lies. Lies seem to make life better, they make us feel more useful and in control. I can always tell when I touch the lies people believe about themselves. They deny the obvious and defend the ridiculous. It reminds me of the time one of our children denied stomping up [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 2, 2011
Every great start begins with a painful stop. The first step toward the right destination is to stop going in the wrong direction. Casting vision isn’t doing. Dreaming of how you want to change things won’t change them. You’re problem isn’t lack of dreaming – it’s lack of stopping. The first step after dreaming [.].
Speaker: Jeremy York
2024 has tested every organization, and 2025 promises no less - the warning signs are everywhere. If you’re relying on superficial approaches to diversity, you might find yourself scrambling to catch up. Thought diversity - the fuel for new ideas, fresh perspectives, and disruptive innovation - is more than a buzzword. It's a survival strategy. And if you’re not building it into your workplace culture right now , you’re heading for trouble.
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
The people you try to please control you and your organization. Customers drive organizations, you don’t. Drucker said, “The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.” You are all about pleasing customers. Pleasing others, however, presents problems for you. The more people you try to please: The more frantic you and your [.].
Leadership Freak
NOVEMBER 12, 2011
Gutless leaders aren’t leaders. Separated from courage the other components of leadership like decision making, problem solving, and vision casting are meaningless drivel. Cowardly Leaders: Closes their ears to criticism. Attack critics. Using anger to fuel action. Make excuses. Refuse to change their minds. Change their mind too quickly. Defend poor choices.
Leadership Freak
NOVEMBER 1, 2011
Using position to intimidate or manipulate. Believing talent, experience, or skills compensate for preparation. Choosing the easy way for you rather than the best way for them. Overlooking the destructive behaviors of high performers. Withholding benefits or resources as punishment. Avoiding tough issues. Staying the same. Pretending you know when you don’t.
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 15, 2011
Fear of losing keeps you from winning; holding on holds you back. The more you have to lose the more you have to protect. Protecting is backward facing. Some things should be protected. Protect family and reputation but let go of past success. Clinging to success makes you fail. Things to hold to: Cling to [.].
Speaker: Radhika Samant and Todd Wuestenberg
Employee recognition has often been deemed a "feel-good" initiative, tied closely to rewards. While we understand its importance, we tend to associate recognition with intangible outcomes like engagement and sentiment, rather than direct impacts on retention and high performance. In today’s workplace, the true ROI of recognition lies in its ability to regenerate tangible, business-driven results.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 13, 2011
You are never helpless even when all you can do is receive. You can: See good in others. Appeciate being served. Respect those who serve you. Honor behaviours that demonstrate noble values. When you can’t do big things, it’s the small things that count. When you can’t do anything, you can say something. You can [.].
Leadership Freak
JULY 23, 2011
You need people who will walk through hell with you. Lost loyalty: “I used to love my job, they said, but not anymore.” “What happened,” I asked? “The old boss left. I’d do anything for the old boss. Now, I’m just putting in my time.” You earn it: Loyalty is always earned, it is never [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
Yesterday, I led a seminar that began with a discussion of leaders the group admired and why. The conversation was worthwhile and predictable. Everyone admires leaders who possess passion, courage, insight, integrity, vision, and the list goes on. No one ever says: There’s an essential leadership quality that never makes the list. Great leaders need, [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 26, 2011
If people start worrying when you show up, you’re a downer. If people love to see you leave, you’re a loser. If your team hates receiving calls from you, you’re a lousy leader. People in positive work environments love to see the boss coming. They love seeing you because they’ll go further with you than [.].
Speaker: Brian Richardson
With a staggering 92% of CEOs prioritizing skill development, and 84% struggling with transformation, mastering upskilling is now more critical than ever. Drawing on extensive research and collaboration with hundreds of leading organizations, discover key hurdles and innovative best practices in workforce upskilling. You'll walk away with a deep understanding of how to build a culture of continuous learning, expert insights into assessing the current skills of your employees, and a strategic too
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