Kevin Bowser

August 26, 2013

Manhood is a struggle

Such are the words of Benjamin Disraeli. His actual and full quote is as follows:

“Youth is a blunder; Manhood a struggle, Old age a regret.”

For those who are unfamiliar, Benjamin Disraeli was one of the Prime Ministers of Great Britain. Actually, he served as PM twice in his long career in British Parliament and politics. He was a key figure in creating what became the modern Conservative Party. There is much debate on his overall role in the pantheon of conservative thought. But, he was quite the literary figure as well.

The quote above is from a political novel, Coningsby. This novel set in the 1830s the life and career of Henry Coningsby, an orphan grandson of a wealthy marquess, Lord Monmouth. Lord Monmouth initially disapproved of Coningsby’s parents’ marriage, but on their death he relents, decides to provide for the boy and sends young Coningsby to be educated at Eton College. At Eton Coningsby meets and befriends Oswald Millbank, the son of a rich cotton manufacturer who is a bitter enemy of Lord Monmouth. The two older men represent old and new wealth in society.

As Coningsby grows up he begins to develop his own liberal political views and he falls in love with Oswald’s sister Edith. When Lord Monmouth discovers these developments he is furious and secretly disinherits his grandson. On his death, Coningsby is left penniless, and is forced to work for his living. He decides to study law and to become a barrister. This proof of his character impresses Edith’s father (who had previously also been hostile) and he consents to their marriage at last. By the end of the novel Coningsby is elected to Parliament for his new father-in-law’s constituency and his fortune is restored.

If you decide to dive into this book, you will find the quote above. Don’t bother.

Here is my point for Manday today.

I acknowledge that my youth has been full of blunders. There have been too many to recount here. And I will admit that manhood has at times proven to be a struggle. But, I refuse to reach old age and have regrets. I refuse to live life without giving it my all in my struggle to be the man that God called me to be, the husband that my wife needs me to be, the father that my children need me to be and the “Papa” that my grandchildren need me to be.

What about you today? Are you struggling a little? Then join the crowd. But join with us and fight the good fight and let’s overcome together!

Photo credit: Political Graveyard / Foter / CC BY
Photo credit: Gwynhafyr / Foter / CC BY-NC

August 24, 2013

Without a vision . . . Without a leader . . .

I have heard many provide insight into the popular passage from Proverbs 29:18. In fact, I wrote about this very same passage back on January 1st of this year. In case you are not familiar with it, it goes like this:

Where there is no vision, the people perish.

It is often used as an exhortation to go out and do something big. Something that requires great vision. And without something big to strive for, folks will surely die. Now, I could discuss what that verse may really be saying, but for purposes of this leadership blog I will stick with one of the more common applications of the verse.

The application of that verse that is most common would call us to greatness and to do things that we cannot see with our own eyes. But consider for a moment the execution of that verse. Vision is great and I am all for it. But vision without leadership is nearly pointless. If people perish without a vision, I think that without a leader they will wander aimlessly in search of direction.

You and I are leaders. We are called to lead. Let’s align ourselves with a vision. Or let’s collectively seek the vision of those among us with those skills. And then let’s pursue that vision with energy, enthusiasm and with discipline. Let’s see the vision and then say follow me! I know how to get us there!

“Where there is no vision the people perish”
Proverbs 29:18

“Where there is no leadership the people wander aimlessly.”
K.E. Bowser

August 22, 2013

Looking Silly or Feeling Confident

Leadership and confidence usually go hand in hand. But sometimes you feel awkward or even silly. You may feel silly and awkward inside, but you can learn to overcome those feelings. You can develop the ability to both look and feel confident even though you feel silly.

Researchers tell us that the number one fear of most people is the fear of public speaking or some other public exposure. Now, in full disclosure, I will admit that I have never suffered from that fear. I was a “theater guy”. I loved being on stage. Many years ago my wife and I owned our own business where I was a paid professional public speaker. I have made a living standing and talking in front of a crowd. It doesn’t scare me – it energizes me. But I realize that I am the oddball in this regard. (Maybe some other regards as well . . .)

Here are a few tips and suggestions to help you get over the fear of looking silly and also help you gain and portray confidence to those around you. Continue reading “Looking Silly or Feeling Confident”

August 10, 2013

Do it, ditch it, or delegate it

Here is one of those great little maxims that I heard many years ago and I solemnly avowed and affirmed that I would live by it until my dying days.

But, as I look back on it and examine how well I adhered to that little maxim . . . It seems like not so much.

The principle expressed in this pithy little statement is this.

When presented with a choice, a document, a task or a decision – handle it immediately in one of the following manners.

Do it! — That sounds simple enough. But procrastination is something that comes naturally to the human species. This is especially true for those choices or tasks that have particularly unpleasant undertones.
Ditch it! — This also sounds simple. But many of us suffer from bouts of indecision. We often times cannot make up our minds that this just isn’t important to the overall goals and therefore should be jettisoned for the more important tasks.
Delegate it! — Another simple sounding thing. For those of us who have a staff that we can actually delegate something to, we often choose to handle the task ourselves.

So, what are the leadership implications of this little phrase? Continue reading “Do it, ditch it, or delegate it”

August 4, 2013

Crucible of Crisis

Who likes a crisis? Who thrives in a crisis environment? Who loves conflict and turmoil?

I know some have suggested that you should never waste a good crisis. But that is the subject of another topic and another time. That line of thinking may even be worthy of a “Rant” from fellow blogger, Rene Rivera. But I would like to consider what can come from crisis and how it may impact your leadership.

It seems to me that perhaps we avoid crises to our own personal and leadership development detriment. I would submit to you that sometimes great leaders emerge and are developed in the crucible of crisis.

Does that mean that as leaders we should always seek out crisis situations? Continue reading “Crucible of Crisis”

July 25, 2013

“Thinking Gray” and “Listening Gray”

This one is going to rattle some folk’s cages. And that is OK with me. Part of the purpose of LeadershipVoices is to spur us to think in ways that we don’t always naturally think.

In 2001, Steven B. Sample wrote a book entitled, The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership. I must confess I liked it just based upon the title. I mean, who doesn’t have a little “contrarian” in them? Steven Sample was the president of the State University of New York at Buffalo. And he is an accomplished leader in many ways. He was the president of the University of Southern California up until he resigned to pursue other interests in 2010.

In The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership, Sample posits several things. He posits first of all that contrarian leaders are great leaders. While others see black and white, contrarian leaders maintain their intellectual independence and see many different shades between the extremes of stark black and stark white. He further states that contrarian leaders are those who can conceptualize a wide range of ideas, thus, making them more creative and intellectually open to solutions to the problems that plague them.

But here is the thing that challenges me about Sample’s assertions. Sample says that the leader who “thinks gray” must also learn to “listen gray”. In other words, we must learn to listen for nuance and we should avoid the fad ideas and also avoid jumping to conclusions before we have all of the input.

So what is the leadership principle here? Continue reading ““Thinking Gray” and “Listening Gray””

July 22, 2013

Thermometer vs. Thermostat Leaders

Driving to work this morning and listening to the news I was again reminded of the need for real leadership in our culture today. And nowhere is that more pronounced that in our homes.

Too many of us have been thermometers instead of thermostats. What does that mean, you ask? Well, take a look at those two items. One reflects or measures the environment and the other influences or changes the environment.

Which one are you?

Are you a thermometer? Do you simply reflect or monitor the situation around you in your home? To be sure, a thermometer is a valuable item. For instance, it can help us determine when a child is sick. I had an opportunity to use one this week-end on a feverish little child. Although I didn’t need the thermometer to tell me she had a fever. It was very beneficial in determining the extent of the fever.

Are you a thermostat? Do you actually influence and set the tone for your home? A thermostat can cool things down when it gets a little hot. It can warm things up when there is a chill in the air. Having a thermometer does me no good unless I can then take that information and then modify the environment.

This is so true in our homes. But it is also true in our workplace and in our social gatherings and churches. Are we simply measuring the “temperature” of our homes? Or are we actually taking the information given to us by a thermometer and then influencing the environment for good? Continue reading “Thermometer vs. Thermostat Leaders”

July 18, 2013

A Value Vacuum

Can you have real leadership in a “value vacuum”?

What do I mean by that? By that I mean a leadership context that is devoid of values or morals. In an article earlier I opined the following: “Values are an integral part of good leadership. To be a true leader, you must take a stand on issues. And that stand must be a moral stand. As leaders we should be mobilizing and motivating our organizations to higher moral ground even when that may not increase the organizations profit margin or bottom line”.

Upon further reflection I am wondering if in addition to a leadership crisis in our society, we actually have a values crisis. Could it be that there are not enough of those who see values that are worthy enough that would make us want to lead others to strive toward reaching them? Conversely, could it be that there are not enough of us who see things that have such potential for harm that we will lead others away from those dangerous moral pitfalls? Continue reading “A Value Vacuum”

July 11, 2013

Leadership Diagnosis by the Post Mortem Method

OK, the title is a little morbid. But stick with me for a minute or two. Because I have used this approach many times with clients when I was more actively involved in consulting. This particular approach that I recommend that you try attempts to take a look at what exactly happened during an “event” so that all of the stakeholders can understand it clearly. Not all will see it the same way. But, with enough individual views, a collective view will emerge.

This approach can be particularly helpful when there is already an acknowledgement that there are a number of issues that need to change. This approach requires a high degree of trust among the team because it can naturally focuses on the negative of what took place. It is very similar to the critiques we used to receive in the theater at the end of a performance or a rehearsal. The best critiques included all of the components below: Continue reading “Leadership Diagnosis by the Post Mortem Method”

July 8, 2013

I am guilty of at least 5 things.

Confession is good for the soul, right? If that is true, then here is a confessional moment. I have made many mistakes in the many leadership roles that I have had over the years. Fortunately, I didn’t make all of these at the same time! And some of them, I still make from time to time. However, leadership is as much of a journey as it is a destination. So, I continue on.

Nevertheless, here are a few mistakes that I have learned from. Maybe you will learn from them also.

I have often allowed poor performance from staff when I know they are capable of better performance or more output. So, I ask myself now – Am I convinced that they are lead-able? Continue reading “I am guilty of at least 5 things.”