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Wit & Wisdom from Dwight Eisenhower

“You do not lead by hitting people over the head — that’s assault, not leadership.”
Dwight Eisenhower

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We have all probably suffered under the kind of leadership that “Dairyman / Fireman / Journalist / General / President” Dwight D. Eisenhower mentions in one of his famous quotes on leadership.  Eisenhower lived a varied and charmed life.  It was not an easy life and he knew tragedy and death as a child and again as a young father.  But he persevered and became one of the most beloved presidents that our nation has ever known.  He was from humble beginnings in Denison, TX and went on to West Point and then went on to become one of the last 5-Star Generals that our military has produced.

He was a man who knew a little about leadership and physical assault.  He was acquainted with both by profession and experience.  But through it all he determined that leadership was not necessarily manifested through physical prowess.

In this quote he does not tell us exactly how he defines leadership.  So, I will ask you today.  How do you define leadership?  What exemplifies leadership to you?

Photo credit: cliff1066™ / Foter / (CC BY 2.0)
Photo credit: The National Archives UK / Foter / No known copyright restrictions

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Shallow Roots

Shallow Roots - 1As a writer, I cannot choose when inspiration comes to me.  I do not get to decide when a great nugget of truth will stimulate the creative flow.  But, sitting in Church this last Sunday, inspiration came in like a flood.  And, I guess our pastors would be fairly pleased to know that I was “inspired” (or at least I was paying attention) during one of their sermons.

But, I am afraid the inspiration last Sunday took me a little different direction than perhaps they were intending.  Although, as I reflect on it now, maybe not so much . . .

“And other seed fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil,
and it sprang up at once because it did not have any depth of soil.”
Matthew 13:5

For those of you who you who have spent much time at all in church, you will recognize the verse above as coming from the Gospel of Mathew and is a part of the Parable of the Sower and the Seeds.  For purposes of his message last Sunday, one of our pastors chose to emphasize the parable from the perspective of the soil.  I won’t go through his message in detail here.  Instead, if you are interested in the message, you can click on this link and check it out for yourself.

Shallow Roots - 2

Instead, I want to take one of his points and apply it directly to leadership development.  Are you ready for the inspiration?  Here it is: Continue reading “Shallow Roots”

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How is the view?

The Lead DogThat great southern philosopher, Lewis Grizzard, once said; “If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.”

Let me give you a few minutes to visualize that picture.   –  –  –  Do you have a mental picture?  What do you see?

Yup, you see the northern end of a southbound dog.  Picturesque, isn’t it?

But here is the point that Grizzard unwittingly (or maybe not so unwittingly) makes.  He is making a point that we need to strive to be leaders and to strive to lead the pack.  We should not just be content to run with the pack.  And that is a great point.  But I think there is a greater point to be made here.

The greater point is about the actual role and behavior of the leader.  Although the guy in the parka that stands on the back of the sled has all of the outward appearance of being a leader.  He in fact is not.  He is the encourager.  He is the one who exhorts us on.  He may even be the one with authority and the power of the whip if he chooses to use it.  But, he is not the leader.  I would submit to you that leadership is by example, not by command.

The leader is the number 1 dog out in front.  That dog is the one that the other dogs follow.  He sets the pace and the actual path the sled will take within the confines of the terrain and environment.

So, what is the leadership principle here? Continue reading “How is the view?”

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Mohatma Gandhi – A Quiet Leader

Mohandas GandhiHe was born October 2nd, 1869 and he was assassinated on January 30th, 1948.  He was more commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi and he was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. He employed exclusively non-violent civil disobedience as a means to influence his followers and his opponents alike.  Gandhi led India to independence and, as a result, he inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.

Gandhi became famous by Continue reading “Mohatma Gandhi – A Quiet Leader”

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Who inspires you to be a leader?

We have launched the blog with some fairly challenging and thought provoking articles.  I say “Thank you” to those of you who are actively participating so far.  That seems altogether appropriate on this morning after Thanksgiving. You have been some of the first to step up and put your thoughts down “on paper” for others to read and to open yourself to others comments.

But I am trying to build momentum in the conversation and draw more into the flow.  And I wondering this morning about a question of inspiration.  My question is this.

Who inspires you to become a great leader?

I don’t necessarily mean a well known or a popular leader. And I am not necessarily looking for the overtly religious answer.  But who is your source of inspiration for leadership?  Who do you look to for guidance?  Who do you feel is demonstrating practical and functional expertise in the various areas of leadership?

The follow-up question is obvious.  Why are they an inspiration?  What about them inspires you?

Winston-ChurchillI will be brave and provide one of my favorite leaders of all time.  He is Winston Churchill.  Recently read a very short biography of his life.  He was indeed a very colorful character and led a very interesting life.  I am not endorsing his style or his activities in all facets of life.  As many know, his family situation was a bit of a train wreck.  But when Great Britain, and indeed the western world, needed a stalwart and steadfast leader, Winston Churchill had positioned himself in such a way that he could lead that nation through its darkest hour and in to its finest hour.  His attitude of high expectation and never give up spirit inspired a nation and the world to overcome the aggressive Nazi savagery and that nation helped put an end to World War II.

Now what about you?  Who inspires you?  And why do they inspire you?  What is an example of their leadership that comes to your mind quickly when you think of that person?