en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1014602 Comments by Mike Henry Sr. http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2014/04/03/the-question-every-great-leader-asks/#IDComment813510059 David, I appreciate the post. Great stuff! The question presupposes the probability. We will do this. We just need to figure it out. The possibility creates the energy and the hope of achieving the goal will pull many a leader and a team through a lot of mess. Thanks for the challenging post and the great reminder. I won't hear "How can I..." the same way again. MIke... Thu, 3 Apr 2014 16:22:00 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2014/04/03/the-question-every-great-leader-asks/#IDComment813510059 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/12/19/4-senses-of-character-based-leadership/#IDComment771678400 Great comment J. R. It is good when character-based leaders are promoted. Unfortunately, often people who perform well are promoted without understanding character-based leadership. Without training and experience, it can be difficult to be an effective character-based leader, especially once you get positional authority. Once in a position of leadership, everything is 'slanted' a bit toward positional leadership. Character-based leaders in positions of leadership must resist the temptation to simply 'go with the flow.' Thanks for the comment. Mike... Sat, 21 Dec 2013 13:32:45 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/12/19/4-senses-of-character-based-leadership/#IDComment771678400 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/12/19/4-senses-of-character-based-leadership/#IDComment771676800 I agree! A balanced sense of responsibility helps us stay connected. Thanks for the comment. Sat, 21 Dec 2013 13:28:49 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/12/19/4-senses-of-character-based-leadership/#IDComment771676800 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/11/12/does-your-company-have-a-cultural-congruence-problem/#IDComment749589987 Great post. There is such freedom and excitement that comes to an organization and its people when there is cultural congruence. Thanks for bringing the term into the leadership dialogue. You're always very good with works. Thanks for making me think today. Mike... Wed, 13 Nov 2013 19:09:37 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/11/12/does-your-company-have-a-cultural-congruence-problem/#IDComment749589987 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/10/03/what-we-can-learn-about-leadership-from-superb-teachers/#IDComment729903764 Great post Mary. Nothing valuable is ever easy. Working with each person's uniqueness is difficult. No doubt about it. But the rewards are worth it. Thanks for the great reminder. Mike... Sat, 5 Oct 2013 13:46:05 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/10/03/what-we-can-learn-about-leadership-from-superb-teachers/#IDComment729903764 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/07/18/are-you-a-leader-yet/#IDComment686199348 Thanks for the comment. I've always loved that quote too. Mike... Wed, 24 Jul 2013 11:56:09 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/07/18/are-you-a-leader-yet/#IDComment686199348 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/07/18/are-you-a-leader-yet/#IDComment683187897 Thanks for adding to the conversation. I agree that leaders have a vision and that they listen. Part of why I think the secret sauce lies along the lines of responsibility and initiative is because many ineffective people also have many leadership attributes. Often vision is simply wanting to improve a situation, or clean up a mess. Thanks for the great comments. Fri, 19 Jul 2013 18:31:07 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/07/18/are-you-a-leader-yet/#IDComment683187897 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/07/18/are-you-a-leader-yet/#IDComment682899834 Thanks for the comment Chris. I had more of this discussion last night. There are many people who will not do the things to become a leader. But I have a hard time believing that there are those who are unqualified to take the course. Fri, 19 Jul 2013 10:45:04 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/07/18/are-you-a-leader-yet/#IDComment682899834 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/07/18/are-you-a-leader-yet/#IDComment682898677 Thanks Bruce. I should have checked that before publishing. Fri, 19 Jul 2013 10:43:16 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/07/18/are-you-a-leader-yet/#IDComment682898677 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/06/17/promoting-yourself-as-a-thought-leader/#IDComment663722538 Joel, great post. So many people have great insight and they fail to realize how valuable their contribution can be when shared over the Internet. I hope many people take your advice and start sharing. Mike... Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:35:12 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/06/17/promoting-yourself-as-a-thought-leader/#IDComment663722538 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/04/11/build-a-team-of-superheroes/#IDComment617284167 Thanks Susan for the comment. It's also more fun to come to work expecting all of your superheroes to show up! Mike... Thu, 11 Apr 2013 23:19:36 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/04/11/build-a-team-of-superheroes/#IDComment617284167 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/01/04/the-art-leading-peers/#IDComment537825486 John, Great reminders, especially at how trust-based peer leadership is. I often think of peer leadership happening after I've convinced my peers that I'm "for" them. Peer leadership is the purest form of free-agent win-win that I can imagine. If I can't create a track record of making others winners, my ideas will always be met with skepticism and distrust. Mon, 7 Jan 2013 16:42:32 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/01/04/the-art-leading-peers/#IDComment537825486 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/12/20/imperfect-leadership/#IDComment525097162 Great perspective, Dr. Gerdes. Much of the best of what I've learned came at a cost... Thanks! Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:48:10 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/12/20/imperfect-leadership/#IDComment525097162 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/12/20/imperfect-leadership/#IDComment525051142 Agreed. I'm too lazy to try to be something I'm not. It's more important to be the best I can be and do the best I can. Thanks for the comment! Fri, 21 Dec 2012 20:31:47 +0000 http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/12/20/imperfect-leadership/#IDComment525051142 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment457761671 Marcel, thanks for your great comment. I agree people become influential and some are born more influential than others. But we all "lead" in some context. It's that "position" thing that trips us up. People in "positions of higher authority" as you mention don't naturally understand character-based leadership. We confuse people who attained to positions of authority, with those who are granted authority because of who they are. The former can't necessarily recognize the latter. Since I started talking about leadership in these terms, I've seen it more and more. Character-based leaders in positions of authority often believe that they can produce more character-based leaders by teaching them the behaviors. But if those behaviors aren't a part of who you are, then the whole effort creates an empty bureaucracy. Thanks for the thoughtful comment. Sun, 7 Oct 2012 22:22:54 +0000 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment457761671 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment457759095 Ray, I share your regret. If all our employees get is a paycheck, then they've been sorely short-changed. People invest their lives at work. It should be an adventure that gives them some life back. Character-based leaders put that life back into their teams. Mike... Sun, 7 Oct 2012 22:16:38 +0000 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment457759095 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment456713759 Thanks for the comment Glen. We all judge character, all the time. We have a hard time communicating and sharing that judgment or our own personal standards. But we grant authority and allow others to influence us based on those judgments. We're constantly measuring. It gets crazy when we start telling other people how they should measure others. Mike... Sat, 6 Oct 2012 12:01:30 +0000 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment456713759 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment456185178 Well said Robert. Quality of actions and integrity of intent only mess us up when we try to be the only measure of quality and integrity. I think others judge those attributes and grant us authority. If they fail to judge our actions as having quality or if they believe our intentions exclude them, they won't let us influence them much at all. Thanks for that additional perspective. Mike... Fri, 5 Oct 2012 18:07:54 +0000 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment456185178 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment456183257 Mike, that's a great addition. Experiences alone will not make someone a good or great leader. Processing those experiences and learning to appreciate and value others (the compassion you mention above) is also key. Thanks for that comment. Fri, 5 Oct 2012 18:04:16 +0000 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment456183257 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment456182161 Yep, It's not about them in the beginning either... :-) Thanks for the comment. Fri, 5 Oct 2012 18:02:21 +0000 https://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/10/04/4-outcomes-character-based-leadership/#IDComment456182161