Leadership Truths

No two people will define leadership the exact same way and if you ask, you'll more than likely receive different responses.


For some reason, there seems to be a boatload of thoughts, opinions and perspectives as to what leadership truly is all about.

It's one of those things that has a different meaning to different people depending on your involvement or past experiences with it.

I'm a member of a leadership group on LinkedIn and a question was posted that asked to identify the major differences between ledership and management.

After more than 800 replies, the responses are still coming in.

There's a great deal of value in having multiple viewpoints as it can lead to rich discussion and insightful learning. However, it can also could make room for misconception and perhaps confusion to creep in.

Joining the next episode of HCL Radio is long time leadership expert and author, Jim Kouzes.



Jim is co-author of the award-winning book, The Leadership Challenge, with over one million copies sold. Jim is not only a highly regarded leadership scholar and experienced executive, but the Wall Street Journal has also cited Jim as one of the 12 most requested "non-university executive-education providers" to U.S. companies.

Jim has done a significant amount of research in the field of leadership over the course of the last 30 years or so. Listen to Jim's thoughts on the differences in leadership now and then.

He'll help us gain a better understanding of leadership and will also chat about his latest book, The Truth About Leadership.


See you on the court!

Get Your Mojo On!

Have you ever had one of those moments when everything seemed to click on all the right cylinders?

It's that intangible feeling you get when the basket is as big as the ocean and you just can't seem to miss a shot?

It's sometimes referred to as being in the "zone" or on "fire" and is one those unexplainable things that you want to bottle when you got it and never let go.

During Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan seemed to have everything working for him when he scored 35 points in the first half of the game.

Everything he threw up seemed to drop including six three-pointers.


Even Jordan himself couldn't explain what was going on.

That magical mystical feeling is also sometimes referred to as your "Mojo" and MJ definitely had it working for him that game.

Speaking of which, Marshall Goldsmith is a world renowned executive coach and joins the next edition of HCL Radio to discuss his latest book, "Mojo" How To Get, How To Keep It and How To Get It back When You Lose It"



As Marshall describes, "Mojo is that positive spirit that radiates on the inside"

The relationship between leadership and Mojo is very relevant because the good feeling we experience as a result of finding our Mojo can be spread to others and impact them in a positive way as well.

Marshall also points out that there's a direct connection between our personal happiness and meaning and finding that inner Mojo.

Tune in to HCL Radio - Where developing leaders is more than just a game!

See you on the court!

Remember The Acorn

Reaching our full potential as individuals involves us knowing who and what we are on the inside, determining the things we're suitable for and then taking the appropriate action based on what we've learned.

We all have the seed of something inside of us the same way an acorn is the beginning of an oak tree.




The responsibility falls on to us to nurture and grow that seed into something great.

Leaders can play a role in helping their followers figure this out by empowering them to make their own decisions and reach their own conclusions.

By empowering others, leaders are actually empowering themselves at the same time.

On the next episode of HCL Radio, I'll be joined by certified speaking professional, Jim Cathcart.



This Hall of Fame Speaker is a best selling author and has written 15 books including, The Acorn Principle.

Click here to listen to Jim explain what the Acorn Principle is all about.


See you on the court!

High Five

The positive benefits of acknowledging others and showing appreciation are huge and is something any of us can do regardless if we're in a leadership role or not.

It truly is one of the most important things a leader can do to inspire, motivate and empower others so long as its done so genuinely.



Former NBAer, Doug Christie once shared a story with me from his playing days in Toronto. It was during a timeout when his team mate, Damon Stoudamire publicly acknowledged the job he was doing on defence against a opposing player.

He went on further to describe the importance of this in helping to maintain a positive atmosphere and strengthen team cohesion.

To help further the discussion of acknowledgement is Mike Robbins. Mike is a professional speaker and author and talks to audiences about the importance of appreciation and recognizing the actions of others.



Here's what Mike said about appreciation and leadership.

Tune in to the next edition of HCL Radio to hear more from Mike.

Thanks for reading!

You First!

"The minute you get away from fundamentals – whether its proper technique, work ethic or mental preparation – the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job, whatever you’re doing."
— Michael Jordan

An often overlooked component in the leadership equation is the principle of self mastery.

This is when the "leader" takes the time to focus on themselves and has a clear identity of who they are, where they want to go and how they intend on getting there.

Leaders can only expect to be effective once they've demonstrated the ability to lead and manage themselves first.

On the next episode of HCL Radio, I'll be joined by long time leadership expert, Timothy Clark who discusses the principle of self mastery.



Listen to Tim here.


In his latest book, "The Leadership Test", Tim outlines five areas to help you know why you want to be a leader.



They are:

1. Fill your pack- are you willing to take on not only your load, but more than your share?

2. Sign your name- are you really willing to take responsibility for others?

3. Share the stage- are you willing to share the credit?

4. Take the oath- what’s your mission and what exactly are you signing on for? Do you have a commitment to honesty and integrity?

5. Pour your cup- can you take what you have and pour it into the lives of others? Mentoring and coaching is critical to leadership.

Tune in to HCL Radio - Where developing leaders is more than just a game!


Thanks for reading!

Excuses Are Over

While it's easy to come up with excuses why things don't work the way we planned - the biggest challenge for many is to stop coming up with the reasons why we missed our target, look at ourselves introspectively and make the necessary changes to be successful.

Accountability is one of the cornerstones of leadership.

By demonstrating that we're responsible for the things we do, we're creating a culture of accountability and displaying to others that we're focused on achieving our goals, on both a personal and professional level.

On the next episode of HCL Radio, leadership speaker and business growth expert, Sam Silverstein shares what happens when we lack accountability as leaders.



Here's what Sam said.

Sam will also share insights from his latest book, No More Excuses.



No More Excuses is a way of looking at the world—a standard to which we hold ourselves and others accountable. It’s a strategy for life and work that attracts others to us, because accountability is a universal trait of admired people.

When we lack accountability, we fall into the trap of making and accepting excuses.


Thanks for reading!

Follow To Lead

In our present age, a group that has been starting to get a bit more attention are followers.

There's so much attention paid to leaders that this very important group is overlooked and sometimes forgotten about.



This is rather remarkable considering that a leader that doesn't have any followers isn't much of a leader and to fixate on leaders at the expense of followers is to do so at our peril.

Meaning that followers have more power than people realize and their needs, concerns and fears should be paid attention to.

Barbara Kellerman is the author of the book Followership: How Followers Create Change and Change Leaders and is also a Lecturer in Public Leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.



Barbara joins the next episode of HCL Radio to discuss this very important group and how they fit into the leadership equation.

As Barbara simply puts it, "You cannot teach people good leadership without simultaneously teaching them good followership."

Thanks for reading!