Category: Real Leader Blogs

Many of you know that I was a Parks and Recreation Director for thirty years. In my last position I worked for the epitome of a cowardly leader, and he (plus a few others) were the inspiration for the www.cowardlyleadership.com website and series of posts. After this "leader" asked me to leave my last job, with the sum total of explanation being, "We've decided to go in another direction," the bitter taste influenced me into not wanting to insert myself back into the political world again, and instead focus on consulting. Why Now I haven't written a leadership blog post in over a year, but during the pandemic I've witnessed several examples of cowardly leadership. I also found myself more and more often saying to those cowering in their office,…

In a previous Cowardly Leadership post, I talked about the "80-20 Rule,"  also known as The Pareto Principle.    Simply put, The Pareto Principle (named after Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto) is also called "The Law of the Vital Few," and says that 80% of the effects typically come from 20% of the causes.  Great Leadership focuses on that 20%. [caption id="attachment_713" align="alignnone" width="300"] Pareto-principle 80-20 rule[/caption] It is used often in referring to people in positions of effectiveness- 80% of the work comes from 20% of the people.  Or 80% of the profits come from 20% of the products.  And many more examples. I Had A Dream A few nights ago, I had a dream that deals with the Pareto Principle in a unique manner.  It's pertinent to share it as an example of Real Leadership.…

I've never met a Real Leader who was not confident.  I've never run across a cowardly leader who was. False vs. Real Confidence That isn't to say I haven't experienced many examples of false confidence.  But it's called False confidence for a reason.  The bravado and know-it-all attitude is a facade. [embed]https://youtu.be/bZ5spLy22mg[/embed] Real confidence, quiet confidence, is the confidence that exudes from someone who obviously knows what he is talking about.  Or knows what he is doing. Or both. This kind of confidence is really self-confidence.  The ability to believe in yourself and have knowledge that you will accomplish what it is you are attempting.  Another term for this person is:  Expert. This is the point you have the self-confidence in your talent or your knowledge to put it into practice.  Michael Jordan…

The title might push some people away.  Don't let it.  Invest 3 minutes, and if you aren't interested after 3 minutes, then shut it down.  Fair enough? Military Leadership for Local Government James Mattis, newly appointed United States Secretary of Defense, issued Command Guidance when he took over as Commanding Officer of the 1st Marine Division in 2002.  That guidance includes 15 inspirational leadership lessons (they are Here if you're interested in reading in detail).  I am going to borrow a few of the new SECDEF's points, because good military leadership principles are good local government leadership principles.  Cowardly leaders hopefully will read and take notes. Leadership is Leadership Command Guidance:  Everyone fills sandbags in this outfit. How does that apply to local government? Because no one is too good, or important, or…