Know Yourself

Strong leadership demands awareness and acceptance of one's humanity, first and foremost.


Without accepting your strengths and weaknesses, you can never be authentic.


For instance, how do you respond to aberrant behavior? Worth knowing because in periods change, when groups are forming or storming - such behavior will be an expression of inner turmoil.


Furthermore, good leadership understands why such behavior is occurring and finds a way to allow inner turmoil to dissipate. Only then do human beings bond, trust established and exercise mutual respect. 


I suspect the reason most organizations only use 30% of their people's talent is because leaders have disengaged with what it means to be human.

Clarity of Purpose

I think it is time to start writing about the things I wish I'd known at the start of my career. So from now on I want to pass on insights gained along the way;  I hope these will help you forge ahead purposefully,  more so than I ever did in my youth.


So, my top insight is, be clear what:

•  your purpose is within a project
• organizational goal your project contributes to
• aspect of your organization's mission is being advanced by your project 

In so doing, you will be able to evaluate whether what you are doing is purposeful. The skill I want you to develop is strategic thinking.

Naheed Nenshi - a new kind of leader

It was good to listen to Naheed Nenshi shortly after his victory in the Calgary Mayoral election.

Most striking was his open acknowledgement of the huge contribution made by his young team of volunteers. It was clear from the tone of the interview that here is a man with an enormous passion for his city, its people and its potential. 

Equally striking was a sense of a man whose life experiences have profoundly shaped they way in which he works with people and how he views people. 

Not of 'traditional leadership stock', for Nenshi is a Muslim of immigrant parents, his journey obviously provided the life lessons by which he how harnesses potential amidst diversity and creates openings for others to realize their potential. 

It is a remarkable story in so many ways, not least because it proves what is possible when a leader creates  the right conditions by which people can do their best - even if the odds are against them. 

But, at its heart, it is a story of man whose leadership is infused with an acceptance of his own humanity; and which has allowed many to trust and work tirelessly in pursuit of his vision for his city.