Too often the new leader steps forward to take charge, but quickly becomes frustrated when people won’t listen to his demands. What’s wrong? These leaders don’t see the paradoxes of leadership. What they think they need to do to be a good leader is actually making it harder for them to lead. Today we’ll talk about seven […]

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What can you learn about leadership from hiking for six months straight, covering thousands of miles, and carrying everything you own stuffed into a bag on your back? Plenty, it turns out. Recently I asked successful long-distance backpacker Greg Ward if he would be willing to share some of his Appalachian Trail leadership lessons with us.  His […]

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Congratulations – you’ve just been promoted to Team Lead! What’s the bad news?  It’s the same team you’ve been on.  How are you going to lead your friends? One of the hardest things to do as a leader is to lead your peers.  When you all come from the same starting point, what is the basis […]

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Lacking confidence in your leadership?  Are you an insecure leader?  Sometimes the things we are tempted to do to compensate for insecurity are the worst options, as Lieutenant Wilkes, United States Navy, found out the hard way in 1838.  Here’s what happened, how you can avoid these seven deadly habits, and build the confidence you […]

The post Book Notes – Sea of Glory: The 7 Habits of the Highly Insecure Leader appeared first on RapidStart Leadership.

Think you need to make a change on your team?  Not able to advance because someone is holding you back?  It is easy to catch yourself thinking along these lines.  But the other day I came to an interesting realization when I paused to think about my old running shoes.  Here’s why your “racing” success is […]

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Leading yourself is part of being able to lead others.  When you show you are capable of reaching your goals, you demonstrate the potential to help others do the same. In this short video we look at the similarities between mountain climbing and reaching your goals, and motivate you with a few simple steps you […]

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One rainy morning recently I received a wordless lesson in equanimity when a few long-distance backpackers showed me what it looks like to handle a challenge with composure.  Here’s how they turned a negative into a positive and how you can do the same with the rain that falls in your life. Miles to Go… […]

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Sometimes after the excitement of a new beginning, things happen that make reaching your goals seem harder than we imagined.  On a recent trip to Acadia National Park in Maine with my family, we were reminded of what that experience can be like, and what it takes to keep going.  With that in mind, here […]

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Do you have what it takes to get through the Army’s toughest leadership school? Those who attend the U.S. Army’s Ranger School prepare months in advance in the attempt to pass this grueling leadership course.  Even so, the failure rate is high – anywhere from 40-60% of this select group still don’t make the grade […]

The post How to Get Kicked Out of Leadership School: The Spotlight Leader appeared first on RapidStart Leadership.

What does leadership look like?  It takes on many forms.  But on this day, at a major training exercise in the desert, it took on what for me was a very unexpected shape.  Here’s the short story about a very different view of leadership I got when I pulled back the tent flap, and saw […]

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