I often facilitate discussions on leadership traits in my programs. During these discussions we talk about the qualities of the best and worst leaders we've ever worked with and for. It's interesting that the classes almost always talk about the other person and not themselves when they're talking about the undesirable qualities and talk about themselves when they are identifying the best qualities. Why do we do this? One explanation is we are far more comfortable to talk about our positive attributes. Another might be we are blind to our shortcomings or in denial that we actually display the qualities that are undesirable. But... here's a hint... we DO have some of those qualities and the best way to become a better leader is...

When you are under stress your brain and muscles will engage, automatically and perform just as they were trained to do without conscious thought. If you develop good training habits through repetitive muscle movements and repetitive thoughts, they will reside in your subconscious brain and under stress your performance will predictably follow the directions from your subconscious brain. Think about how you train. If it is realistic and repetitive, you are preparing your brain and your body to perform actions that may require a split-second reaction. Building life-saving skills into cognitive (brain) and motor (muscle) memory allows you to react quickly in high-stress, time-compressed situations, saving the precious time. Your training...

Think about what it takes to plan a vacation. You have to consider who’s going with you; what you’re going to do; when you’re going to go; where you’re going to go; why you’re going in the first place; and, how you’re going to get there. In other words, the five W’s and an H (who, what, when, where, why, and how). The same is true when you think about strategic planning in your organization. As the leader of the organization, you’re the driver or pilot, or engineer (depending on the mode of transportation you select) and the members of the organization are on board (hopefully) and going along for the ride. To get them on-board (i.e., buy-in) requires commitment and preparation on their part. They may have to be...

I recently had a discussion with a fire chief who has been retired for about 10 years. We got on the conversation of my recent retirement from active service and he was telling me how much missed being on the fire department. He said he misses it every single day of his life. He said he dreams about being back on the fire department at least three to four nights each week. When fire trucks go past his house he jumps up and runs to the window to look out at them. Worst of all, he described his life of one of a lonely existence and regents that he ever retired. Then he asked me if I miss it. Maybe not enough time has passed by for me yet (only 6 months... I'm still a "rookie retiree). But I think he was floored by my answer. "Not a...