Tag Archives: leadership thoughts

Leadership thought 18: “Leadership is all about having your own story and being true to it.”

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

All through history, stories have been a powerful way to build communities, to give meaning to the often tragic ‘nonsense’ of life and to inspire for action. As the beautiful quote, attributed to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry goes: “If you want … Continue reading →

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Leadership thought 17: “Talk the walk.”

Posted on March 26, 2012 by

“Walk the talk” is one of the most used clichés on leadership. And the importance of role modeling is undoubted. Transformational leadership theorists [i] call it ‘idealized influence’ and it is a core element in all positive leadership theories [ii]: giving the example … Continue reading →

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Leadership thought 16: “Not being the best of the world, but for the world.” (Kurt April)

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

This multi-stakeholder or ‘people-planet-profit’ perspective is what leadership makes sustainable. “Aligning self-interest to social responsibility is the most powerful way to sustaining a company’s success,” quotes Austin (2006) Starbucks’ CEO Orin Smith. Or as Professor Kurt April formulated it: “We need leaders … Continue reading →

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Leadership thought 15: “Imagine your actions on the front page of a newspaper.”

Posted on February 16, 2012 by

Perception is key in leadership. It’s not only having the right intention or doing the right things. It’s not only personal leadership. It’s also meeting the expectations of all kinds of stakeholders. These stakeholders have become much more intrusive than … Continue reading →

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Leadership thought 14: “Are you honest or just pulling the strings?”

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

Values play an important role in leadership in two ways. First of all, because leadership is a personal choice, the strength of the personal convictions and values will decide how far the leadership will reach. Values are the main stronghold … Continue reading →

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Leadership thought 13: first & foremost, know yourself

Posted on January 9, 2012 by

Leadership is personal and contextual. Leadership is a personal choice in a certain situation to take up an uneasy challenge. This explains why ‘awareness’ is at the heart of leadership. Awareness of the reality, also the reality of own’s own self. … Continue reading →

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Leadership thought 12: Leadership and authority aren’t the same thing, but both need power.

Posted on November 30, 2011 by

We made with Heifetz the distinction between ‘authority’ and ‘leadership’. This distinction comes close to ‘transactional’ and ‘transformational’ leadership as explained by Bass & Riggio [i]. Authority or transactional leadership is based on a negotiation and an agreement between the ‘leader’ and … Continue reading →

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Leadership thought 11: Leadership starts by giving

Posted on November 24, 2011 by

Leadership is social influence. One of the drivers of influence is reciprocity: giving makes people want to give back[i]. We are hard-wired like that, because it’s critical for our society, for living together.  The moment we distrust reciprocity, social interaction … Continue reading →

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Leadership thought 10: leadership is personal

Posted on November 18, 2011 by

Leadership starts with the personal choice for making change happen, not only change in others, but also change in one’s own self. Leadership is making a personal stand. Some people stick to their comfort zones, avoid risks, change only if … Continue reading →

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Leadership thought 9: Fools rush in where angels fear to thread (A. Pope)

Posted on November 8, 2011 by

Each situation has it’s own challenges and rules and leadership adapts to it. “Leadership is like a chameleon”, spoke Dr. Peter Piot as he received the leadership award in 2010 from the Flemish Management Association. “Chameleons adapt to the environment, … Continue reading →

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