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5 for Leadership is a weekly offering of five quality posts from this past week on the topic of leadership. This week there are posts on leader accountability, life purpose and work, and interview with the grandson of Nate Saint, a perspective on introverts, and the most important question a leader can ask.
Always, Always Entangle Purpose with Life Work
“Have you ever picked up a book because of a few quick social clips you see? I have, and the latest one resonated within the prairies of my mind. When Breath Becomes Air is the story of a neurosurgeon who often thought about what career would deliver the most meaning with his life. Although he became a physician, he wasn’t certain. Being a writer was also calling him, as he felt the impact of literature on his life. As his story unfolds, it is disrupted by lung cancer. Now, the physician becomes the patient, and the person struggles with the question of what to do with his remaining time.” John Mertz brings a very interesting perspective on life and work–take a look.
Quit Focusing on Accountability and Follow These 5 Steps Instead
“I don’t like the word accountability. It’s always rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. I think it’s because it assumes the worst about people. When we talk about accountability, it always seems the assumption is a person is incapable of, or unlikely to, follow through on his/her commitments. So we spend a lot of time and energy creating systems, processes, or consequences to make the sure the person is held accountable.” Randy Conley offers these 5 principles to counter the accountability trap.
The Legacy of Nate Saint
I love reading biographical posts of great leaders. Nate Saint qualifies. Here is an interview with the grandson of Nate Saint–you won’t be disappointed.
4 Lies About Introverts
“I’m an introvert. Most people who don’t know me well wouldn’t guess this about me, but it’s true. On a practical level, being an introvert means I’m generally more energized by time alone than by time with people, and I have a preference for a less externally stimulating environment. I feel very alive in a quiet, empty room.” Aime Patrick writes a sensitive and very informative post . . . be sure and read the final point on leadership.
The Most Powerful Question a Leader Can Ask
“Yesterday, my 8-year-old son, Nolan, asked me a question about World War II. As I was explaining certain battles and what happened, he cut me off. “Dad, I know what happened, I want to know WHY they did it.” He had many questions and all of them dealt with why generals and leaders made the choice they did. That opened up a discussion about how to make hard choices and what he would do if he faced a hard decision.” This is a great guest post by Chris Turnley on Bob Tiede’s blog.
There are the 5 for this week as we close out the month of January.
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