Sep 12

Sep 12 Deion Sanders Ought to Take his Leadership "Personal"

By all accounts, little--if any--consideration was given to these former players on their way out. Reports circulated that Sanders and his staff did as little as possible to help those former players after abruptly dismissing them from the team, while Sanders bragged about “bringing (his own) luggage with (him), and it’s Louis (Vuitton).”

In the wake of Colorado's upset victory on Saturday, however, those concerns are all but forgotten. They are seen as a regrettable, but insignificant cost of the new normal in college football.

Mar 14

Mar 14 Love is at the Heart of Effective Leadership

Chad Ellsworth

Heroic Arts, Workplace

“Flexing one’s authority is not equivalent to showing leadership. The authority to command others and give orders is one thing; leadership is something different: inspiring others to want to work with you and for you,” he said. “It has to do with values internalized and the willingness to sacrifice or subordinate all other concerns-advancement, personal well-being, safety-for others.”

More than just sacrificing self-serving concerns, though, leadership is about loving the people you lead.

Nov 16

Nov 16 The Heroic Arts of Leadership at Work: Why Your Leadership Journey is Our Human Journey

Chad Ellsworth

Hero's Journey, Heroic Arts, Building Heroes, Workplace

Whether we are learning to ride a bike or starting a new job, the hero’s journey offers us a guide for the process we will go through: We commit to doing something new or different, we encounter people who help us along the way, we experience setbacks and successes, and in the end, we achieve our goal.

The hero’s journey is simply the human journey.

In the hero’s journey, we step outside of our comfort zone to challenge the status quo; we confront our foes, our fears, and our failures; and in the end, we create positive change and influence the world around us, as big or as small as it may be. Leadership is an iterative process. Artists are always creating and inspiring; leaders are always influencing and making the people around them better.

Oct 12

Oct 12 Courage Does Not Exist Without Vulnerability

Chad Ellsworth

Heroic Arts, Workplace

We don’t always have experts we can turn to on demand who can point out small details with big implications or show us what we may have missed. When we miss the meaning of things or miss them altogether, we miss opportunities for the people around us to feel heard, seen, and valued.

It’s impossible to make people feel heard, seen, and valued without hearing, seeing, and valuing them.

You can’t make people feel cared for without truly caring for them.

Apr 6

Apr 6 Why Leadership is an Art, Not a Science

Chad Ellsworth

Building Heroes, Heroic Arts, Workplace

If culture is the most important work of leadership, it also must be true that culture is a direct result of what the leader does. Leadership is the craftsmanship of leaders. Leadership is authentic, deliberate, and personal work that evokes an intentional response from its recipients. In this way, leadership is not performed on a group of people, but rather for and with a group of people.