All in Heroic Arts

Culture is the Most Important Product of Leadership

In a world where a person’s performance can be measured by a dizzying array of metrics, the culture that a leader creates is the only output that ensures the collective health of an organization and the individual well being of its people. It is the one and only product that truly matters, and few have built better, longer lasting cultures than Herb Kelleher.

Southwest’s culture is not about Kelleher or any other leader. Instead, the culture is about the people and it belongs to the people, which is why it has worked for such a long period of time, even thriving after changes in leadership, devastating crises, and economic down-turns.

When the Office is a Quiet Place: Why We Need Compassion & Humanity in the Workplace

In 2009, Gallup found that 25% of a random sample of 1,003 U.S. employees were “ignored” at work, and the results were staggering. If a manager focuses on a person’s strengths, the odds of that person being disengaged at work are just 1 out of 100.

The lowest levels of engagement, however, were reserved not for those whose managers focused on their weaknesses, but for the 25% of people who were ignored by their managers, where 19 out of 20 were disengaged.

Clearly, our workplaces need leaders who are good humans, not just good workers.

The Hero's Journey: Tests, Allies, & Enemies

Author's note: This week is the sixth in a 12-part series on the Hero's Journey, or the monomyth proposed by Joseph Campbell. The sixth stage is Tests, Allies, and Enemies. 

At the crossing of the threshold, we committed-through action-to finding a new way, and to making a difference by choosing to do something different than those around us have done before.

Now, the real work begins.