Corporate culture and mergers

Transition from the chair

As June draws to a close, so too is my term as director of the MA in Leadership program at Augsburg College. Eighteen years. In one sense, it does not seem very long, and yet it has been a part of my life for so long, it will seem strange not to be director...


I will probably still have some obligations for a while until the new director (still to be named)takes over.

It will be a strange state --director and yet not...

We can adjust to almost anything, can't we?

Taking Charge

As I was moving stuff from my office  this month, I found a little book I had not looked at in the long time.

Byrd Baggett:  Taking Charge: 236 Proven Principles of Effective Leadereship  (1996).

It's quick and easy but has lots of good advice.   You have heard a lot of it before.   One of my favorites is a Goal is a Dream with a Deadline.    Baggett did not invent this.   I have also heard it attributed to Coach Carter (about whom a film was made).  

I have no idea who said it first, but it is worth remembering.

A book worth perusing

John Meada's  Redesigning Leadership  is a book worth examining.    Meada, an engineer and design specialist,  suddenly found himself as President of RISD.  As an administrator and creative person, he began to think about leadership.    This little book represents a compilation of his thoughts.  Certainly he looks at leadership in a distinctive way.  

I found his reflections on communication via e-mail very interesting and useful.  

Walking the Leader Path

One of the things that strikes me is that we cannot look at leadership as a done deal.   Leadership is ever changing.  Today you are a leader; tomorrow perhaps a failure.  Next year a leader again.

Someone reluctant to face the day-to-day challenges of leadership should not go down this path.   Take courage.   Walk slowly and carefully.   There are mine fields everywhere.

Read Jeffrey Fox's. How to Become CEO

There are a lot of advice books for people working in organizations. This is one of the best.

The author's measured advice is helpful and to the point. One does not have to seek to become a CEO. If you seek to do your best, this book can be of great help in strategizing about your career.

Finding Joy in Work

Are you Unhappy at work?
Assuming that you are in a normally acceptable job, ask yourself why you are unhappy.
In the course of my long career, I have known people who are miserable in what we might call dream jobs.

Why?
Perhaps what others consider a dream job is not their dream. Perhaps the "dream job" is in reality a nightmare.

Step 1 is to ask yourself why you are unhappy...

Ponder that question