Last spring I wrote that passion sustains me and keeps my writing, but that even passion needs a day off now and then.

But what happens with there is no day off; when passion is continually cranked up?

When passion runs wild it can lose touch with reality.

You can see the aftermath of unchecked passion in companies whose positional leaders were so focused on their vision that they allowed nothing to stand in the way and the political leaders who are more focused on spreading their ideology than fixing their country.

Passion unchecked yields freely to fanaticism.

Fanaticism obliterates humanity.

Flickr image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jm3/544343557/

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It is the time of year that we look back, marveling at the speed with which the last 12 months have past and forward, wondering and planning for the next 12. Whichever direction you choose to focus, the one thing that is guaranteed is that there has been/will be change.

Arthur Schopenhauer summed this up quite pithily when he said, “Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal.”

And although change is constant, it is good to keep in mind Ellen Glasgow’s wise warning, “All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.”

Even when change does facilitate growth and moves you closer to your goals it may still be a difficult path to follow. As Arnold Bennett points out, “Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.”

I don’t really agree with Thoreau’s view, “Things do not change; we change.” Perhaps it was true then, although I doubt it, but it certainly isn’t true today.

What is true was best phrased by Dean Acheson, although I’m sure it’s been said in many ways before and since, “Always remember that the future comes one day at a time.”

Each of us is changing every second of every minute of every day; Gail Sheehy says, “If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.”

Bruce Barton states the same thought, but more pithily, “When you are through changing, you are through.”

But it is Gandhi who offers up the most powerful reason to change, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Consider it; make 2011 the year you change yourself and in doing so you will change your world.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackheart/457852359/

I hope you have some time today, because I have some great interviews with, and commentary on, some great CEOs.

However, I’m going to start at the opposite end of the spectrum. As you well know, there are plenty of CEOs that aren’t great or even mediocre, but are just plain lousy. Here is Forbes list of the 10 Biggest CEO Screw-ups Of 2010.

Enough of that, now on to the positive

First up is one of my favorite CEOs, GE’s Jeff Immelt, who took the hard road in taking the company back to its roots building real products based on creativity and innovation—as opposed to the financial engineering that drove the company under his predecessor, Jack Welch—and building people for the long term.

It’s a bottom-up approach that shuns hierarchy, and places most of the responsibility for continuous improvement on the teams. … Mr. Immelt also sees himself as the champion of what he calls “large-scale entrepreneurship” at G.E. By that, he means identifying long-term market shifts — “what’s next,” he says — and then marshaling the company’s research, manufacturing and marketing resources to capitalize on the opportunity.

Next is Kathy Savitt, C.E.O. of Lockerz, a social network and e-commerce site, who sees cynicism as the start of corporate cancer.

“Another cell of cynicism is when you feel a company is not actually living out its core values.”

Sometimes CEOs step out of the top role with the explanation that they want to focus on a more strategic role, but how many of them say publicly that they aren’t very good? Barry Diller did just that when he stepped down at IAC.

“I told them the company wasn’t being managed correctly,” Diller, 68, said. “I never thought I was a very good manager. I mean I am decent, but I want to go back to what I am good at, which is looking for opportunities to grow the business.”

Finally, a leadership lecture at Wharton by Robert Wolf, chairman and CEO of UBS Group Americas and president of UBS Investment Bank, who talks about his career, risk and the future. Watch the lecture or read the synopsis.

Flickr image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedroelcarvalho/2812091311/

There are three functions required to live in the 21^st Century—no matter your country or circumstances.

Whether you choose to live loudly, taking risks and seizing every opportunity, or just move through life with minimum effort every person living leads, manages, and sells every day of their lives.

And I do mean everyone, from the very top—heads of state, financial barons and CEOs to everyday people and the homeless.

Look at each from a functional point of view.

Lead means “to go before or with to show the way” and you probably do that at least 50% of the time in your daily life, even when you only lead yourself.

Manage means “to be in charge.” You can be in charge of various things or various people at various times, but you are always in charge of yourself.

Sell means “to persuade or induce someone to do something” which is what you do when choosing a movie, putting your kids to bed or convincing your boss about X.

After a years of reading and watching myself and others I find that these three functions, in their broadest sense, seem to embrace everything we humans do.

What do you think? Did I miss anything?

Flickr image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/759309122/

American education is trying everything in an effort to improve, but just how big a difference can one person make? Especially in Baltimore, which has the dubious distinction of having the worst school system and the highest murder rate in the country.

Humongous, if that person is smart enough to gather support to change the culture, not just try and “fix” schools or improve test grades.

“Andres Alonso took over the Baltimore city schools in 2007 and has brought deep changes in just three academic years. … Next he took on the culture of the schools, which relied heavily on suspensions for discipline, a practice Dr. [Andre] Alonso strongly opposed. “Kids come as is,” he likes to say, “and it’s our job to engage them.””

On the other side of the continent a group of ‘one persons’ in Compton are using a radical new California law to force the takeover of a failing school by a charter school operator.

“We’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Marion Orr, a professor of public policy at Brown University. “It really pushed to the edges of a strong democracy and could create real challenges for public officials who believe they know best how to run school districts.”

Sadly, most public officials seem more interested in keeping their jobs and pushing their ideology/agenda than they are in educating kids.

Just think what would happen if every ‘one person’ did just one thing to improve education (not support ideology).

I often get asked why, “at my age and with no kids of my own” I care so much about education; or why I’m so focused on urban problems when they aren’t likely to affect the small town in which I live.

The answer is simple.

I (and you, in case you haven’t realized it) are going to live in a world run by today’s children and populated by “those” kids.

We are each one person, alone and together we can each do a lot to encourage/force change.

Stock.xchng image credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1287589

(I posted this several years ago at Leadership Turn, but it is so good I just had to share it again:)

Image credit: Weekly World News (details at Snopes)

Did you ever think that having excellent strategic vision, confidence and communication skills can hurt your ability to create an inclusive culture, instead of guaranteeing it?

Great cultures require a high level of trust between employees and management. People who are highly competent and confident of their direction and actions can come over as arrogant and insensitive—not traits that encourage trust.

You don’t have to hide your vision, confidence and communication skills to alter negative perceptions; you just need to add some additional ones.

Here are three MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™) actions that go a long way to making that great culture you want a reality.

• Good culture is engaging; accomplish this by involving all your people at all levels—the more involvement the better.

• Good culture is about listening—not talking.

• Good culture is about hearing—and being willing to change when appropriate.

Involve, listen, hear; do them now; do them constantly and watch your culture bloom.

Flickr image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zedbee/103147140/

Another Leadership Development Carnival means another opportunity to improve your skills—53 opportunities to be exact. Well-earned thanks go to Jane Perdue at Get Your Leadership BIG On! for hosting this month’s Leadership Development Carnival with so much flair.

Gifts for Helping Others Grow

The always informative Trish McFarlane presents some great insights for handling long tenured employees 5 Strategies To Coach Employees Who Have Become Institutionalized posted at HR Ringleader.

Laura Schroeder gives us the scoop on why using straight talk with employees is the right way to go in Managers: Time to Talk Turkey at Working Girl.

Kevin Eikenberry redirects our thought processes and challenges our assumptions in How to Get Lazy People to Work at Leadership and Learning with Kevin Eikenberry.

Paul Slater gifts us with insights for fostering and developing the next generation of leaders in What Young Leaders Need posted at Mushcado.

The erudite Anne Perschel serves up the importance of employee fingerprints in transformation in A Word or Two About Change at Germane Insights.

Andrew Rondeau passes along valuable information for handling disagreements in Conflict Resolution In The Workplace posted at Great Management.

Wally Bock gives us a year-round gift in Bosses: Give Frequent and Usable Feedback from Three Star Leadership.

Celebrating Connections and Giving

Anna Farmery makes a complete and compelling case for the power of connecting in 10 Business Connections You MUST make found at The Engaging Brand.

Tanveer Naseer persuasively builds the foundation as to why fostering a sense of collective purpose is important in Encouraging Your Employees to Reach for the Moon at TanveerNaseer.com.

Eric Pennington asks us to examine our aspirations and motivations in Aspiring To What’s Not Really There at Epic Living.

Using her profuse talents, Mary Jo Asmus provokes us to think about breathing into ourselves in How to Inspire Others found at Aspire Collaborative Solutions.

It’s always the season for giving, and Janet Helm encourages us to generously do so in The Giving Project – That Extra Twinkle at Lead by Giving

Some Holiday Twinkle and Cheer

The always instructive and helpful Jennifer V. Miller humorously challenges The Urban Legend of Command and Control Management found at The People Equation.

Wayne Turmel gives us a tongue-in-cheek view of innovation in Fire: an idea that will never catch on at Management Issues.

Dave Moran shares a mischievous view on 10 Ways to Kill Employee Engagement posted at Software Results.

Presents for Becoming a Better Leader

Jason Seiden dares us to have the guts and patience to go for excellence in The Race to Mediocrity at Next Generation Talent Development.

John Spence shares some awesomely simple yet profound insights regarding What Does “Talent” Look For in a Leader? at Achieving Business Excellence.

From Afghanistan, Tom Magness makes the time to offer insights for honing our decision-making skills in Deciding to Decide at Leader Business.

Jim Taggart asks us to reflect our level of knowledge in Do You Know the Difference Between Corporate Culture and Climate? at ChangingWinds.

Thoughtful leader that he is, Mike Henry Sr. shares a thought-provoking post by Erin Schreyer on Change is Good! How’s Your Leadership in the Midst of It? from the Lead Change Group Blog.

The inspirational Art Petty serves up Leadership Caffeine: How to Grow Your Leadership Credibility in 15 Easy Lessons at Management Excellence.

Celebrating Polarities

Susan Finerty challenges our thinking in When the Golden Rule Isn’t So Golden at Leadership Mutt.

Interested in infusing an entrepreneurial spirit into your work place? Erik Samdahl offers practical insights in Fostering Intrapreneurship: Think Like a VC, Act Like an Entrepreneur at Productivity Blog.

Beth Follini applauds embracing leadership paradoxes in Why is it important to work with polarity? at Musings from a practical mystic.

Lisa Rosendahl courageously provokes our thinking on how to overcome prejudice and bias by valuing diversity of thought in Exposing Ignorance at Women of HR.

Making Merry and Pushing Comfort Zones

The ever-insightful Dan McCarthy offers a great road map for HR relevancy in A Four Stage Leadership Development Model found at Great Leadership.

Rich Maltzman rightfully points out that Sometimes, the obvious is not so obvious posted at Earth PM.

At LeaderLab, David Burkus explores why Are leaders born or made? is asking the wrong question.

Tim Porthouse prompts us to reflect on what kind of boss we are in A Tale of Two Bosses at Zealeap – Leadership 3.0.

Once again, Steve Roesler pushes our comfort zone by illustrating how to be more specific about communicating and defining change in I’ll Change: Tell Me Exactly What You Want at All Things Workplace.

Jim Taggart shares his intriguing thoughts on how leaders must respect geographic, cultural and market uniqueness in Disrupting General Electric: Changing its Mindset Through Reverse Innovation at ChangingWinds.

Michael Cardus thoughtfully yet forcefully suggests we focus on outcomes rather than nomenclature in 10 Managerial Leadership Practices at Create-Learning Team Building & Leadership Blog.

Under the Learning Tree

Wishing more 21^st century organizations were learning ones? Gwyn Teatro beautifully re-introduces us to the five timeless principles of Peter Senge in Leaders and the Learning Organization posted at You’re Not the Boss of Me.

Bret L. Simmons educates us regarding definitions and practices for Authentic Leadership at Bret L. Simmons.

Adi Gaskell shares interesting “who knew” research about The smell of fear and its impact on risk taking posted at The Management Blog.

Sean McGinnis presents a thoughtful case for Knowing “Why” Makes You Better found at 312 Digital.

William Matthies reminds us of the importance of the willingness to Be Convinced . . . And Prepared To Change Your Mind posted at Business Wisdom: Words to Manage By.

Nissim Ziv drops a gift for supervisors down the chimney: What Makes a Good Supervisor? 10 Qualities of a Good Supervisor at Job Interview Guide.

Janna Rust reminds us to be mindful of our Emotions and Productivity, a post found at Purposeful Leadership.

Joyfully Becoming Better

The amazing one and only Sharlyn Lauby gifts us with Being Strategic and Creating Strategy Aren’t the Same Thing found at HR Bartender.

Steve Tringham shares insights for handling Problems and Confrontation at Peopleware.

In his inaugural Idea Lab post, the ever-inventive Mark Stelzner presents The HR Idea Lab: Analyze the Analysts at Inflexion Advisors.

Amy Wilson serves up a simple truth in They’ll Be Back posted at Talented Apps.

Complete with a delightful cartoon, Benjamin McCall encourages us to step up and When all else fails, make a decision found at ReThinkHR.

Holiday Potpourri

Randall Davidson provides us with resources in The Top 101 Productivity Blogs of 2010 at Transcription Blog.

David Zinger offers a short haiku on leadership in Workaiku: Iceberg posted at Employee Engagement Zingers.

Miki Saxon encourages us to prepare for 2011 success by planning right now in The Start of Planning Season at MAPping Company Success.

Orson Bean offers a multitude of resources for managing knowledge and content in Top 50 Knowledge Management Blogs at Biz-gasm.

Erin Pavlina tells a heart-warming story about how you can Believe It and Achieve It posted at Erin Pavlina.

Shankar Anand offers thoughts about managing and creating Brand You at Shankaranand’s Blog.

Nick McCormick takes a different sharing tack and offers up a podcast on how to Identify Your Islands of Profit found at Joe and Wanda – on Management.

Using trains as an interesting metaphor, Andy Klein prompts us to ponder Does your business run like a conventional train or the Shinkansen? at Fortune Group Blog.

Lynn Dessert presents tips and insights for overcoming fear so we can be more effective at Managing Social Media in Organizations posted at Elephants at Work.

Flickr image credit: Great Leadership

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