How Do I Become a Great Leader

Question Besides Hardwiring Excellence, what current written resources would you recommend as essential for managers? Answer I recently updated my recommended reading list. Titles that pass the test of time include Jim Collins’s Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman’s First, Break [...]

Question What “level” of leader do you suggest participate in Leadership Development Institutes (LDIs)? Frontline supervisors? Or managers who are somewhat more removed? This question is largely driven by this next one: how many people are too many for these forums to be most effective? Answer I believe in being inclusive rather than exclusive. Studer [...]

Question I recently became the new director of a med/surg/peds unit. I believe I am in fact the third or fourth unit director; needless to say, the staff has been through many changes. I am passionate about nursing, and I was hoping you could comment on how I can start a “ripple effect” of positive [...]

Question How important are mission and vision statements in a cultural transformation? Is it imperative that all employees know and understand the organization’s mission? Should everyone be able to articulate the vision? Answer I think it is important, but disagree with the way most mission and vision statements are written. Sadly, in too many organizations, [...]

Question I notice that you often use the term “leader” instead of “manager.” Is there really a difference or is it just a question of semantics? Answer The dictionary defines a manager as someone who “handles, controls, or directs.” I see leadership as this and much more. Leaders also: Use horizontal thinking: Most leaders are [...]