On Leading with Greatness

Have you ever thought about your legacy? For leaders, legacy is paramount. But the leader’s legacy is not about self-congratulation and ego-stroking. In fact, the leader’s legacy is largely the result of leaders just doing what leaders do, making a significant impact that happens to reverberate long after they’ve left the building. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substa...

“One day…” Only two words, but what an impact! It’s the battle cry of the chronic procrastinator. We promise ourselves and others that we’ll get around to that task or fulfill that desire…one day. Our intentions may be innocent and pure, but our motivation is slippery—that is, if it even exists. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

Great leaders work to build relationships and cultures that eliminate assumptions. They engender mutual trust, transparency, and open communication. It’s an ongoing process, sure, but well worth it. What’s more, great leaders also ask (and answer) a lot of questions, and not just when they are new! Dump the assumptions and give it a try. Thrill as you discover your team’s unexpected skills. You ne...

Let me tell you about this truth my friend Jeff laid on me a few weeks ago. Jeff is a serial entrepreneur and all-around wise man, and he observed, “in any communication, the listener has all the power.” That profundity has been tumbling around in my head ever since. It’s a great way for leaders to think about communication. When it comes to a delivered message, the ear has it all over the mouth....

In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl , the Austrian psychologist, philosopher, and holocaust survivor, writes of his experience: “From all this we may learn that there are two races of men in this world, but only these two—the "race" of the decent man and the "race" of the indecent man. Both are found everywhere; they penetrate into all groups of society. No group consists entirely of decent...

In this episode of On Leading with Greatness , Jim Salvucci of Guidance for Greatness delves into the counterintuitive reality of leadership where we often favor flashy, incompetent leaders over consistent, capable ones. By contrasting the styles of a crisis-loving manager named Carl and a reliable, drama-free manager named Pam, Jim highlights the societal bias influenced by the Dunning-Kruger eff...

So which is it? Are leaders born or bred? Are they delivered by the proverbial stork, or are they mainly a product of their story? As I cruise the podcast circuit as a guest, this question keeps popping up: Is leadership innate or something that must be cultivated over time? Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

How effectively do you market yourself? How actively do you ignore the hype and elevate merit? Great leaders have a duty to discover merit amidst the noise of marketing, and I can help. Unlock the Great Leader Within! Download my free resource, the Transform To GREATness Toolkit , now! I look forward to hearing from you. If you want to invite me speak at your event or appear on your podcast, visit...

Benjamin Franklin wrote, “ Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. “ Good ol’ Ben Franklin was onto something. Sacrificing our sacred freedoms for some fleeting security is foolish, but we see it all the time. The backstory of this quote is a bit tangled, but the core message remains as sound as a hundred dollar bill. Do...

What do people really mean when they say someone is good deep down? Filbert was a bit of a nut. His wife would say that all the time with a chuckle. Usually she said this right after he pulled “one of his stunts.” It was not easy being married to Filbert, and her little pun was just one way she coped. When Filbert acted out, his friends would say, “that’s just Filbert being Filbert,” and offer a w...

Here’s the scene: A street partially excavated, construction equipment scattered about, jackhammers and backup beepers striking a symphony of cacophony. But, lo, what do I behold rounding the corner? Could it be? Yes, a lone driver has decided, despite all the barricades and “Do Not Enter” signs, that this street is still an active thoroughfare. Even the seasoned construction workers shake their h...

Here’s a story about leveraging visibility to maximize transparency by utilizing the transparency paradox. Some years ago, I was elected the chair of the Faculty Council at my university—a representative group of professors who help steer the policies and curriculum of the school. Such bodies are rarely a hotbed of controversy although they can wield considerable influence. Get full access to On L...

Think of a clenched fist. What comes to mind? For most people a fist evokes strength, aggression, and even a touch of violence. A raised fist screams defiance and declares revolutionary solidarity. A fist shaken in the face? It’s a prelude to a fight. In our culture, fists are undeniably masculine. Men punch, and women slap. Or so we imagine . Therefore, it’s no surprise that bosses—as we conceive...

People often think that leadership ability is something that you must be born with, like green eyes or curly hair, as if leadership skills spontaneously generate or derive from an inherited “leadership gene.” Leaders, though, are developed more than born. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

Have you ever watched the 1992 cinematic classic Glengarry Glen Ross ? If not, you’re missing out on one of the most intense and brutal takedowns of the modern workplace. While the homogenous casting dates it a bit, the film—based on David Mamet’s play—offers a high-octane drama populated by Hollywood heavyweights who greedily chew up the scenery. I encourage you to watch the film less as a commen...

Have you ever had a boss who valued numbers above all else? The kind of person who gets all bogged down in the minutia and can’t see the big picture? I had one of those bosses, the provost of a small university—in charge of all things academic—and I would have found his antics hilarious if the consequences weren’t so dire. Simply put, my boss never met a number he couldn’t misunderstand. Get full...

Jonathan was enjoying a quiet evening relaxing at home alone when he hit on the idea of taking a hot bath. “Nothing soothes those old aches and pains quite like a long soak,” he told himself as he filled the tub. Soon the tub was brimming, and a tantalizing mist rose from the water. Jonathan climbed in and carefully lowered himself, relishing the contrast between cool of the air and the steamy wat...

What would it take to up your gaslighting game? Welcome everyone to my supremely succinct and most authoritative lesson on how to gaslight effectively. After decades of close observation while suffering at the hands of gaslighters, I am delighted to offer this compact treatise on the ways and means of gaslighting to you, the morally reprobate public. My regular followers will be surprised that I w...

Effective delegation is a key skill for any decent leader. Even if things go sideways, choosing to entrust your team with tasks, decisions, and authority is always a noble move—that is, so long as they have the wherewithal, mindset, resources, authority, autonomy, and guidance to prevail. Few leadership practices will hone your skills quite like responsible delegation. Get full access to On Leadin...

Think of your worst job interview experience, and I bet I could match or top it with one of mine from my decades in higher ed. I could regale you with such classic tales as the college president who interviewed me while delirious with the flu or the school that put me through a grueling all-day interview only to announce at the end that they had always intended to hire an internal candidate. Come...

Let’s talk about that most persistent of boss myths: that the tougher they are, the more effective they are. This nonsense is related to the “strongman” myth in politics, which assumes that authoritarian leaders are somehow superior at getting things done. There’s that tired line about how Benito Mussolini , the brutal fascist dictator of Italy known as Il Duce , got the decrepit Italian trains to...

Grab your space helmet and strap in, folks! We’re about to launch into the one of the universe’s great conundrums: Which is superior, Star Wars or Star Trek ? As a sci-fi devotee who will sit through the most tedious space-travel saga, I am too familiar with this cosmic clash and how it reflects our culture. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

Let’s call Marni’s approach “ disagreeing to agree .” It can go by a variety of names, but it is a powerful move in the leader’s playbook. Whether formal or informal, planned or spontaneous, or with individuals or groups, disagreeing to agree creates space for discussion and even arguments while insisting on the civil tone and mutual respect that team members deserve and that productive discourse...

Bullying in the workplace is more prevalent than we probably like to admit, but we tend to view it as an anomaly—an isolated bug rather than a widespread feature. What if I told you instead that many workplace structures themselves encourage noxious behavior? What if workplace policies and procedures—even some of the ones that are supposed to foster a healthy workplace—provoke abuse and bullying?...

One of the biggest leadership myths is that “leaders get things done,” a notion I find disastrously specious, as I discussed in my piece on steering clear of gurus. This misconception has led many to believe that tangible outcomes are the best or even the only hallmark of exceptional leadership. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe