On Leading with Greatness

Change is inevitable. You’ve heard that before, but it bears repeating. Change is what happens while you are off planning for something else altogether. Birth is change. Life is change. Death is change, too. Change in itself is neither good nor bad, but everything changes for better or worse. Even stone changes. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

Impulsiveness is usually rewarded as though impetuousness is the best path to success. However, in the reality of everyday human existence, how frequently do we face such stark and immediate choices that demand instant action? And when we do act thoughtlessly in such situations, how often does it turn out a-ok? Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

One of the most pernicious practices of the bad boss is bullying. From the monstrous cruelty of public humiliation to the comparatively elegant art of gaslighting, bully-bosses have a diverse arsenal of tricks. What sets bully-bosses apart from most other bullies is the control they—as bosses—exert over every aspect of the workplace. I know how to neutralize a colleague who tries to bully me, but...

Yes, I had them do an assumption audit , an evaluation of ideas they unconsciously embraced. I gave them the assignment two weeks in advance so that they could stew over it. Also, we needed time to have an in-depth discussion about the meaning of “ cultural assumptions .” After all, few people—particularly young college students—have ever contemplated such things let alone audited them. Get full a...

Communication is the second of the four elements of leadership that all great leaders practice—the 4 Cs: character, communication, compromise, and collaboration. [link] Moreover, at the core of impactful communication reside three interwoven and equally vital components, the three keys necessary to unlock effective communication: message , audience , and clarity . Get full access to On Leading Wit...

Can people gain intelligence, or do we all just stay the same level we were born at? Your circumstances do not dictate your mindset. Your choices do. If you are fixed in place by a fixed mindset, you can choose to grow with a growth mindset. If you are scarred by a scarcity mindset, you can choose dance with an abundance mindset. Your mindset is one of the few things entirely within your control,...

When was the last time you reviewed your past, present, and yet to be? It was a dark and stormy afternoon. Eb was in the middle of chewing out stupid Bob, who was on the verge of tears. Eb was furious at Bob for his constant nattering about Eb’s alleged neglect of the corporate mission. “What a lot of hooey!” Eb yelled. “The mission’s just a sap to sell more stock to do-gooder shareholders, or hav...

The Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus left us this morsel to ruminate on: “Character is destiny.” It’s a well worn and venerable saying, but, frankly, I just can’t agree with him, at least not in our common understanding of his meaning. Character is the first of the core elements of leadership— the 4 Cs —along with communication , compromise , and collaboration . Your character consi...

In his soulful song “ Anthem ,” Leonard Cohen sings of the opportunity for wisdom that imperfection offers us: There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in Instead of hiding these imperfections or hiding from them, Cohen offers a different course. The lyrics describe a wounded world where everything—good, bad, or banal—is fleeting. War, love, and even governments are ever...

What is the role of a boss? What if less bossing resulted in better productivity? Most bosses will tell you that they want to overcome obstacles, but what if I told you that the boss can be one of the biggest obstacles? The boss’s role, at its core, is to make it easier for the team to do its work and be successful. Sadly, most bosses are more concerned about advancing themselves, protecting their...

How do you master the little things in order to make big changes? Two airliners take off from Newark Airport back to back and head due west. On one, the passengers are dressed for warm weather and sport sun hats. Their luggage is brimming with lightweight clothes and sandals. On the other plane, the passengers are wearing long sleeves and long pants. Their suitcases are stuffed with extra layers a...

Why are bosses so overpowered by the power of having power? Let’s call this phenomenon BUI , bossing under the influence , which, like its more familiar counterpart, DUI or driving under the influence, can have far-reaching consequences. While the drunk driver may cause vehicular mayhem, accidents, grave injuries, and even death, the boss under the influence wreaks their own havoc in the workplace...

I must confess that my most recent post, which delved into the dark side of compromise, was difficult for me to write. It compelled me to dip into some of my past, which can sting. I do that a lot, though. The real challenge was crafting a clear, complete, and convincing argument. That’s the fun part, but I admit that in that piece I may have fallen short of my goal. Get full access to On Leading...

Leadership is pretty simple in concept. For instance, I'm an enthusiastic advocate of what I call the 4Cs – those four cornerstones that are indispensable for effective leadership: character, communication, compromise, and collaboration. I wrote about the 4Cs previously. Today I want to focus on just one of the 4Cs, the one that is a bit of a double-edged sword—compromise. Get full access to On Le...

Dysfunctional organizations always out themselves. Despite their attempts to compensate for their incompetence with apologies and small gestures, they can never get the fundamentals right. It’s like a boat with a chronically leaky hull. You can bail all you want with as many buckets as you can find, but that boat is going down. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.c...

What would it be like to be the last person on Earth? Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

He then responded with a bit of cornpone that was new to me, drawling, “Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I chuckled at the pleasantry and went right on fixing what was not broke. After all, “ain't broke” doesn't mean “couldn't be better.” Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

Leadership is practically in my blood. From a young age, I have been thrust into leadership positions, and I had to rely on my wits to succeed. Nonetheless, I always was a pretty good gut leader. Leadership is a skill, and like any other skill you can be born into it, but it must also be learned. The thing with learning new skills, though, is that while someone can guide you through the process, t...

How often have you heard that confidence and getting things done are definitional leadership qualities? Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

The difference between bossing and leading is massive. Yes, of course, most leaders are bosses on some level, but very few bosses are leaders . Boss is a position . Leader is an attitude of greatness , whatever the position, which is why untitled (and unentitled) employees can be great leaders without being bosses. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

Last week I delved into the corporate culture of crisis, shedding light on its high costs and offering some strategies to break free from the grip of this mindset. If you missed that, you can catch up with the article here . Now let’s dig a little more deeply into crisis culture, starting with the word itself. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

Picture this series of disasters! The phone rings, an email arrives, a report request lands on your desk, someone demands answers, dammit, answers! Welcome to the woeful world of the corporate addiction to urgency. It is as if urgency itself is an emergency—the crisis of urgency. But as I always say, If everything is a crisis, nothing is a crisis . In other words, once everything becomes equally u...

Rope is an incredibly simple but amazing tool. Imagine a world without it—no sails raised to harness the wind, no stones transported miles to construct the pyramids, the highest mountain peaks unscaled. For millennia, rope has hoisted laden pails from wells, secured the beams of modest dwellings, and flown our proud banners. Even laundry once relied on rope to dry in the heat of the sun. Like any...

Have you ever tried to transform the very soul of an organization—its culture? Quite the task, right? To thoroughly transform a culture for the better, you need to look to and master the Rule of Thirds Strategy. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

Driving my bosses bonkers has always been my specialty. What better way to keep them on their toes? Besides, I figure, what else is a boss there for? Way back in the 1900s, I was a professional set builder for a couple of major Philadelphia theaters. I was a decent enough carpenter, better than most, but my technique was somewhat unorthodox, which worked well in the quirky realm of theater. I was...