On Leading with Greatness

What is an iconoclast, and why should you behave like one? Every great leader thinks and behaves like an iconoclast. Would you be best described as a conformist, a contrarian, an individualist, or an iconoclast? How can you behave more like an iconoclast? Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

My vast and deep experience working for others and failing miserably at it can stand as inspiration and model for those who also aspire to be lousy employees. For me, my formula for failure starts with my bad attitude. I have been headstrong, some have even said arrogant, in the cause of doing the objectively right thing. Worse still, in my twisted mind, bosses exist primarily to help their people...

What is the connection between curiosity and dissent? The Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov [na BAW kiff] in his novel Bend Sinister wrote, “Curiosity … is insubordination in its purest form.” This association of curiosity and insubordination resonates with me because my experience bears it out. For instance, I don’t tell the story often, but I once had my voice taken away because of my cur...

Do you offer others dignity? What if I told you that there is a resource of endless increase that would benefit you and those around you? That this resource is readily available to each and every one of us, that it is inexpensive, and that expending it can result in a full return with interest. That the only byproduct of using it is goodwill and trust. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness...

How well do you live up to your own self-image? It is only in living and doing as the person you know you are at your core that you can actually be the person you are at your core. Be the person you think you are. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

How good are you at sorting out sincere well-wishers from manipulators and kiss-ups? If you are a leader, you must learn to i dentify and accept genuine compliments , learn to thwart manipulators , and learn to ignore kiss-ups . It’s a vital skill and an ongoing challenge, but there is an upside. So long as you are vigilant and honest with yourself and others, over time the manipulators and kiss-u...

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...

What does it take to be a great leader? Being a leader is not remarkable in itself. For one thing, leadership can be situational or even sporadic. The kid who stands up to the bully to protect her friend is a leader even if she sits back down quietly afterward. The teacher who guides students to understanding is a leader even if he never says anything at faculty meetings. The supervisor who finds...

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...

In my line of work helping young bosses become great leaders, the fight-flight response often comes up. With so many stressors and threats in the daily workplace — be it malevolent bosses and colleagues, crises large and small, or just the dreaded deadline — fear and anxiety are ubiquitous. In the face of these threats, we often stand ready to do battle or run away. More often, though, we just fre...

What are the 4 Cs of leadership success? All great leaders rely on four qualities that I call the four Cs of leadership. * Character * Communication * Compromise, and * Collaboration. Achieving lasting success without these four qualities is possible, but it is far less likely. When you have the 4 Cs, you hold the winning hand. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.c...

How does being led by their people contribute to the success of great leaders? Teachers Are Learners Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

The squirrel is a curious creature that is one-third rat, one-half furniture duster, and four-fifths dog toy. I have always enjoyed the antics of squirrels although I have also rained curses upon them as they raided my bird feeders. As thieves, they are relentless and clever as you may surmise from the many squirrel-proof feeder designs on the market. The squirrel can climb anything you hang a fee...

Why do so many bosses think they have to go it alone? Unfortunately, many businesses and other organizations have cultures that isolate and insulate individuals even when they are supposed to operate in teams. Structures and incentives tend to encourage individual effort, and people tend to see themselves as lone operators in a sea of activity and even turmoil. Therefore our systems themselves rei...

What are the practical advantages of getting out of your office? Peripatetic is just a fancy word for walking around. It comes from the name given to the adherents of Aristotle who, according to tradition, followed him as he strolled through Athens and philosophized. Peripateticism is not just for followers, though. It is also a great way to lead and manage people. As I wrote recently, great leade...

How can you master the discipline of leadership? Perhaps you have heard it said that leaders are just born or that leaders are forged in moment of crisis. There is a bit of truth in those beliefs but the vast majority of leaders and every single truly great leader became who they are by developing an understanding of leadership. (Note that I am not referring to bosses here.) Therefore leadership i...

How can working alongside others be a bad thing? Have you ever noticed how you go through life believing some things as near absolutes without much thought? Maybe such beliefs reflect your personal values or are based on some cultural assumptions. We all do it. Nonetheless, perhaps something about one belief bothers you a bit, like there may be a dark side to it. One of my strongest and most persi...

What does it mean to be a wide-open leader? To be sure, opening wide is a key to leadership, but great leaders know there are plenty of other things they should open wide well before they open their mouth. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

What constitutes your personal brand? People often ask me why I write what I write and do what I do. Well, after a lifetime of watching good people get hurt by bad bosses, I am deeply concerned with preventing others from being burned. I am no longer in a position to directly protect people who are being hurt, but I can help them build the resilience they need to stand up, withstand, and still bec...

How can you use radical transparency to manufacture authority? Responsibility without authority is a mess. If you are a boss, never ever put anyone in that situation. Never. If you are stuck with a crappy boss who subjects you to such abuse, consider embracing the mess and turning your greatest disadvantage into an advantage by owning it. Radical transparency — openly sharing your vulnerability —...

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,...

What happens when you have reached your upper limit, your capacity, your outer edge? How do great leaders prevent their people’s brains from pixelating? Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

It is high time I come clean. Why am I always ragging on bosses in my essays? It’s not that I hate every boss. After all, I was a boss, and while I am sure a few of my people would argue I was just another bad boss (and sometimes I was), I always strived to improve and had evidence that I did so. As I became more experienced as a supervisor, I tried to assure that I was a whole lot better at leadi...

My old school was tiny. Classes could be just ten people sitting around a table, and I will forever be grateful to my parents, federal financial aid, the student loan system (at 9% interest!), and a steady stretch of year-round employment for the opportunity to attend such a college. Get full access to On Leading With Greatness at jimsalvucci.substack.com/subscribe

My wife, Marie, and I are pretty good cooks, if I say so myself, but our methodology is radically different. She will find recipes she likes and purchase the ingredients at the store. When cooking, she will follow the recipe although she will frequently make substitutions due to necessity or taste. For instance, she usually doubles the garlic and reduces or eliminates salt. I, on the other hand, p...