< 140 Leadership Primer

If something doesn’t feel like leadership, it’s not.

Leadership is the most overused term in business. Few know what it looks like.

Imagine explaining a leadership concept to your grandfather. If you see him looking sceptical, so should you.

Reading books about leadership is an infinitely less valuable exercise than reading books about lives well-lived.

If a leadership concept doesn’t fit the world, it won’t fit your home either.

A true leader rarely thinks about the term “leadership.”

Leadership is always about empathy, never about tolerance.

Leaders walk the walk and guide others in doing so. Leadership without teaching is hollow.

Leadership is thought plus action, never thought alone.

Look for leadership outside of your comfort zone. Understanding leadership in different contexts is key.

There are no negative leadership lessons. Seeing how not to lead is a remarkable gift.

There is no leadership without reflection and meditation. A leader knows how to find their center.

Leadership needs to be communicated virally.

Leadership can be learned by and from people of all ages. We are never too young or old.

False praise is to leadership what arsenic is to a soup recipe.

Leadership is not a contest.

Leadership is iteration plus awareness.

Ego is leadership kryptonite.

Leadership is never a final document. It is an ongoing series of rough drafts.