No Clichés
with TD Smyers
Your Leadership Legacy with Oak McCulloch
Oak McCulloch has kept a personal journal since he was in fifth grade.
It won’t surprise you that someone this disciplined has captured a lifetime of great leadership advice in a book that provides very practical, very useful advice for leading in a way powerful and enduring way; Your Leadership Legacy - Becoming The Leader You Were Meant To Be.
Face To Face with Cheryl Lynn Mobley
Face To Face is a leadership book, but one unlike anything you’ve ever read.
Career healthcare executive, hospital president, international organizational consultant and author Cheryl Lynn Mobley was inspired by the intersection of trust, disruption and uncertainty and her experiences on an African horse safari - where she and her group came face to face with threats that could end their life. ‘Doesn’t get much bolder than that!
Striking Terror with Tim White
In your worst nightmares, you’ll likely never have to defend your office against an armed terrorist. Tim White, however, had to do exactly that on July 16th, 2015 when terrorist Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez rammed his vehicle through the gate of Chattanooga’s Navy Operational Support Center and approached the headquarters building with an AK74 semi-automatic rifle. Inside, the Center’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Tim White rose from his desk, reached into a drawer for his personal sidearm, and fired on Abdulazeez from the window.
Tango 5
When something goes wrong in Navy aviation, it’s called a “mishap”. When it goes tragically wrong - the kind of wrong that leaves someone dead or strikes an entire aircraft from the Navy’s inventory - it’s called a “Class A mishap”. It didn’t take the Navy Safety Center long to determine the Tango 5 fire to be a Class A mishap.
Had we caused the fire? Had we contributed to it? … or was this mishap symptomatic of a larger fleet-wide problem?
The 80s Called … They Want Their Top-Down Leadership Back!
On May 5th I had the honor of moderating a panel of leadership experts for Leadership Fort Worth’s LeaderPrime graduation. In front of an audience comprised of CEOs, Executive Directors and other top-level leaders, this panel shined as we tackled the disconnect between the command-and-control leadership structure that many of us grew up with and the humans who make up today’s workforce.
The Arsonist in the Office with Pete Havel
Pete Havel knows toxic.
A former lobbyist for some of the biggest, most powerful organizations in the US, Pete’s shocking corporate experience was the inspiration for his book The Arsonist in the Office: Fireproofing Your Life Against Toxic Coworkers, Bosses, Careers and Cultures.
Pete is President of Fireproofed Leadership, a business that helps organizations fix their workplace culture problems and build better culture.
Out of Your Mind and Irresponsible with Dan Pallotta
If you google Dan Pallotta, he comes up identified as an "American Entrepreneur". While true enough, this description is really only part of the story. Dan is a visionary, a developmental economics guru at Harvard, a social sector champion and a bold leader. Dan challenges the whole book of rules - the one that has a set of rules for nonprofits separate from the rest of the economic world. If you think the primary fiscal responsibility of a nonprofit is to keep overhead low, stand by to have your charity world view rocked.
The Anthrax Crucible
Leading boldly isn’t always about breaking the rules. A bold leader’s best moments often come from navigating a group through unknown territory, a threatening situation, or even an unpopular requirement. This story features all three. Although these events took place at the very end of the 20th Century, my story opens up with a topic that is very contemporary and very controversial – mandatory vaccinations.
Beyond the Rules
Operating under the rules is safe, but exploration beyond them is where all discovery originates. A bold leader's goal should be to lead like my wife Barbara cooks - understanding the recipe well enough to know when and how to depart from it.
A Recipe for Bold
Bold isn't fearless. Fearless doesn't exist in the sane, rational leader. Courage certainly does, but courage is different. Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's the conquest of it.
In fact, in my experience bold isn't homogenous at all. It's a complex mix of sometimes competing traits. A good analogy is to think of bold as a kind of stew. A hearty recipe with just a few key ingredients.
Welcome Aboard A Bold Leader!
Welcome aboard "A Bold Leader", TD Smyers' Coaching and Leadership blog and podcast series.