A Curator of Strategy, Leadership, Spirituality, and Rock and Roll…. "Changing the world…one "contact" at a time…."
Articles by me or at least mostly by me…
By J William DeMarco "Integrity is the basis of trust, which is not so much an ingredient of leaderships as it is a product. It is the one quality that cannot be acquired but must be earned. It is given by co-workers, and without it a leader cannot function." - Warren Bennis Those who I …
-J. William DeMarco “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” —George Orwell How many of us use the term 3rd rail or 5th column with no concept of the definition or history? I did, but after some research it appears to be a truly impactful leader, we need to attack …
Continue reading "Third Rail and Fifth Column Leadership: A Contrarian’s Thought"
“It’s not about standing still and becoming safe. If anybody wants to keep creating they have to be about change.” - Miles Davis Many people probably do not initially see the parallels between the rock industry and the American military, and in fact, one might think they have been at odds with each other for …
Several years ago, the family invaded the Epcot Center. We all fell silent as we entered the park and fell upon a new feature, giant slabs of black granite all over – tons and tons of granite – and a big sign that says “Leave Your Legacy”. For a fee, a Disney cast member will take …
Continue reading "How To Leave A Legacy By J. William DeMarco"
There is a great deal of conversation around the concept of bold and innovative leaders as of late. To be truly bold and innovative requires a leader to take risk, and risk requires courage. So, how brave are you? How brave is your organization? Will it tolerate risk? Will it tolerate our potential failure? This is …
Continue reading "Risk Takers and Ants Marching–The Key to Innovation"
By J. William DeMarco In speaking with a colleague the other day regarding gaining traction with new innovative ideas in large organizations we quickly devolved into a history lesson. Selling ideas is indeed an art form, especially when senior leadership might be more concerned with survival vice improving the organization. As we discussed the concepts, …
Many people confuse good leadership with effective leadership, but a contrarian leader knows there is a huge difference between the two. Hitler was an extraordinarily effective leader, but few would refer to him a good leader. I came across some interesting thoughts on good vs. effective leadership and moral codes as I read through The …
Continue reading "Effective vs Good and The Contrarian Leader: DeMarco Banter"
In all the classes we teach here at ACSC on leadership—mentoring is always a topic that comes up. In the past decade or so—there has been increased talk of “coaching” vs mentoring and honestly, it is an interesting conversation. I worry at times we get stuck in the minutiae and forget the big picture—what are …
By J. William DeMarco Sitting in the all too warm classroom….staring at the clock…wondering if sixth period English was ever going to end…glancing to my left… I notice Scott's Pee Chee folder with 6000 doodles on it…and a massive Union Jack labeled Teenage Wasteland in thick black Sharpie. A great song to be sure… but in …
Continue reading "Who is Baba O’Riley and where is Teenage Wasteland?"
I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with future leaders as I teach several courses on leadership, command, and innovation. One of the first assignments is a piece on THE most important leadership trait or characteristic. Integrity usually appears at the top of the list. When a leader places integrity at the top …
Mastermind Century Group 