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 …
Who is Baba O’Riley and where is Teenage Wasteland?
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 …
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Core Value: Integrity—DeMarco Banter
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 …
Where is My Muse or 5 Steps to Helping a Muse Find You–DeMarco Banter
By J. William DeMarco I am sure there are others out there like me... maybe? Writers with a million notes and thoughts scattered between computers..in word, pages, Evernote, iPads, iPhones, and when there is finally time to sit down and ponder which ideas to pull on... you start looking for your muse. Sometimes it shows …
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It’s the Strategy, Stupid…or How Did I Get Here? DeMarco Banter…
I'm sure all the "old" folks out there recall the phrase "It's the economy, stupid." In the realm of leadership... we might look at this infamous phase in a deeper and slightly new light. While on a U.S. National Level.... it appears to still be about the economy (more or less, COVID, etc)... but on a …
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SEVEN! The Contrarian Traits Required of the Greater Good Leader
By J. William DeMarco John Maxwell notes… "leadership is influence." In order to influence, we all need relationships, as such leadership is hugely relational. I could be way off base on this but this has been my observation through a myriad of leadership positions. Do I have it right, no…I'm just trying to get better. …
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Anna Karenina, Tolstoy, and the Interconnectiveness of Leadership: DeMarco Banter
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. - Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy With this dramatic sentence, Leo Tolstoy begins his famous novel Anna Karenina about the struggles of multiple, interconnected families to find happiness. Tolstoy weaves and dramatizes not only the interconnectiveness of their problems but also the interconnectiveness …
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“The House of the Rising Sun” recorded in 1934….really?
Like many classic folk ballads, the authorship of "The House of the Rising Sun" is uncertain. Musicologists say that it is based on the tradition of broadside ballads such as the Unfortunate Rake of the 18th century and that English emigrants took the song to America where it was adapted to its later New Orleans …
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Leader Development…or… Today’s Tom Sawyer…DeMarco Banter
"[The] original lyrics were kind of a portrait of a modern day rebel, a free-spirited individualist striding through the world wide-eyed and purposeful. I added the themes of reconciling the boy and man in myself, and the difference between what people are and what others perceive them to be - namely me I guess." -Neil …
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Resonance and Dissonance…and the sounds of leadership– DeMarco Banter
Think for a moment about a great leader you knew…or maybe know…how did he/she make you feel? Great leaders lead emotionally. Leadership is not only intellectual; it is also emotional…great leaders ARE inspiring! Great leaders build people up…stoke their passions…and rouse their emotions…Relooking at Daniel Goleman's book Primal Leadership as we prepare a few projects at …
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