“It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, …
Clones and Bad Ideas
We're all clones All are one and one are all We destroyed the government We're destroying time No more problems on the way -Alice Cooper A version of this post also appears on Cambridge's Judge Business School's Blog The Play-Doh Factory Remember Play-doh? If not, Play-Doh is a children’s modeling clay used for arts and …
The Four Disciplines of Organizational Health
Patrick Lencioni believes that the single greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health. Unfortunately most leaders prefer to deal with the data-driven world of organizational intelligence. The problem is, without good organizational health, organizational intelligence is attenuated. In The Advantage, Lencioni explains that “an organization is healthy when it’s whole, consistent and complete, …
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The Enlightened Rebel’s 4 Cs of Anointed Leadership: DeMarco Banter
I was speaking with a friend the other day and he was describing a person he had recently met. He explained that when this guy walked into the room, you could just tell the guy was a leader. Have you ever wondered why or how this happens? I have, and I am not sure I …
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Leadership Philosophy 101: Who Are You?… DeMarco Banter
An older piece I have been messing with for years... __________________________ Leadership Philosophy 101: Who Are You? Every leader must have direction, a personal vision for where he or she is leading. You might refer to this as a leadership philosophy. Several of you might be thinking “I won’t lead a squadron, a group, or …
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11 Reminders For Busy Leaders: Just Say NO To Status Quo: Neo-DeMarconian Memories
A short one this week--I found some old notes from our time in the UK. I had these on my desk and just found it to be a great reminder--almost 9 years later. I believe these were originally from Terry Starbucker's site and I still like 'em Learn From History (So You Don’t Repeat It) …
This is Your Life… Are you who you want to be? AND the UFFE ELBAEK Model–DeMarco Banter
Another great song..."This Is Your Life." It was a popular song by the alternative rock/Christian band Switchfoot, and their third single. "This Is Your Life" first appeared on the group's 2003 album The Beautiful Letdown and peaked at #30 on the US Modern Rock charts. The single also hit the U.S. Top 40 peaking at No. 31 ...but as I …
9 (+1) Leadership Lessons from the Greatest Generation: Principles from Joe Urice and the Bloody Hundredth
by Joe Urice and J. William DeMarco One of the greatest honors in commanding the 100th Operations Group was the building the ties with the WWII veterans of the 100th Bomb Group. This is a brotherhood of warriors in its purest sense….warriors from very different times, very different wars, very different aircraft…but brothers in arms to …
Are You a Principled Leader? DeMarco Banter
What do you believe? If we want to be optimally effective in leading, it is important to know well what we believe as leaders. Beliefs are statements that articulate what we value or what's important to us. The terms beliefs, principles, and leadership philosophy all speak to the same issue identifying what is important, what …
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Walt Grace and The Power of a Dream–DeMarco Banter
A while ago, while at Catalyst East in Atlanta, Jon Acuff mentioned John Mayer's song "Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967" in reference to dreams, the power of vision, and tenacity. Of course, I don't recall Mr Acuff's exact words--but that's what I walked away with. So a few months later... I Googled the song...and …
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