It is Sunday afternoon and I'm watching the second movie in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy with two of my sons. I have a very difficult time watching this movie because many, many courageous warriors will die at the hand of incompetent leadership. Incompetence takes on many forms -- vanity, inability to listen, insanity, fearfulness, lack of knowledge, self-interest at the expense of others, power for its own sake, worry about the opinions of others, not knowing one's own limitations, jealousy, pride...
My musings on leadership aren't focused on anyone else; my thoughts are focused on me and me alone. I am, in the end, the only one I can control--and that just barely. When people need me may I always be found to be among the brave and the good, even if the only one I lead is me, and even in something as trivial as a business meeting. May I always tell the truth, even when it isn't popular. May I always tell the truth gently and with great care for the dignity of others. May I respect the cubicle-dweller as much as the CEO, and vice-versa. May I never enter into an activity without the right goal firmly in mind. May I always be a "net giver."
