Leader or pusher?

Leadership, by its nature, involves being out in front, cutting a trail through difficult surroundings and confronting problems as they arise. Leaders spot opportunities and through the combination of market evidence and intuition pursue the right course for themselves and their organizations. They figuratively walk ahead and make sure the surrounding conditions are suitable for [...]

Effective leadership

This week’s posts on Lead on Purpose have been highly influenced by Steve Farber and his work in leadership. I had the honor of interviewing Steve on the Product Management Pulse yesterday. The conversation focuses on two areas: Extreme Leadership (“otherwise known as ‘real’ leadership”) and its odd mixture of fear and exhilaration. If the [...]

The LOVE of leadership: Experience

The practice of love in the context of leadership is both powerful and necessary. Steve Farber describes this clearly in his audio book Extreme Leadership: In Pursuit of the OS!M. What does it mean to love the people you lead? My definition for the acronym LOVE embodies the actions necessary to cultivate positive behaviors that [...]

Book Review: Greater Than Yourself

“The real pay-off comes in the giving of the knowledge, not the keeping of it.” The long-standing saying ‘knowledge is power’ has been used in many contexts. According to Steve Farber — author of GREATER THAN YOURSELF: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership — the only way for knowledge to truly lead to power in [...]

The power of the right product (or service)

What is the most important role in a company? That question has been debated endlessly, and as the idiom goes, the “jury is still out.” If you think about this question not from the perspective of the role, but from the perspective of the outcome, you start to shape opinions that at least get you [...]

Book Review: Lead Well and Prosper

“‘I don’t have time’ is the most frequently used excuse for incompetence.” According to Nick McCormick, author of LEAD WELL AND PROSPER: 15 Successful Strategies for Becoming a Good Manager, by focusing on specific strategies you will use your time more effectively and improve your leadership capabilities. Nick points out that management is in a [...]

Leaders are mentors

One of the key tenets of leadership is the need to pass on the knowledge and experience to others. Most great leaders throughout history have made it a priority to grow and develop other leaders who can come in, take the reins and lead more effectively. A mentor is a trusted counselor or guide, a [...]

Book Review: The Leadership Code

“This book attempts to do the improbable, if not the impossible. In a brief and clear way, we want to synthesize large numbers of frameworks, tools, processes, and studies of leadership to identify the essential rules that govern what all great leaders do.” Through rigorous research and significant experience, authors Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood and [...]

Announcing new Product Management association

Announcing the Utah Product Management Association (UPMA): If you live in the Utah (USA) area we would love to have you join us for this upcoming event. If you live outside of the Utah area (which admittedly applies to most of you) please help us spread the word to any friends, colleagues or contacts you [...]

The habit of learning

The fact that you are reading this post is a good indication that you are a learner. A habit is an acquired pattern of behavior that is often associated with a vice. However, good habits are important, and the habit of learning is critical to success. I believe people should study a little bit every [...]