In the wonderful documentary, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, revered sushi chef Jiro Ono does something completely uncommon and unnecessary. Despite being 85 years old and widely considered the world’s greatest sushi chef, he never settles. We can sum his constant push toward perfection in the Japanese word shokunin, meaning “craftsman” or “artisan.” But even beyond technical
I hope you’ll enjoy this guest post by Isaac Vogel of Roell Painting Company as much as I did. What humble leaders (fictional or real) inspire you? Growing up in central South Dakota, because there’s no real “local team” to speak of, cable television informed my rooting interest as much as anything, and thanks to
When you’re the leader, it’s only natural that all eyes are on you. You’re out in front, setting the direction, and making sure results are achieved. Do you absorb the spotlight or deflect it? Do you step into the spotlight or do you step back so it shines on others? As the daughter of Nordic
When you think about risk, your mind might instantly go to the external hazards and potential threats “out there.” But as humble leader Dan Dye, CEO of Ardent Mills, recently reminded me, one the biggest risks you can take is much more personal: It’s the risk to be who you are, no matter what. And
Imagine the pressure of a top technology job at Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal, or a fast-growing cloud service platform for over 75,000 retailers in 60 countries. Quality, speed, and innovation are critical. Now imagine the feeling when something goes wrong in those jobs: a missed deadline, a quality issue, upset subscribers. The reputational,
Humble leaders are, by definition, modest and self-effacing. In fact, if there’s a common thread across all the interviews I’ve done with humble leaders in this series, it’s that it’s never all about them. They’re just as quick to shine the spotlight on others. Common Thread Among Humble Leaders I thought about this during my
“Leadership is about stewardship.” That’s how Chris Bachinski, president of GHY International, describes his mindset a year ago going into his new role as the first non-family member to lead the 100-plus-year-old company. Charged with preserving GHY’s legacy while building a strong, resilient future, Chris clearly feels a deep, personal responsibility for safeguarding and growing
In 2004, Carolyn Smallwood was recruited to facilitate a turnaround of Minneapolis-based nonprofit Way to Grow. As the CEO, she assumed fiscal and organizational responsibility to deliver on their very challenging mission: ensuring that children within the most isolated families are born healthy, stay healthy, and are prepared for school. How has she faced that
The Science Museum of Minnesota impacts over a million people from around the world every year through trips to the museum, school visits, traveling exhibitions and Omnitheater films. It exists, in its own words, to “turn on the science: Inspire learning. Inform policy. Improve lives.” Spearheading that charge is its humble leader, Alison Brown, the
What makes a humble leader? It’s the question I’ve been exploring recently to help us get a better understanding of the essential qualities and impact of a humble, self-effacing leader. It becomes clearer every day that the world could benefit from more of these kinds of leaders, and the next leader in the series certainly
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE