Eighteen months ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with a racing heart and shortness of breath. Cash reserves at our company were falling. We’d made large investments to expand our successful business, but they weren’t paying off fast enough. There was no end in sight. The investments we’d made weren’t bad;
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
My wife recently confessed that she was feeling like she’d let others down. I was initially quite surprised. She had just hosted approximately 20 women at an impactful work-related event, and after all the time she put in coordinating invitations, seating, and logistics, the event was a huge success. But what was on her mind
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 the US during the 1960s, soldiers returned from war with government financial support to complete their schooling. The problem, though, was that schools weren’t prepared for it. Control Data Corporation and the University of Illinois began researching how technology could solve the problem by extending the capacity and reach of learning. Those researchers could
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
Two months ago, I started a daily exercise of focusing on one word in silence each morning. When I wrote about this ritual, some friends asked me what the word was, but I’ve been reluctant to reveal it because it’s often misunderstood and not celebrated in society. The word is meek. The Actual Meaning of
I recently started a new job. I had taken a few years off from my investment career to be home with my kids. During that time, I had the privilege of serving on several non-profit boards alongside many people of integrity and character, including a couple, Mark, and his wife, Kim, on two separate board
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