Inspirational Thought: Andrew Hill
“Another aspect of the leader’s difficult role is that there can be only one clear leader of the group, and that person must be willing to accept responsibility for the actions of all.” Andrew Hill
Decision-Making and Problem-Solving
Growth Activity #3: Metaphor
Two Growth Activities Metaphor In this section we introduced a couple of ideas around analogies and metaphors, such as “Think like a Fan or Think Like a Coach. What metaphors or analogies can you develop to help you in your ability to communicate more effectively throughout the problem-solving process? Chernobyl What is the most …
Case Example: Lessons of Chernobyl
Many lessons come out of the disaster at Chernobyl on April 26, 1986. In this segment we share a few of those that will be important in the processes of problem-solving. The timeline and lessons are derived from the work of Dietrich Dorner in his book entitled The Logic of Failure. The Facts of the Chernobyl …
Case Example: Micro-Change is More Effective
Case Example From Leaders247 Founder Gordon Whitehead I had been coaching football for many years before I was invited to work with the high school varsity team. My new assignment was as the offensive coordinator and to coach the quarterbacks. We had a number of coaches that year. Each of the coaches had their area …
Problem-Solving Framework
Problem-solving is exhilarating, frustrating, entertaining, aggravating, rewarding, and sometimes discouraging. As with most leadership and management practices, there are many possible techniques that can be used to structure a problem-solving process. We focus on simplicity and leveraging a person’s instinctive logical thinking processes. We do not encourage a person to memorize a technique. Rather, we …
Use Analogies
The use of analogies and metaphors is a highly useful way to frame a problem and explore a solution. Analogies and metaphors give us working models that we can visualize in our minds. That visualization stimulates creativity and innovation and we begin to see possibilities emerge for a difficult problem. https://vimeo.com/350617128/d4b56539ab
Think Like a Fan – or – Think Like a Coach
It is so fun to be a fan. Fans get to watch the game and appreciate the outcomes of the athletic effort. A fan’s emotions rise and fall with the performance of their favorite team or favorite athlete. Fan’s are amazing. It’s interesting though, most fans do not see the details of what caused the …
Inspirational Thought: C. S. Forester
“Horatio Hornblower began to feel that life in the Navy, although it seemed to move from one crisis to another, was really one continuous crisis, that even while dealing with one emergency it was necessary to be making plans to deal with the next.” C. S. Forester Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Growth Activity #2: What Change Can You Make
Review the “Road to Abilene” story in Groupthink. Have you ever been on the proverbial “Road to Abilene?” What happened to cause you to take that trip? What were the warning signs you could have foreseen? If you could do it over again, what would you have done as a leader to prevent the trip?
The Underside of Command
This case study is based on decision-making that occurred during the Battle of Gettysburg. The case was written by the Founder of Leaders247 Gordon Whitehead, and was developed from the historical fiction novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. The case examines a common situation that happens to subordinate leaders when they are wedged between two different …