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My wife and I were invited to a party to celebrate the beginning of the New Year. On the face of it, it was a pretty homogeneous crowd. There was little racial, ethnic, or cultural diversity to be found. But talking to my fellow guests revealed a great difference in our views and beliefs regarding subjects such as schooling, the economy, politics, etc.

Have you ever offered to help someone with something they had just complained about and had them completely miss the offer? I really know better than to “coach” on the fly, but when a choice opportunity came my way last week I couldn’t help myself even knowing beforehand what the outcome would be.

When your natural gifts and skills lend themselves to a moment of grace, you experience a profound change. It can feel mysterious and awesome all at the same time. The key is to discover and nurture your natural gifts and skills so you are open to these breathtaking moments of grace.

There, I’ve said it.  It’s out there in the universe now and it’s real.  My decision wasn’t made in haste, it’s based on a recent purchasing experience, and grounded in the belief that as a consumer, I don’t have to settle for less than the best. For me, sending a gift of flowers is a planned purchase.

Collaborative Leadership: of the six different leadership profiles described in Leadership Strengths Profiles, this is the one most commonly misunderstood. This is not surprising as the hallmarks of Collaborative Leadership, subtlety, refinement, nuance, elegance, and unobtrusiveness are the exact opposite of the stereotypical descriptions of leadership – boldness, daring, visionary, and audacious.

Usually when I sit down to write an article about perception, it is to highlight the ways perception differs from person to person. These differences are, after all, at the heart of what I am most passionate about professionally. Recently, however, I had a very interesting experience.

In our businesses and careers as in life, each of us has a unique Talent Advantage. But all too often, we fail to develop our natural talents. Why? Call it unintended consequences. Call it “least common denominator syndrome.” The simple truth is, many of the institutions we move through in our lives focus more on bringing everyone up to the same (average) level than they do on nurturing our exceptional talents and abilities

In previous posts we’ve talked about two major camps of leadership theorists: those who believe leadership is all about a handful of universal traits, and those who believe it’s all about a handful of different leadership styles.  Both of these approaches clearly have merit. After all, there are certain traits that effective leaders seem to share, and yet, experience shows us that leadership is not a “one size fits all” proposition.

Do all leaders possess the same key traits? The ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu thought so. In his famous book on leadership, The Art of War, he proposed that all effective leaders possess the same five characteristics: intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and discipline.

One of the classic schools of thought on the subject of leadership holds that leadership – whether in business, politics, or other areas of society – consists of a collection of traits. These traits can be cultivated by anyone who wishes to become a better leader.