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When Second Place Wins

We’ve all heard the phrase.

“Win at all costs”.

Is it true?

Or is there a different and more important win?

Earlier this month at the South Dakota Class A Golf Tournament defending champion Kate Wynja finished first again, winning medalist honors and helping her Sioux Falls Christian team secure the state championship.

Except she realized she had turned in an incorrect scorecard. Her “4” on the final hole should have been a “5”.

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What Makes A Good Manager?

What makes a good manager?

Recently a friend of mine was reflecting on the best manager he ever had.

“While I’ve been self-employed most of my life, in those seasons where I worked for a company, Denise Birling was the best manager I ever had.

The best way I can describe Denise’s leadership is that she stayed close enough to keep her finger on the pulse, but far enough away so as not to breathe down your neck.

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Leadership Hyperopia: the good and bad of it

Leadership and Farsightedness.

According to the American Optometric Association, “Farsightedness, or hyperopia, as it is medically termed, is a vision condition in which distant objects can be seen clearly, but close ones do not come into proper focus.”

I’ve been told I think big-picture. While I don’t consider myself a natural-born visionary, I like to think in broad swaths.  What could be possible?  What are the big implications if we could?  

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Dan Allender on Leadership Vulnerability

“. . . to the degree you face and name and deal with your failures as a leader, to that same extent you will create an environment conducive to growing and retaining productive and committed colleagues.”

“. . . to the degree you attempt to hide or dissemble your weaknesses, the more you will need to control those you lead, the more insecure you will become, and the more rigidity you will impose — prompting the ultimate departure of your best people.”

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