'purpose' Tag
From Noble Thought to Noble Deed
Issue 3.3 | November 2011 In this Article: disciplined action, not just a great idea, makes a leader. by Jonathan Wilson It is a tiresome and common fact of our world that the noble-minded are plenty, but few of them act in accordance with their sentiments. Thought-leadership does not a leader make. It is a [...]
Profit Fixation is Bad (for Business)
Issue 3.1 | September 2011 In this Article: why an exclusive focus on profit creates a dangerous distraction from value creation. by Jonathan Wilson Apple does not exist to make a profit. If it did, it would never have made the ground-breaking iPod nor the ensuing iTunes, let alone a magnificent series of breakthrough products [...]
The Politics of Courage
Issue 2.12 | August 2011 In this Article: courage in leadership begins with the courage to not think of yourself. by Jonathan Wilson August 2nd, 2011 is a date that will remain infamous in history. The day saw the close of the US government’s debt-ceiling debacle that, it is claimed, brought the world to the [...]
Scanning the Horizon You Plan to Reach
Issue 2.10 | June 2011 In this Article: the why, the what and the how of strategic planning. by Jonathan Wilson Far in the distance, palm trees and jungle hung over the blue Pacific waters. The sun rode high in the sky, casting its warm tropical light onto our outrigger canoe that rode the [...]
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
Issue 2.8 | March 2011 In this Article: how leadership that influences is the result of persistent initiative. by Jonathan Wilson “The essential thing ‘in heaven and earth’ is … that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which [...]
The Obedient Leader
Issue 2.7 | February 2011 In this Article: how leadership that influences has to begin with leadership that takes courageous initiative. by Jonathan Wilson It is commonly said that leadership is influence. Influence, however, is an outcome. Before it results in influence, leadership is a set of actions. The first act of leadership is [...]
Vision That Grips (You)
(Photo © John D Wilson. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission) Issue 2.6 | January 2011 In this Article: why a gripping vision will inspire, compel and sustain your company toward the achievement of great things. by Jonathan Wilson Standing on the slopes of a remote village along the Balim River in New Guinea, there [...]
Leaders: Why You Exist
Issue 2.3 | October 2010 In this Article: why a servant leader is not an oxymoron but a necessity. by Jonathan Wilson Martin, the new CEO, had arrived. In his radio show voice, he made a dynamic presentation to the organization charting a grand future. He promised to eliminate “dead wood” from the organization. He [...]
How to Get More Out of One Horse When Your Competitor Has Two (Without Hurting Your Horse)
Issue 1.12 | June 2010 In this Article: how focus allows you to increase the power of your resources. by Jonathan Wilson To make its mark in a crowded marketplace, every business needs horsepower. Increasing your business’s horsepower is, at its core, about creating competitive advantage. Or, to put it another way, add another horse, [...]
Heads in the Sand: Why Externalities Matter
The April 2010 issue of Harvard Business Review has a thoughtful article “Leadership in the Age of Transparency”, which talks about the importance of taking “externalities” seriously. The same authors, in this blog, ask the question, “what does business owe the world?” – and, more specifically, “Does business need a better way to think about responsibility? And if [...]