Challenging leadership thinking for strategic improvement.

If you are an American who has taken an assignment in another part of the world, you may be unaware of the rules that govern how people interact in that culture. That lack of awareness could lead to serious misunderstandings and even sabotage the launch of an important international project. As a missionary in Uruguay and Argentina, I fell prey to these cultural traps myself. I have also observed how Americans in general sometimes seem oblivious to the impact that their cultural ignorance can have on the people they are working with.

Fifteen percent of American servicemen were actively addicted to heroin while serving in Vietnam. This was the report brought back by U.S. Congressmen Robert Steel (CT) and Morgan Murphy (IL), who had traveled to Vietnam in May of 1971. Their report shocked the American public, and President Nixon responded by creating The Special Action Office of Drug Abuse Prevention. The goals of this office included prevention and rehabilitation, but Nixon also wanted to know what happened to these servicemen after they came home.

The “island” kept getting smaller and smaller as the waters rose. … Technically, the “island” was really a sandbar - a sandbar that, at low tide, had been a good place to deposit a tent, our lunch, and the non-divers. The plan was simple: drop off the non-divers and all the gear associated with lunch, go for a dive a short distance away, and then come back to the sandbar to eat lunch and relax. Simple enough.

Dear Friends,

This past week we hit an important milestone. One year ago, Feb 10, 2011, we launched the LeadStrategic blog. It has been a great experience for us as we have been blessed and enlightened by the input from our readers. Thank You.

Got problems? Yeah, we all do. Sometimes life really stinks and there seems to be no end in sight. Sometimes, though, a little perspective makes a big difference. Please take a few minutes to watch this video.

Anchors keep these beautiful boats from drifting away in the tides and currents of the ocean. Early one evening while walking along the shore, I spotted this colorful boat. Not fancy, it was nonetheless functional, simple, and beautiful – especially in the rich rays of the setting sun. One boat was tied to an anchor on the beach, while the other was anchor with a small, traditional anchor thrown over the side. Both were secure, safe from being swept out to sea and leaving behind a disappointed owner.

Sunday night I spilled half a cup of cold coffee directly onto my brand new HP Envy 14 notebook. Today is Tuesday and (using an external keyboard) I am transferring as many critical files from the now wounded computer over to another computer that I will have to use for a couple weeks. Fortunately, I purchased the extended warranty and spills are covered (so much for those who say these warranties are not worth it). I thought it might be therapeutic to see what lessons about dealing with a crisis I can draw from this experience.

Would you rather be smart or effective? Smart people typically have good answers to questions, know the history of an issue or relationship, and can access credible resources to obtain more answers. Effective people usually get the job done, are consistent producers, and work quite well with others. In reality, every organization needs both smart and effective people, and no one is purely one or the other, but for this thought exercise, choose one.

Air is important for life. Extreme athletes in the sport of free-diving can hold their breath for several minutes while simultaneously “diving” to dizzying depths. Unlike recreational divers using traditional scuba gear, free-divers take a deep breath and head into the deep blue. These athletes are amazing, but in the end, like all of us, they, too, need air to sustain life. There are no exceptions. All of us need air. Without it, we die. No air = death.

Leadership is all about influence, but the pursuit of influence, for its own sake, can be disastrous to the soul of the leader. It's important to understand the nature of influence because it is a core component of leadership--but it's also important to understand the dangers of pursuing influence as a goal in itself.

My wife, Julie, gave me a wonderful gift recently. She found a place where I could go to have quiet and solitude for a couple days. I was alone in a log cabin, in the woods of western Wisconsin. The scenery was perfect; the accommodations were simple; the time was refreshing. For the most part, all I had was my Bible, some music, and a notebook. I took some long walks in the woods. I read. I prayed. I wrote.

Diving in Malapascua Means thresher sharks. Dive enthusiasts from all over the world come to this small island off the northern tip of Cebu (Philippines) for a chance to see these amazing creatures. Their tails alone are worth the trip. It was a thrill for me to dive here. To spend time with family and friends. To see the threshers.

When people experience a failure of trust, they can easily develop a cynical perspective about humanity, never to trust again. This state of bitterness poisons many people's efforts at leadership, causing them to crash after a few bad experiences. The more productive approach is to choose a life of trust.

Are you surprised when you get good customer service? I am. Why? Why should I be surprised to get good customer service? Isn't the meaning of customer service to "serve the customer"? Granted, some customer requests are just plain crazy. Recently a car dealer service man told me about a woman who had been rear-ended and wanted her car fixed for free. Why? Because she had a "bumper-to-bumper" warranty. No kidding. That's crazy, but I'm not crazy and I want good service.

Chocolate Hills. The name alone sounds inviting, like a type of exotic candy or a flavored coffee. In reality, the Chocolate Hills are a unique geographic feature found on the island of Bohol. They are real. They are NOT made of chocolate – sorry. They do not contain coffee. If you have 5 minutes, google them and look at the images you see. Surreal. Beautiful. Mysterious.

The story is told of funambulist Charles Blondin crossing the Niagara Falls on a tight rope and then asking the cheering crowds whether they trusted him. "Yes," they cried. He then grabbed a wheelbarrow and wheeled it out onto the cable that was stretched over the raging waters and again asked the cheering crowd, "Do you trust me to push this wheel barrow across the falls?" The crowd again erupted into cheers of confidence in their hero. But then cheering came to an abrupt halt; no sound could be heard other than the falls below: Blondin had just asked the crowd, "Who will be the first to climb in the wheel barrow?"

The "Obliteration Room" is a living art exhibit in the Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art. The exhibit, created by Yayoi Kusama, started out as a purely white room. White walls, ceiling, and floor. White piano, chair, couch, cabinets, television. Absolutely everything … white. Then, he allowed children and adults to pass through the room … after giving them colored dots to place anywhere they chose. Before and after pictures reveal oddly fascinating (and colorful!) results.

Smart phones. Have one? Love it? Of course you do! … Smart phones (or any “text capable” phone for that matter) have made life different. We’re more informed. We’re more well connected with our friends, co-workers, BFFs, etc. – our “professional” and “social” networks. We text. We call. We email. We surf. We skype. We google. … Sounds a lot like – “we came, we saw, we conquered.”

Tango is a beautifully romantic dance conceived by the Italian immigrants to Argentina. When I had the opportunity to see it performed, the seemingly absolute perfection of the dancers gracefully moving across the floor never ceased amaze me. Of course, the people who were dancing were far from perfect and knowing this made their dance seem even more beautiful. We are more able to see the good in others and in ourselves when we are unpretentious about who we are.

Every machine has a purpose. Looking at my desk, I see a number of machines and the purpose of each is apparent. The pen writes. The radio receives signals and converts them into sound. The lamp illuminates. The keyboard translates key presses into electrical signals. The monitor displays colored pixels. The inventor or manufacturer of each is proud to see the machine being used for its intended purpose because in each case it is making life better for people.