A leader values diversity and knows that each person has a unique life lens full of experience including joy, sorrow, accomplishment, failure, inspiring mentors, and harmful foes. A leader understands that each idea brought to the table pushes the team towards that one superior idea. Diversity in the team introduces new ideas, new perspectives, and new energy. ─Christy Beem─ Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.

As a leader, you are not paid to take risks. You are paid to know which risks are worth taking. The difference between success and extinction is knowledge, not daring. Your first priority is to insure survival of the company; the second is to secure profit. ─ Deb Miller ─ Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.

By Ken Chapman, Ph.D. Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc. Delegating work properly does a lot more than make your life as a leader easier. It builds teamwork, increases efficiency, develops careers, raises morale, and boosts productivity. But it is not always easy to do. Here are some simple strategies to get you started. 1. Delegate responsibility, not work. Too many leaders confuse delegating responsibility with dumping work on someone. Team members know the difference. Do not assign a project and insist a team member do it your way with no room for personal initiative. 2. Allow employees to take turns running staff meetings. This does three things. First, it shows that you respect and trust their abilities. Second, it builds their confidence and leadership skills. Finally, it gives you a chance to see how someone handles a group in case you ever consider promoting that person to a managerial position.…

Exceptional results are seldom random. They are the product of consistent good judgment. A leader knows the choices made each day determine the life we construct, the health we enjoy, the relationships we build and the work we create. The difference is in the choosing. ─ Deb Miller ─ Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc

The Leader’s Role   by Ken Chapman, Ph.D.    Listen to an audio version here: Ken Chapman and Associates, Inc. · The Leader’s Role   Moving your team toward high self-esteem is the first step toward achieving high performance, which over time can lead to greatness.   As a leader, the move toward greatness starts with the understanding that it is not about you.  It is not so much about who you are—your position in the organization—but about what you do.   Consider our definition of self-esteem:  the attitude to experience ourselves as competent to take on the challenges of life, accountable to ourselves and others, and worthy of success and happiness.  With this definition in mind, consider how what you do as a leader can enhance the self-esteem of your team.   A leader’s words and actions can reinforce the conviction that every team member is competent, deserving of success,…

Leaders know fear causes people to do the quick and easy thing. Leaders face and manage their fears. Even when alarmed on the inside, leaders keep a steady hand on the task at hand. ─ Ken Chapman ─ Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.

Leaders know you can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims. Leaders value accountability, not casualties. ─ Ken Chapman ─ Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc

Safe Outcomes and the Clever   By Ken Chapman Co-Author of the book, Safety Beyond The Numbers    The definition of clever is “quick to understand and learn.” I would add “witty and sarcastic.” Why? Because I have noticed over the years that those described as clever tend to have a biting comment for anyone or anything of which they disapprove. This is often viewed as cool and by some, sophisticated — a signal the witty comment indicates the speaker is not naive or easily fooled by the less clever. Here, I should confess that as a young man I admired the clever. Those who knew me way back then might also suggest that I fancied myself to be a bit of a wit! A lot of time has washed over me in the intervening years. I no longer admire clever people. I tend to be uncomfortable and suspect of…

Leaders know: Nothing in heaven and earth is hidden from a fool (i.e. know-it-all), except himself. –Bernard

Randy Sparkman delves into what an organizational leader needs to know about Artificial Intelligence (AI) right away. Randy is the author of LANGUAGE AI: A Guide for Humans. It is an "amplifier of opportunity," as Randy puts it and he makes the case for why a leader needs competence on this transformative topic in order to make wise strategy decisions. Randy also makes the case on why and how an organization must ensure their employees are allowed to reasonably experiment with AI. He ad...