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Learning Leadership Mistakes From Other Sources

There are many blog writers and internet sites that surf the web for great information and then provide links to it.  While my main goal is to write "fairly" original content, I often find it helpful to point readers toward a superb article or something that will benefit those who came to this blog looking for leadership wisdom and personal growth material.

Oftentimes, quality leadership principles are true in a variety of experiences.

1. While studentl.inc is written with student leaders in mind, much of the material  translates into a wide variety of leadership contexts.

2. There are a variety of leadership articles and posts out there that are very applicable to student leaders even though they were written toward a different type of leadership audience.

It is this second reality that brings me to recommend an article that I discovered at Hacknot entitled: Great Mistakes in Technical Leadership.

While this article deals with issues that those who serve as the Technical Lead in software development may face, it is immensely valuable for those who are in student leadership.  My philosophy has always been to allow student leaders to make mistakes and learn from them.  Yet, it is also beneficial to learn from the mistakes of others and work to not make them oneself.

Here's the list of mistakes (I encourage you to read the whole article to get a better understanding of each one):

Mistake #0: Assuming the team serves you

Mistake #1: Isolating yourself from the team

Mistake #2: Employing hokey motivation techniques

Mistake #3: Not providing technical direction and context

Mistake #4: Fulfilling your own needs via the team

Mistake #5: Focusing on your individual contribution

Mistake #6: Trying to be technically omniscient

Mistake #7: Failing to delegate effectively

Mistake #8: Being ignorant of your own shortcomings

Mistake #9: Failing to represent the best interests of your team

Mistake #10: Failing to anticipate

Mistake #11: Repeat mistakes others have already made

Mistake #12: Using the project to pursue your own technical interests

Mistake #13: Not maintaining technical involvement

Mistake #14: Playing the game rather than focusing on the target

Mistake #15: Avoiding conflict

Mistake #16: Putting the project before the people

Mistake #17: Expecting everyone to think and act like you

Mistake #18: Failing to demonstrate compassion

Book Review - The Radical Edge

I recently submitted a review to 800CEOREAD of the book The Radical Edge by Steve Farber.  You can access the original posting of the review here.  It was a quick read, but chocked full of great leadership wisdom for student leaders (or anyone desiring to grow in leadership).

The Radical Edge by Steve Farber, Kaplan, April 2006
Steve Farber continues to tell the story of what extreme leadership looks like in his latest book, The Radical Edge. Set in the sunny backdrop of San Diego, Farber crafts a tale where leadership styles collide and only those who embrace their inner strengths and the greatness inside those around them are found fit to lead. The Radical Edge follows the interaction of gutsy, leadership coach, Steve and his one day investment in the life of a young, successful sales champion turned Vice President, Cam Summerfield.

Unfortunately, what put Cam at the top of his class in sales isn't translating very well in his efforts to lead a team of sales people. Farber inserts some ordinary-yet-extraordinary characters in this story. Smitty, is a carefree, dreadlocked, beach bum with keen observational skills, Agnes is an elderly, black businesswoman with a gracious heart and a spitfire passion for people, and Edg is the globetrotting son of a business icon that has a knack for making things happen. Each of these individuals, including a few more unique individuals, engage both Steve and Cam in smart conversation and leave them with leadership tools that make up Farber's recipe for reaching the radical edge of leadership.

The drama moves quickly and keeps the reader turning the page as Cam dogmatically fights against the obvious benefits of each principle presented. Smitty encourages the duo to get a WUP, a Wake Up Pad, and start observing the world around them with greater sensitivity. Agnes, shows them that her success was due in large part to her ability to be the right kind of person. She states, "There are thousands of things to do - I'm not even going to pretend I know what they all are - but all those things will come from the...things you must be with complete abandon." Mary Ellen is Agnes' protege' who describes her inner "frequency" as service - "adding more than I take from my relationships." Ultimately, the radical edge is found in one's ability to "do what you love in the service of people who love what you do." Farber lays out three core principles within this witty story that prove to be the backbone of both business and life. They are:

* Stoke Your Business - Learn to care deeply about the people you work with, the people who work for you, and the people whom your work touches.
* Amp Your Life - Discover your inner strength and the identifying purpose that threads its way through your life - then do everything you can to turn that purpose "up" in all areas.
* Change The World - There is no higher calling than to leave the world better off then how you found it. Figure out ways to make the world a better place for people who can't make it better for themselves.

Add this book to the growing list of excellent leadership fables that keep the reader glued to the page while demonstrating the effects of powerful leadership principles at work. You'll find that you can read the book quickly in one sitting, but you'll be going back to it's pages time and again to reflect on and prescribe the principles for your own life and business success.

Toodledo - A Well Done Online To-Do List

I've been scouring the web for an online to-do list that I can go back to time and again.  I've been using Basecamp (look here), but it is definitely oriented toward projects and collaboration between individuals.  I've also used Tadalist, Remember the Milk, Voo2Do and others.  They all have their high points.

I think there are a lot of ways to maintain to-do lists online.  While many of you are still comfortable with a simple sheet of paper and pen, this way offers an alternative that keeps your list online so you can access it anywhere you have an internet connection.  Plus, you can share it with others.  Your friends ask why you're so busy, you just give them the RSS feed to your Toodledo list and they can see for themselves all of the items you have yet to accomplish.

Toodledo offers the following features (I got this straight from the Toodledo site):

• Folders - You can organize your tasks into different folders or projects. For example, you could have a folder for work related tasks, one for home projects and another for your hobby. You can have unlimited tasks and unlimited folders.
• Due-dates - Set a due-date for a task and we'll remind you when the deadline is approaching. You can also have tasks that repeat once you finish them.
• Priority - Some tasks are more important than others. With priorities, you can better sort and organize your tasks.
• Time Tracking - By assigning an estimate of the time required for each task you can prioritize better and find small tasks to fill in little chunks of free time.
• Notes - You can attach lengthly notes to any task, so you can keep track of important information.
• Import / Export - It's your data, so you should be able to take it with you. You can import and export your tasks in a variety of formats, including RSS feeds.

You can use Toodledo for FREE!  I think that's a price that most student leaders can afford.  The question is: Can you afford to not use cool tools like this to keep yourself organized?