The change ( and progress) signified with the ending of "Dial-up" Internet

Change Is Certain, Progress Is Not: Reflections on Four Decades of Technological and Cultural Transformation

From Acoustic Couplers to Artificial Intelligence—A Personal Journey

The news that AOL, once "America On Line," will soon retire its dial-up service may seem like a minor blip in today's digital landscape. In reality, this quiet ending is a poignant milestone in a vast parade of technological evolution—one that I have had the privilege of witnessing, and at times being bewildered by, over the course of my adult life and 40+ year business career. As I approach my 64th birthday, reflections abound: not only on inventions and obsolescence, but also on the intricate dance between change and progress, and how we find meaning and direction within the whirlwind.

AOL's Farewell: The End of a Digital Era

In about a month, AOL will cease offering dial-up internet access—a service that was, for a time, the very lifeblood of the online world. Dial-up, with its iconic screech and hiss, connected a generation to the vastness of cyberspace. Today, less than 0.1% of U.S. households still use it, but its departure serves as a gentle requiem not just for a technology, but for an era marked by anticipation and discovery. For many, the phrase "You've got mail!" is not just nostalgia; it's a reminder of simpler, slower, more deliberate connections.

This moment has prompted me to look back—not only at AOL, but at the sweeping revolutions that have defined my professional and personal journey. These are not merely changes in gadgets or services; they are shifts in how we communicate, work, learn, and dream.

The Pace and Paradox of Change

When I started college in 1979, the landscape was unrecognizable by today's standards. Imagine embarking on higher education without cell phones, personal computers, the internet, social media, email, text messaging, ride-sharing apps, and the myriad conveniences that now define everyday life. These things simply did not exist. The notion that, in 2025, we carry in our pockets devices more powerful than the mainframes of yesteryear would have seemed like science fiction.

Throughout the decades, I have often remarked: "Change is certain, progress is not." These words echo truer with each passing year. While the pace of innovation is exhilarating—at times, mind-boggling—it is not always accompanied by corresponding improvements in quality of life, equity, or happiness. There is a fundamental distinction between change—the ceaseless evolution of tools, systems, and paradigms—and progress, which is the meaningful, positive transformation of our human experience.

The Mainframe and the Modem: Early Days of Computing

One story from my college years illustrates both the marvel and the madness of early computing. In a statistics class, we were required to master regression analysis, starting with the basics—working out the "Least Squares Method" with pencil and paper. But the real magic happened with SPSS, a software package still used today (now as "IBM SPSS").

Back then, using SPSS was a logistical adventure. We typed our data into a keyboard equipped with an acoustic coupler. After programming our inputs, we would dial a touch-tone phone, listen for the static handshake, and nestle the receiver into the coupler, connecting us to a mainframe computer at Ohio State—over a hundred miles away. Our batch projects were submitted to run whenever mainframe time became available, often overnight. The following day, we would check back for results—or, more often than not, to discover a keystroke error that required another cycle of patience and repetition.

It is literally astonishing to compare that ritual with the present. Today, I can run a regression analysis on my smartphone, in seconds. What once took hours or days is now compressed into moments. This is, without question, a triumph of both change and progress.

Witness to Revolutions

My career has been shaped by a dizzying succession of revolutions—plural with intent. From analog to digital, from local to global, from scarcity of information to its overwhelming abundance. Each wave has brought new tools, opportunities, and challenges.

Consider the workplace: Once, communication meant memos, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings. Now, email, instant messaging, and video conferences have redefined collaboration, but also introduced new distractions and anxieties. Financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, education—no sector has been immune to the relentless march of innovation.

Yet, amid this acceleration, questions persist: Are we more productive, or merely busier? More connected, or more distracted? Does each new technology bring us closer together, or isolate us within our curated digital bubbles? The answers are nuanced, and the relationship between change and progress is anything but linear.

The Advent of Artificial Intelligence: A New Frontier

Today, we stand on the cusp of yet another technological revolution—artificial intelligence. The headlines are filled with speculation, hope, and fear about AI's impact on jobs, business, industry, and society at large. Prognosticators abound, offering visions both utopian and dystopian.

I do not claim to be an "early adopter," but neither am I a Luddite. AI, to me, is simply the latest set of tools to be explored, understood, and harnessed. I have begun to incorporate AI into my work—using it to edit and enhance my writing, to conduct advanced searches, to learn and to question. I am acutely aware that I am in the earliest days of this journey, just as unsure and awed as I was in front of that acoustic-coupler-equipped keyboard all those years ago.

The difference, perhaps, is that I now have the wisdom to appreciate both the promise and the pitfalls of new technology. I know that no tool is inherently good or bad; its value lies in how it is used, and for what purpose. Change is certain, but progress must be pursued, shaped, and, at times, defended.

Finding Progress Amidst Change

So, as AOL prepares to fade into the tapestry of history, I am reminded that the true measure of any technological revolution lies not in its novelty, but in its capacity to serve human flourishing. The tools we invent and adopt should expand our possibilities, deepen our connections, and enrich our lives—not merely accelerate our pace or multiply our distractions.

As I move toward another milestone birthday, I do not wish to be absent from the journey ahead. I want to remain curious, adaptable, and engaged—to keep questioning how each wave of change can be transformed into genuine progress. The revolutions of the past forty years have been incredible, and those still to come will be no less so. My hope is that we all find ways to steer these changes toward a future that is not just different, but better.

In the end, perhaps that is the greatest lesson of a life spent amid technological upheaval: that while change is certain, progress is not—but it is always within our reach, if we are willing to seek it out, shape it, and share it.

postscript:  you might notice a change in the font/layout/use of color in the essay above vs some of my past postings.... yes indeed an outcome of me using an AI tool to take my original essay and suggest edits based on grammar and on techniques to help readability on a blog platform... a helpful tool indeed!

Leadership Pride from the “sidelines”

 

 

Let me begin by expressing just how proud I am of the teams at Butterfly Equity and Generous Brands. The recent announcement of their deal to acquire Health-Ade truly brought a smile of pride to my face. This acquisition expands an already impressive platform of better-for-you refrigerated beverage brands and fulfills a vision we first embraced when we repurchased the company from Campbell’s in 2019. Back then, the business was facing serious challenges on both top-line and bottom-line performance, and we knew we’d have to rebuild the team, stabilize the CPG and retail fresh carrot businesses, and carve out the company from Campbell’s before we could pursue any larger strategic opportunities. Of course, none of us could have anticipated that Covid was just around the corner.

Yet, I am deeply proud of how the team united through the pandemic. They not only weathered the storm but emerged stronger, never losing sight of the major strategic priorities: splitting the historic company into two distinct, focused entities and expanding the robust refrigerated beverage platform with new brands. These were ideas conceived in 2019 … and now, they are realities.

When I retired early last year, as we took steps to split the company into its two natural businesses (one focused on retail fresh carrots, the other on CPG brands and products), I had a chance to step back and observe how both independent teams would perform. While it was sometimes difficult to be on the sidelines rather than on the front lines, it has been a genuinely rewarding “legacy moment” to watch leaders—some I’ve worked with for years and others I helped bring on recently—rise to meet new challenges and seize fresh opportunities. None of these moments have been more significant than the acquisition announced last week.

With a career now spanning over four decades, my hope for the next chapter is to experience more of these “legacy moments,” seeing great leaders and their teams make meaningful impacts across the business world and leave lasting legacies of their own. Rather than leading from the front, my focus is on coaching, mentoring, and advising from the sidelines—always ready to support the teams I admire so much.

Noting that I rarely include last names in my essays, I feel compelled to recognize the exceptional leadership, vision, and influence of Adam and Jeff. Their relentless drive and steadfast dedication were instrumental in making this deal happen. I also want to shine a light on the remarkable team of Phil, David, and Todd—brilliant operating executives at Generous Brands whose expertise and collaboration have truly laid the groundwork for this achievement. Over the course of my career, I’ve had the honor of working with many gifted individuals, but these five stand out as Generous Brands charts its course toward new opportunities. I am deeply grateful for their remarkable impact, and it fills me with pride to cheer them on from the sidelines.

Leadership requirements for a very challenging world!

 

 

Over the years (now more than 16 years) since I started posting essays on this blog, I have intentionally steered away from partisan political topics.  In our ever more stratified world and country, I have worked to be a voice sharing thoughts about lessons of leadership and life. stories, insights and experiences (literally printed on the “masthead” of my blog) that would resonate and connect to readers across countries, continents and political affiliations.  Today I turn my attention to the path ahead in this country (and I suspect it will have broader application) and what I see as a “requirement” for leaders working to be agents of progress in a challenging world.  While my data source may seem partisan, my intent is to use the FACTS of today to push us as leaders to be mor effective in light of the challenges of tomorrow.

Last week, right before the holiday the house passed the budget bill that had come back to them as part of the “budget reconciliation legislative process” from the senate.  The FACTS of the bill are stark and have been widely reported…. Including extended tax cuts for wealthier Americans, budget increases for Defense and ICE, with large budget cuts in SNAP and Medicaid… all resulting in a significant increase in the budget deficit and an expansion of our National Debt.  What has been equally well reported is the broad unpopularity of the bill captured in polls taken across the last month or so featured below.  While its a dangerous idea to try to lead and govern a  country based on polls of the moment, this is a brutal picture that shows just how unpopular this bill is across a wide range of individual polls and polling methodologies.

My purpose for this essay is not to complain about this bill or prognosticate on the implications of the budget moves (there is plenty of that going on in the media currently.) My intent is to share a few thoughts that have struck me on how I need to act/operate as a leader today in light of the FACTS of the budget and our current landscape and encourage other leaders to join in thinking about their approach as well.

A few key ideas/themes keep resonating as priorities going forward… and here are three that I am currently working hard on implementing:

Clear Eyed:  

We live at a time of incredible and accelerating change.  Historic global norms, alliances, business models, tariff plans, tax policies, supreme court rulings emerge and fall by the wayside daily and it’s difficult to keep up with the barrage of headlines announcing the latest dynamics.  In this context, I am working to stay current and accurate with the facts at hand while also working to NOT get whip-sawed by the histrionics being applied to these moves by any political party or orientation.  It’s why I used the spelling of “FACTS” in capital letters above as I commented on the recently passed budget bill.  While the potential implications are always important to consider… it’s the “FACTS” that are in the bill that will be most important to “see” clearly.  Now more than ever I am focused on that “clear-eyed” approach and am working hard to bring that to life daily.

Positive/productively focused on tomorrow

I have always “joked” that we were just trying to “make tomorrow a little bit better than yesterday” as a way of describing my focus for the business/team/organization that I was involved with at that moment.  While a historic “joke,” that admonition seems like a “stretch-goal” in today’s reality.  Considering the challenges that are emerging from so many facets of life, it’s difficult to keep “working on tomorrow” with a positive/productive tone.  Regardless of the challenges and pressures, I know I need to keeping working on my “positive/productive” headset and to keep my focus and action on ways to improve the ‘tomorrows” for all of us!

More resilient than ever

Recently I posted an essay on the topic of resilience ( see more at, https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2025/06/resilience-vital-priority-for-leaders.html)  The idea was to reinforce that for leaders that “resiliency” was a very important characteristic, centered around the definition of “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.”  This idea that we need to “recover quickly” seems truer and more relevant today than when I posted that essay just a month or two ago.  I am focused on how I can bounce back/ “recover quickly” from challenges and issues that arise. 

As we face the dynamics and challenges that lie ahead… either in your specific challenging business landscape or in the wildly changing political world…. keep these three ideas in mind.  While certainly no panacea, I believe that these three “leadership requirements” are more important today and in the days ahead than in any time of my now 40+ year business career and professional life. 

The ultimate demonstration of power is to give power away.

 

 

It is with humility and an awareness of the “unpopularity” of this topic that I begin today’s essay.  Here in 2025, in a world torn apart by war, mis-trust and strife… and in a nation deeply and often violently divided on ideological/partisan lines, it’s hard to imagine that I would suggest a leadership concept that DID NOT build on the concept of the dominating strength of an individual leader.  I am explicitly suggesting that by looking at history and seeking models in today’s landscape we can learn the truth to the idea that the “ultimate demonstration of power is to give power away.”

As is often my bent, I take a page from history and look to the end of the American Revolutionary war in 1783.  Having defeated the British army at Yorktown and signed a peace treaty officially ending hostilities, thus forming the United States of America as a new world nation, it was unclear how power, specifically the executive power of this new country would be established.  The following is a quote from the Maryland state archives,

“At the end of the Revolutionary War, many people in America and Europe thought Washington would retain the reins of power to become the leader of the new nation, or even king. When told by the American artist Benjamin West that Washington was going to resign, King George III of England said "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world."”

This comment from King George III of England from that time is at the center of my premise… that by walking away from power, by giving it “back” to the infant federal government Washington would be the “greatest man in the world”… simply by taking the action of “giving power away.”  While an incredible historic moment in 1783, it was one repeated later that century when Washington “stepped down” as President after his second term, leading to our first “presidential election” which was a hotly contested one (ultimately won by John Adams) in 1796.  Though being asked, encouraged and at times “coerced” into a third term, Washington once again had the strength and conviction to “give power away” and not serve a third term as President, thus retiring to Mt. Vernon where he passed away soon after in 1799.  The picture above, hangs in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capital shows General George Washington resigning his commission at the end of the war.  While a historic depiction of the actual event, it has tremendous symbolic meaning reinforcing the primacy of the civilian elected officials of congress over the power of the military, and the central foundation of that congress rooted in the U.S. constitution… a history lesson well worth remembering today in the light of the recent “No Kings” rallies across all 50 states!

As I mentioned in the first sentence above, this concept of “giving power away” as an act of power certainly seems foreign in our political landscape today; equally rarely see it practiced well in the universe of business.  Business leaders are expected to be decisive, have all the answers, be clear thinking in times of uncertainty and to somehow “divine” the future trends coming at a business regardless of industry country.  It is in this context that I often go back to the quote from Warren Buffet below.  

 

His comments about the idea that “True power is about sitting back and observing things with logic. True power is restraint.” rings so true to me and my personal leadership journey.  “True power” emanating from restraint is so hard to achieve, especially in times of uncertainty and crisis.  “Sitting back” and working to logically understand the situation at hand WITHOUT EMOTION is so key to leading an organization through challenging moments…so key to being truly powerful as a leader FOR the enterprise that is being led.

Take a few moments when you can to find ways to “give power away” and look for avenues of impact within your organization ( or colleagues outside of your team) where those actions of “restraint” can have a powerful productive impact.

postscript:  a quick note to say thank you to the readers of this blog.  Last week the blog hit 200k+ page views with 289 essays posted on line.  what started out as fulfilling a request for a friend to "post a story or two," the blog now has a life of its own and I am incredibly humbled and thankful for your readership!

 

“Resilience” ... a vital priority for leaders!

 

 

I had the real pleasure to recently attend a conference convened by a VC firm that I have been working with over the past year.  Across my 40-year career (I know… that’s quite a few conferences!!) I have attended or spoken at innumerable events… but few more challenging, thought provoking or compelling that this event held in Chicago last month.  The host organization identified four major global trends/dynamics that are facing companies, countries and communities broadly, and brought in world level experts in their fields to talk candidly about where the world stood on these topics and what issues were to be faced in the years ahead… nothing candy coated…with voices across the political spectrum to reduce partisan bias… and while each topic was exceedingly challenging, the confluence of the four literally took my breath away!  

Four Major Global trends

·      Climate Change: Assume global warming continues its upward trend

·      AI: the explosion of AI across industries/roles and the increased energy demand associated to its expansion

·      Geo-Political Realignment: the ascendency of China and the “re-alignment” of global alliances vs post WW II models

·      Decline of the U.S. Dollar as “sole/primary” global reserve currency and the impact of a widening U.S. deficit

I am not going to try to summarize each point, of to explore some of the side discussions that centered around areas where the four trends interacted/collided… instead I want to share how I “FELT” as I headed to the airport to fly home.  Intellectually energized, and professionally challenged are beyond understatements… but I kept thinking how we need to work on ( build, enhance, help, guide, teach,” you name the appropriate verb) our companies, our communities, our teams, our families to be stronger, more durable and ultimately more “resilient” to face the incredible challenges ( and opportunities) that lie ahead!  My core takeaway from the Chicago conference was our need to be “resilient-centered” leaders, teachers, and parents!

Dictionary

Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more

re·sil·ience

/rəˈzilēəns/

noun

1. 1. 

the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

"the remarkable resilience of so many institutions"

2. 2. the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity."nylon is excellent in wearability and resilience"

 

I began digging into the idea that it was naïve, and actually dangerous to try to “wish away” or ignore the challenges coming our way.  Our focus should be on how to “avoid” the problems ahead… but how to “recover” or “bounce back” from what will certainly be tough years (maybe decades) ahead.  This orientation around resilience in leaders is one that I haven’t thought about deeply before and certainly not one that I have tried to coach/teach or recruit for… but now is center to my focus.  Too many times, we have recruited/promoted young leaders because of their achievements and successes (seems logical) NOT because of the biggest challenges/problems/issues they have faced.  Our focus in on the “good-stuff,” not how big of an issue/challenge/problem have they “sprung back” from across their career.  This “resilience orientation” was top of mind for me coming out of the professional conference in Chicago, but it made me think about how to build a “resilient” leadership culture in a company or in a culture.

Its hard to visualize but imagine scrolling through “Linked In” on a random day, and rather than seeing post after post of exciting new roles/achievements/accomplishments/etc., one would see highlights of leaders/teams facing significant challenges, and recovering/bouncing back in great fashion… learning lessons on how to recover and be “resilient” in the face of challenge/dilemma.  A different landscape than today… a “resilience centered” landscape that we need to work towards regardless of industry, company or culture. 

You might wonder at this point of the essay what the picture above has to do with the theme of “resilience.” The picture is from a recent family vacation and has our kids Bryson and Marie (along with their “significant others” Meg and James) at the beach and in the surf with yours truly sitting under an umbrella on the sand. That morning the surf kept growing… the waves getting larger... and the “kids” handled the changing landscape brilliantly!   They first jumped over the coming waves, at times they “body surfed” them into shore, and at times they dove below the breaking waves to come out the other side…the waves were coming and getting larger…there was no stopping that… but how they handled them kept changing and expanding… their “resilience” kept growing as conditions changed.

Coming our of that conference, I am “chewing on” this idea of “resilience” and I know I will be processing it for some time…I am looking for ways to build my personal “leadership resilience” and I hope that you can find ways to build your “resilience” ( and the “resilience” of your teams) to face the challenges that most certainly lie ahead!

Innovation can come from some surprising "corners".... be ready and be open!!

 

It may seem odd that I touch on the topic of "Innovation" and use heirloom tomatoes as my inspiration.  It is from this "surprising corner" of our garden this spring that I am reminded of the unusual and unexpected sources of "Innovation," and I want to encourage leaders to be open, willing and ready to be surprised as innovative ideas/products/processes show up on their radar screens.

I have been an avid gardener my whole life and come from a family of very keen gardeners.  My paternal grandmother ( "MaMa") kept a large garden for decades, canning green beans, pickles, stewed tomatoes and other treats that she grew herself.  My brother is a master gardener, and produces an incredible array of fruits and vegetables every year.  As for me... a self described gardening "novice," my focus is on tomatoes... and specifically two varieties of heirloom tomatoes.  One variety has been raised in my family for decades... certainly more than 50 years... and maybe longer than 75.  MaMa raised them for years in her garden, then my father kept up the tradition, then passed the seeds along to my brother and me.  I have raised them for more than 25 years and have shared the seeds with friends and fellow gardeners across the globe.  Its a determinate ( only grows to a limited height) tomato plant, with serrated leaves, that puts off orange "tennis ball" sized fruit that show a faint pink stripe when ripe... I call them "MaMa's old stripers." The second variety was given to me by the parents of my childhood friend Dave Carfang.  This variety has been grown by his family or ours since the mid 1970's, and is an indeterminate ( grows to an unlimited height) tomato plant, with smooth edged leaves, and produces very large pink fruit... sometimes between 1-2 pounds per tomato... and we call them the "Carfang big pinks."  Every year I keep the seeds from one exceptional tomato from each variety, prepare them and set them aside for the following season.  This year that process has produced some unexpected outcomes... an unexpected "Innovation"...that I only recognized once the seedlings were transplanted into the garden. 

The picture above is of this "unexpected innovation" which came from the seeds of a single  "Carfang big pink" from last summer.  It's tall, growing well and the same height as the other "big pinks'... but it has serrated leaves..just like the "old stripers!"  Over the decades that I have been growing the "big pinks," I have never seen this phenomenon... this permutation.... this "innovation" before!  The first picture below is of a small "old striper" in the garden today (note the height and serrated leaves) and the second one is of a "big pink" plant, also in the garden today(note the height and the smooth leaves.)  I have no idea what this "new tomato plant" will produce, or whether it will actually bear fruit this season.... but I can't wait to see!!  I knew that heirloom tomatoes (unlike hybrid varieties) are open pollinators and could be "open" to cross pollination... I just had never seen it before and was certainly not setting out to create a new varietal!

I will keep everyone posted on the progress, and hopefully the fruit, of this new tomato variety... but I share this story to make a point.  I have been gardening for decades... and my family has been "in the garden" for more than 100 years for sure.... and this little "new" tomato plant has blown me away!  In that same spirit... as leaders of businesses, organizations and teams I want to encourage each of you to be ready to be surprised by innovations in areas that you thought you knew very well... areas that you have worked on for years or maybe decades. Be ready... be open ... be flexible for the innovations happening in "your gardens" right now and enjoy the process and get excited about the unique/unexpected examples of "Innovation" that may surprise you when you are least looking for them!

Leaders leading leaders

 

Over the past few weeks, I have found myself in various conversations with several friends, most of whom are currently leading companies or large teams and the topic of “Leaders leading leaders” keeps coming up.  In one of those conversations, I was asked if I had written an essay on this topic, and if so, could I shoot it over.  After a quick check of the 285 essays that are up online (hard to imagine that I am creeping up on 300!!) while I have covered the topic of “Leadership” a ton, I have NEVER explicitly talked about the unique reality/responsibility of “Leaders leading leaders.”  As one grows in their career, you often start as an individual contributor, having your personal impact in your assigned role, building skills and understanding about the role, the organization, etc.  Over time, you might be promoted to a team leader… leading individual contributors and starting to build your craft as a leader.  The reality is with success, team leaders advance and start becoming leaders of larger teams, departments or organizations and ultimately starting to become “leaders of leaders.”  This dynamic is a crucial and important step and is often fraught with challenge and often failure… I hope that the following three ideas/concepts may help you navigate this career progression step with grace and impact.

Looking back over my archive of essays on leadership, there are three that I want to utilize as foundational to the idea of being successful as a “leader of leaders.”

Authenticity: The foundation of a leader.  Let’s go back to 2009 and the lessons from my old boss from Kimberly-Clark, Bruce Paynter.  Bruce was diagnosed with ALS in 2008, and I have the chance, and the honor to spend a lot of time with him and his family in 2009 up until his passing that July.  Bruce had a huge impact on me when I worked for him in the mid 80’s and those months/weeks and days I had with him before he passed are still fresh for me and alive with insights.  Just a few weeks before he passed, I was in a hospice facility with him, and he wanted to talk about this idea… that “Authenticity” was the foundation of a successful leader.  You can read more about that moment in the essay from 2009 (https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/06/authenticity-foundation-of-leadership.html) but in my experience, this idea is so deeply true.  First and foremost, as a leader YOU need to work hard on YOUR authenticity… ensuring that your words and actions are aligned along the “rail of authenticity” that Bruce described.  Then, and only then, can you help your direct reports who are leaders find THEIR own authentic voice, help them align their words and actions closer to the “rail of authenticity, helping them with the work of being open and authentic broadly to their organizations.

Leader as teacher:  Over my 40-year career (another “hard to believe” number) I have had the chance to work with some very impactful and inspiring leaders across organizations… and this lesson comes from a former CEO of The Coca- Cola Company… Neville Isdell.  In 2004 as he returned to the company, he led an effort that he called “The Manifesto for Growth,” working to re-energize the company and the broader global bottling system into a period or rejuvenation and “growth!”  I had the chance to be part of that process, working with about 100 other Coke execs from across the globe… it was an intense, exhausting and energizing ( yes those two ideas go together) process; the output was excellent and very productive.  In one specific session, Neville pushed us as leaders to not wait to be told what to do… but to have a unique point of view.  He stopped himself in mid-sentence… correcting himself to say no, not just a point of view… I need leaders who have a “teachable point of view!!!”  you can read more here (https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/05/teachable-point-of-view.html) but this idea of “leaders as teachers” is the second concept that I want to highlight.  As you grow in your career, wanting to have a broader and stronger impact, your role as a leader is actually limited by your physical capacity for output if you think of yourself as a singular communication point.  If you think of your leadership model as a teacher… touching/teaching/impacting a multitude around you it allows your impact to grow exponentially…. Especially if you start affecting the leaders around you to be “teachers” as well.

Three impact points of leadership: My final concept to help “Leaders of leaders” is based on a very simple principle depicted here.  

  The idea that as a leader you are ALWAYS working the “three impact points” (https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/03/three-impact-points-of-leadership.html) but they are not always in this order!  Sometimes focusing more on inspiration, sometimes more on education, sometimes more on direction.  An effective leader is ALWAYS toggling this triangle and rethinking each of the impact points for every interaction.  “Leaders of leaders” do this on two levels… in one vector you are approaching your team, your reports and your organization and determining the focus areas and the needed alignment of the three impact points.  You are also helping your direct reports who are leaders think through THEIR use of the three impact points…. THEIR approach to THEIR teams… coaching them on ways to “inspire/educate/direct” that are authentic for THEM!!

 

As “leaders of leaders,” I hope you can use these three ideas with your teams.  As I reflect across my career, I often go back to these three concepts (Authenticity/ Leader as teacher/Three impact points of leadership) as foundational lessons for me as a leader … and core ideas that help me be a better “Leader of leaders.”  My hope is that these ideas are helpful to you and that you can bring them to life so that they are productive for you and your organizations today!