Occupy Wall Street is a “leaderless” movement that has spread across America. It’s a mixed group with legitimate grievances (why so many bail outs?) and nonsensical ones (“why aren’t we protecting Gia as a metaphor?”).
Yesterday, I wandered down to Liberty Park in New York City to talk to some of the protesters and see the movement first hand.
The first thing I noticed was the smell. The sectioned off protest area ringed with barricades and cops …

When you live in New York you get these last minute opportunities which you often grab and sometimes quickly regret.
When my wife told me two days ago that she bought three tickets to the Barack Obama fundraiser production of Whoopi Goldberg’s Sister Act all I could think about was standing on line, going through security, and the nuisance of it all.
Plus, to tell you the truth, Whoopi had been great in the movie not leave …

Imagine you want your boss’s job. It’s potentially an awkward and thorny pursuit that requires sharp political competence. The first step is probably to quit your job. It’s impossible to both serve and challenge your superior at the same time. The challenge then is campaigning for the position while defending your previous service for the boss. Jon Huntsman, President Obama’s former ambassador to China and current challenger for reelection, finds himself in this precise position.
Consider …

How many times have you been in a situation where you’re in the midst of a discussion and suddenly after one comment you find yourself going over the top?
American politics and organizational life seem to be dominated by such trigger phrases. They occur in our personal lives as well. There’s always one phrase that elicits a reflexive reaction that makes you frustrated.
The challenge is not to overreact when you encounter these trigger phrases. Smart leaders …

Jay-Z the self-proclaimed “greatest rapper alive” may seem like an unlikely source to turn to for leadership wisdom. However, the man who taught Barack Obama how to “get that dirt off your shoulder” (Obama quoted Jay-Z’s 2003 hit “Dirt off Your Shoulder” during the 2008 primary) is also CEO of Roc Nation and former CEO of Universal Music Group’s Def Jam label .
Jay Z’s legal name is Shawn Carter and under his leadership Def Jam …

Once in a while an event occurs that triggers a plethora of articles and an overwhelming amount of thoughts about a topic.  It should come as no surprise that the surgical elimination of Osama bin Laden has suddenly stimulated a rush of articles and op-eds about leadership. Indeed the entire event, when looked upon outside of it’s overblown dramaturgical frame, raises some wonderful points about different types of leadership.
The first issue is whether or not organizations can …