On the topic of higher aspirations

A very frequently asked question is: "What is good leadership?" It is a difficult question to answer. But you are in no doubt what good leadership is when you are face to face with a good leader - and that may actually be just getting a glimpse of the good leader.
To me the most obvious case I have been faced with in recent times was when I was part of an event where a CEO gave a presentation. He did not say it in words, but yet, with all the desirable clarity, he conveyed the message to me: that I was created for bigger things than those I did for him. But on the other hand, he did it in such a way that I did not doubt for a moment that I should not venture out to find the bigger things - because it was best for me to just keep doing the things I did for him.
I do not know how he did it, but I do not doubt that at that time I experienced good leadership. A person who is able to instill that feeling in people will be able to do anything with anyone. The difficulty is to figure out how to convey the message in a way that hits a broader audience - as it does not create a horde of enthusiastic followers just to touch something deep in this individual.
(Translated from Noget om lyst til større ting, originally published December 2, 2012)

What to do?

The headline sounds like abandoning hope - but in fact it is meant as the exact opposite; a very affirmative message. It's about how we put our resources to the best use - I also got a response to the same event where I got the anecdote from yesterday. According to Mr. Farber who told the anecdote as well as the following, it is so very simple:

Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do.

Now, this is a beautiful insight to start one's day on. Now, there are only two things left to do: find out whether you love what you do, and whether the people you do it for actually love what you are doing. Well, maybe three things to do - if you cannot give a positive answer to both of the previous questions, it might be a good idea to start figuring out how to turn either of the answers into a resounding Yes!
(Translated from Hvad skal man gøre?, originally published September 30th, 2013)

On the topic of decisiveness

Recently, I saw an interesting video, where Daniel Pink in a "Pinkcast" in less than one and half minutes gave some good advice on how to make better decisions on your own.
The recommendation originally came from Chip and Dan Heath's book "Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work", and I found it so interesting that it immediately drew me towards an internet bookstore.
In all simplicity: if you need a good decision, one should simply think: what advice would I give a good friend, if he came to me and asked me for advice in relation to the same dilemma?
It turns out that in this way, if one is able to free oneself from the tangle of emotions that often accompany the big decisions, one is messing with, it is possible to make better decisions.
Much good can be achieved if one can get away with cheating oneself with a laudable purpose.
(Translated from Noget om beslutsomhed)