purpose – Nathan Magnuson

How Leaders Learn to Lead

How do people learn to be leaders? That’s the question leadership consultant and thought leader Robert J. Thomas answered at a leadership academy event I recently helped organize. Speaking from his book Crucibles of Leadership, Thomas demonstrated that simply taking a course on leadership would do little to transform leadership abilities.…

What I Learned as a Failed Gang Leader

December 21, 2015 Personal Effectiveness

I didn’t start thinking much about leadership until I was a senior in college. But it’s crazy how many lessons I can draw from my younger years. Incidentally, one of them was my “gang activity.” I joined a gang when I was younger. Actually I sort of started one. Now…

You’re Never Too Big to Serve

August 17, 2015 Engagement

My first job in high school was working at a small grocery store in town. I remember there were only eight aisles, so it wasn’t long before I had most of the place figured out. Unfortunately it wasn’t very complicated, and when I wasn’t assisting customers in the front, I was…

Getting the Most from the Human Element

February 16, 2015 Communication Culture Engagement Influence Organizational Effectiveness

If you’ve been responsible for delivering business results for any length of time, you’ve probably hit a wall once or twice with people. Someone’s feelings got hurt, another manager is difficult to work with, company politics create unseen landmines, some colleagues disagrees with you and a couple may be out…

Leadership Profile: Malala Yousafzai

November 4, 2013 Character Courage Influence Inspiration Leadership Profiles

One of the leadership questions I often hear is this: how can I be a leader when I’m so young? I can’t think of a better example to share than this month’s leadership profile Malala Yousafzai. I first heard of Malala when it was reported the Taliban in Pakistan’s Swat…