responsibility – Nathan Magnuson

Your Career is Your Responsibility

I’ve been thinking about career selection and management a lot recently. When I’m asked how I landed where I am, I’m quick to reply that I wouldn’t wish my career path on anyone but I sure do love where I am now. In all honesty, there has been a lot…

3 Continuous Improvement Questions You Ought to Consider

June 15, 2015 Organizational Effectiveness Strategic Thinking

What comes to mind when you think about continuous improvement? Hopefully you believe it’s a leadership responsibility we all share each and every day. “CI” doesn’t discriminate based on seniority, title, pay grade or job function. Good ideas can come from everywhere. And in a changing environment where what worked…

How to Tell Who the Real Leader Is

October 20, 2014 Character Courage decision-making Influence Inspiration Leadership Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness

I’ll admit I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years when it comes to identifying leadership ability in others. Some I’ve thought would be great weren’t – and others I didn’t give much consideration turned out to be amazing. It’d be a lot easier if there was a scientific method…

The Reason We Take the Leap

October 6, 2014 Influence Inspiration Leadership Personal Effectiveness

Leadership comes with all sorts of headaches and complications. At some point, I’m sure every leader sits back and asks the question, “how did I acquire all this stress?” Sometimes the magnitude of responsibilities is so overwhelming that would-be leaders count the cost and pass up the opportunity altogether. There’s no…

What Coaching Leaders Do Differently

September 15, 2014 Coaching Influence Leadership Personal Effectiveness Questions

“Coaching” has been trending corporate buzzword in organizational leadership for well over a decade. We’re all familiar with athletics coaches. But when someone asks us to coach someone to learn a new skill or solve problem, it’s usually in a professional work context. What do coaches actually do – or…

What Young Professionals Need to Know About Leadership

June 16, 2014 Influence Inspiration Leadership Personal Effectiveness Young Professionals

I recently got the chance speak to several college and high school student groups about leadership. It reminded me of my college experience when the subject of leadership really clicked with me for the first time. As always, our future rests on the ability of the next generation to lead well. So…

Why Do We Even Have Core Values?

April 21, 2014 Core Values Culture decision-making Leadership Organizational Effectiveness Values

Most organizations have core values. Somewhere anyway. They’re usually posted on the website and probably printed on a brochure somewhere. But do people talk about them individually? Does anyone know them? Are they specific and meaningful enough to make a difference? At the end of the day, the organization is going to…

What “the Boob Grabber” Taught Me About Leadership Legacy

February 3, 2014 Humility Influence Leadership Personal Effectiveness Values

I took a college class one semester from a guest instructor who had recently been the president of a large and influential organization. His presidency had lasted over twenty years and he had overseen numerous high-profile change initiatives. I enjoyed the class immensely and was really challenged in my leadership…

Coach Bill Snyder’s 16 Goals for Success

December 24, 2012 Core Values Inspiration Leadership Personal Effectiveness

I’m a sucker for leadership philosophies embraced by successful athletics coaches. Whether it’s Coack K on teamwork or Coach Burton on developing high school kids, I always come away with something powerful and enriching. I think the reason is that athletics provides one of the greatest leadership development opportunities out…

Resilience and the Pan Am Flight 73 Hijacking

December 10, 2012 Inspiration Personal Effectiveness Resilience

A couple summers ago I had the incredible opportunity to attend a one week Dynamics of International Terrorism course with the Air Force Special Operations. I’m still not sure how I had the good fortune to attend. We heard from military, law enforcement, and security officers who were on the…

The Courage to Lead

October 1, 2012 Communication Influence Leadership Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness

The more time I spend with military and national security leaders, the more I’m convinced of the magnitude of a certain leadership quality: courage. That might not surprise you; everyone knows military service members need courage to put their lives on the line every day. There’s no debating that, but…

Reconciling Humility and Leadership

September 17, 2012 Influence Leadership Personal Effectiveness

The humble leader is in vogue. Jim Collin’s masterpiece Good to Great made that clear with his distinction of “Level 5 Leadership,” as has a resurgence in servant leadership interest. But if you are a naturally non-assuming person, you can’t use the guise of “humility” to keep from putting your…