Credibility & Inspiration Articles

Watch The Stories in Your Head

Has this ever happened to you? I was at the gym yesterday on the Stairmaster when I saw a woman I thought I recognized named Linda. Within a nanosecond, though, I realized it could not be her because she passed away this past Fall. But then my brain shifted instantly into remembering Linda’s wonderful life story – but it was only my memory, my narrative of her life, not the total narrative. I’ll bet this happens to you, too – you see someone you think you recognize and it isn’t them, but then “pop”, you think about the person and [...]

By Steve Wood|2022-02-03T20:01:51-05:00February 3rd, 2022|Credibility & Inspiration, Team Leadership / Teamwork|

Do You Take Responsibility?

It seems like today no one wants to take responsibility for anything. I think it is because people are afraid to be wrong. We have all heard the expression “put your John Hancock on it.” Most of us know this comes from the very distinctive, first signature we see on the actual Declaration of Independence. This week we will be celebrating Independence Day, that fourth day of July in 1776 when John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration with a very large, distinctive signature. The actual original document only had his signature and that of Charles Thomson. [...]

By Steve Wood|2021-06-29T13:59:07-04:00June 29th, 2021|Credibility & Inspiration, Leadership|

LeBron James – A Credible Leader

I remember first reading about LeBron James 20 years ago when he was just a high school sophomore and made the All-American high school basketball team. At that time I remember wondering if LeBron would go the route of many young, gifted athletes and drown in his own wealth and celebrity or become a real game-changer. Two years later when I read about how he gracefully and wisely turned-down a $10 million check from Reebok chairman and CEO Paul Fireman, while he was still a senior in high school, I thought, “this young man seems wise beyond his years.” (I [...]

By Steve Wood|2021-04-14T08:59:21-04:00April 13th, 2021|Credibility & Inspiration, Leadership|

Two Sides of Your Responsibility Coin

We have many roles in our lives and each role brings with it different responsibilities. This week when I was talking with someone about leadership roles I found myself using the two sides of a coin as a metaphor for the discussion. On the “heads” side of the responsibility coin are those leadership responsibilities you have because of your “positional” leadership role. Examples of these types of roles might be as a Team Leader, Manager, Chairperson, or President. With these roles come responsibilities unique to each organization. On the “tails” side of the responsibility coin are those leadership responsibilities that [...]

By Steve Wood|2019-11-07T15:25:23-05:00November 7th, 2019|Credibility & Inspiration, Leadership, Uncategorized|

How Is Your Moral Compass Working These Days?

Photo by AbsolutVision One of the problems with a compass is that it can be temporarily thrown off by surrounding electrical and magnetic forces. As a young Boy Scout I learned to orienteer using a compass and map. When you do this in the woods knowing which way is north is critical. I remember as a kid playing with my compass and putting it near objects to see what kinds of things would shift the needle away from magnetic north. I think the same thing can happen with each of our moral compasses – our true moral north [...]

By Steve Wood|2019-10-10T15:37:39-04:00October 10th, 2019|Credibility & Inspiration, Leadership|

July 4th – A Leadership Holiday

Every year on the 4th of July I think about leadership. This year as I look around at all the leadership chaos around us, I am even more amazed at what happened on that Thursday 243 years ago. Two books help me understand the leadership lessons of 1776: Revolutionary Summer by Joseph Ellis and Washington, A Life by Ron Chernow. Here are three leadership lessons that stand out: Senior leaders who set a clear overarching goal and stay focused on it will achieve great things. Smart and tactical leadership, in this case political, helps inspire the formation of front-line troops [...]

By Steve Wood|2019-07-01T09:09:48-04:00July 1st, 2019|Credibility & Inspiration, Leadership|

Yes, Real Leaders Can Say “I’m Sorry”

I did not hear any of our political leaders apologize to the 800,000 federal workers they used as poker chips during the record government shutdown. As I thought about it, I couldn’t remember many other apologies for past political decisions either. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) This made me wonder why more leaders don’t apologize and if they did, what made the apologies effective or not. Why Do Most of Us Willingly Say, “I’m sorry?” If you have any level of empathy, it is naturally human to feel badly when your actions hurt someone else. Beginning at a very young [...]

By Steve Wood|2019-02-08T18:25:20-05:00February 8th, 2019|Credibility & Inspiration|

Five Leadership Gifts from George H.W. Bush

Author Steve Wood on far right Last week many Americans paid their final respects to George H.W. Bush, our 41st President. I had a very high regard for President Bush, as many people here in the seacoast of New Hampshire and Maine did. Thousands of we locals met him, as I did four times including when I played one hole of golf with him a few decades ago. Our daughter, Alie, has fond memories of serving he and Mrs. Bush when working at Foster’s Downeast Clambake, a Maine business owned by our friend Kevin Tacy, who did a [...]

By Steve Wood|2018-12-20T09:03:56-05:00December 13th, 2018|Credibility & Inspiration, Leadership, Uncategorized|

Tell Me a Story Why You Work Here

In a moment I have a connection challenge for you. Workshops on storytelling and writing narratives are very popular for leaders right now. Why? Because good stories create human connection. Better connections with team members help us inspire and retain them. Creating a connection with a candidate can make all the difference in recruitment. Our Love of Stories. Our company is in its 37th year and most of our senior team has been together for between 20 and 25 years. I believe one of our cultural threads is that we are open, we like each other, and we can laugh [...]

By Steve Wood|2018-11-16T09:06:18-05:00November 15th, 2018|Credibility & Inspiration, Leadership|

Hey Coach, What’s in This for Me?

If you played sports, I want you to think back to the best coach or coaches you ever had. If you didn’t play sports, think about the best manager you have had or have now. I’ll wait a minute – do it, I’m serious. Now, what was “it” they did that made you remember them? My “Mad Dog’ Coach I Remember. The one coach that stands-out for me was my high school football coach in Middletown, RI, the late Joseph “Joe” Magliocco, who we players referred to affectionately as “Mad Dog.” I was a military kid and my sister and [...]

By Steve Wood|2018-08-16T10:23:22-04:00August 16th, 2018|Credibility & Inspiration, Team Leadership / Teamwork, Teams & Culture|