The Barzel Group Blog
The Leadership Square: A Framework for Developing Leaders
The Process of Leadership Development The ancient Chinese philosopher Xun Kuang is quoted as saying, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” I wish more leaders understood this dynamic. It seems today, more than ever, that training and developing leaders has been reduced to “Read this…
Not Vacationing (Resting) is Holding Us Back.
At this point each year, conversations often turn to, “What are you plans for the summer?” When asked, I respond by telling whoever wants to know about our baseball tournaments, camping trips, and then, the pièce de résistance, our two week “off the grid” up north vacation in August. This is usually where I hear…
It’s not mean, it’s clear!
I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan which is in the Midwest. So, we have an extra helping of “Midwest Nice” often referred to as “West Michigan Nice”. West Michigan Nice is a behavioral paradigm often seen when conflict or challenging others toward better behavior is purposefully avoided, then accompanied with “I didn’t want to make…
How Are You Doing?
About 18 months ago, I wrote a blog post on “The Essentials of Business”, a framework for assessing how your company is performing. This framework from Five Capitals lays out four essential components that make up any business or organization. All four need to perform at optimal levels for the organization to truly succeed. Here’s…
What’s Your Vocation?
A few summers ago, I listened to a podcast by author and teacher, Terry Wardle. The title was “What’s Your Vocation?”. As an Executive Coach, the title caught my attention enough to listen. In this 15 minute podcast, Wardle explained that most of the time, people answer the question “What’s your vocation” erroneously, citing what…
True Leadership Begins with Humility
Years ago, I read an article by Dr. Dwight A. Pryor, the Founder and President of the Center for Judaic-Christian Studies. In it, he compared two ancient locations: Herodium and Bethlehem. I’ve secured permission to reprint his article here. For leaders, it provides such a stark contrast that the lesson is clear: True leadership begins…