With the "information age" on the sunset of the horizon, a new edge is forming. This will be very much like a mythical place for many of today's business leaders, yet a place they are all familiar with. Like deja-vu, everyone will be able to talk about this place, and yet, few will actually have the capacity to journey there for much more than a short visit.

This is the place where we find it possible to consider others, and to make decisions that are ultimately in their best interest for no other reason than the greater good.

Do you know someone like this? Do you respect this person? If is weren't for your "job" would you choose to follow this person, particularly at this moment in time?

At some point in our lives, we come across a person who has this intriguing capability to "relate" to us on a personal level. In fact, as you sit back and think about it, this person seems to have an uncanny ability to relate with just about ANY person s/he comes across. Whenever you are asked to name 1-2 leaders who have made a positive difference in you life, this person makes your list.

What is it about this leader that is so familiar, and yet, so special that they get their name on "the list"?

(If you are a leader, do you secretly think you deserve to be on the list?)

For some of you, being in this new 'land' will be natural. For the remaining 75%, well, you have a difficult journey ahead of you if you truly want a green card to the edge of the future. Like many journey's where the roads have not been paved, this will not be a smooth path. Of the dozens of executives I have coached, they all have many experiences in common. Frustration, disgust, confusion and in the beginning, exhaustion. When they choose not to give up however, the path continues and they experience surprising moments of exhilaration, beauty, and ultimately, peace.

As the first post on Bad Leadership, I wanted to give you the vision of where this site is intended to take you- the leadership journey less traveled. Why is this important? As we leave the information age, it will be those handful of leaders who not only can access information, but rather, guide others in using it towards a greater good, that will shape the world we live in.

At some point in your leadership career, someone will take your name to their dinner table. The story will be of a person who just can't seem to "get it". In a phrase, you will be considered a "bad" leader.

For those people in leadership positions who are in their 30's, 40's, perhaps 50's, this is not a place they planned on being and yet, somehow, they have not learned how to be any different. What's more, they are now earning that six-figure salary, so unless the world tells then they have to change it is simply easier to manage work, and deal with people.

The problem is, they recognize that something is missing. Even if it is just an idea, they realize that this "something" is an ability to relate to what matters most in the people they are leading. And within the first 3 conversations, what lies at the heart of every leader is a deep desire to make a difference.

My intention is to provide the readers of this blog the questions, science, tools, and forum on what makes good leaders...good.

I thank you for reading this far, and invite you back for more.
If you want to get going on the journey now, then begin by asking yourself these 4 questions:

1) Do you often say, 'that's just the way I am' knowing you could be better?
2) How often do you stop to think and reflect on the impact you've had on others?
3) If you are curious about your people, why? What is the focus of your curiosity?
4) When was the last time you learned to change something about yourself - to the point you "broke the rubber band" (beyond the stretch)?

Until next time -