Georgia Army National Guard Officer Candidates Charlie Cossart and Mark Hurley receive a practical lesson in the psychological impact of a Civil War bayonet charge during a staff ride conducted by the Georgia Military Institute’s Officer Candidate School Class 58 at Kennesaw Mountain, Ga. March 1, 2019. Major William Carraway, commander of the 161st Military History Detachment, demonstrated how rapidly infantry formations could close distances with enemy forces in the time it took a Soldier to load and fire a musket. Georgia National Guard photo by Capt. Andy Schwab

Brigadier General Tom Blackstock, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 78th Troop Command joins officer candidates of the Georgia Military Institute’s Officer Candidate School Class 58 in a course of instruction on Civil War drill during a staff ride at Kennesaw Mountain, Ga. March 1, 2019. Maj. William Carraway, commander of the 161st Military History Detachment taught the officer candidates how to form a line of battle from a column of march in accordance with the 1855 Manual of Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics. Georgia Guard photo by Capt. Andy Schwab

Brigadier General Tom Blackstock, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 78th Troop Command, observes as Officer Candidates Charlie Cossart and Mark Hurley practice the nine steps required to load and fire a Civil War era rifle musket during a staff ride at Kennesaw Mountain, Ga. March 1, 2019. The officer candidates of the Georgia Military Institute’s OCS Class 58 researched and briefed the battles of the Atlanta Campaign and walked the ground of Kennesaw Mountain to learn how lessons of past conflicts inform future leaders. Georgia National Guard photo by Capt. Andy Schwab

Leadership lessons from STAR TREK the Next Generation.

Mind. Blown.

"The fast-changing business world of today is far different from just a few years ago. Success in today's marketplace requires new leadership techniques, new thinking, and an eye on the future . . . .

In Make It So: Leadership Lessons from Star Trek: The Next Generation®, Wess Roberts and coauthor Bill Ross take their inspiration from today's most striking and most popular vision of the future -- Star Trek -- an unprecedented television, feature film and publishing phenomenon. From the top-rated television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Roberts and Ross find a new symbol for successful leadership: Captain Jean-Luc Picard."

What football managers can teach you about leadership.

Read more about it here: edition.cnn.com/2013/10/01/business/can-football-managers...

Major William Carraway, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 161st Military History Detachment, describes artillery actions during the opening phase of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain during a staff ride for the Georgia Military Institute’s Officer Candidate School 58 March 1, 2019.

Georgia National Guard photo by Capt. Andy Schwab

Tracies was ALA's Diversity Office Director from 2003 - 2009 and now Assistant Dean, Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She is involved in ALA's Emerging Leader program (see: www.emergingleaders.ala.org/leadershiplessons/?p=85)

Do you remember that phrase, "underpromise and overdeliver." It's a useful mindset for achieving goals!

But what happens if you "overpromise and underdeliver" - does that work?

Nope.

Lots of folks are soon to find that out.

Remember the Fyre Festival? Awesome times! The reality? It was so underdelivered that it became the subject of not one, but two full-length documentaries - including one called "Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened."

Massive promises never delivered. Oops. The founder went to jail.

So - to that point - a lot of people now expect things to suddenly get massively better in the next little while because, well, all the problems will be fixed.

Here's the thing - it's going to be tough to improve on an economy that is already firing on all cylinders. It's going to be difficult to bring back entire industries - think about the automotive sector - that have not already made the investments that are necessary to get to the future. It's going to be difficult to provide jobs that require newly emerging skills if you haven't done the retraining necessary with people to fill those jobs. It's not going to be easy to have a successful economy that is massively reliant on migrant labor if you are going to try to terrorize those people. It's going to be tough to take away healthcare and old age security from folks when the very people who voted for come to realize that you were talking about taking away their healthcare and old age security! It's going to be difficult to fire millions of federal workers when people suddenly come to realize how those workers make things function.

Oops. Fun times ahead.

Here's the thing about overpromising - as soon as it becomes apparent that all you can do is underdeliver, mindsets move. The excitement of winning is only temporary, particularly when the promises are so grand and significant that they are unachievable. The simple fact is - that while initial successes can bring a sense of euphoria, it’s the sustained actions and continuous innovation and delivery that define lasting success. That's probably unlikely given the known volatility and recklessness of some of the folks who have provided the euphoria hit.

The same thing happens in the corporate sector. True success isn’t just winning once, but being prepared to innovate, evolve, and keep achieving despite new realities or challenges. It's about celebrating achievements but not losing momentum after the initial triumph. Otherwise, there's a quick loss of trust in the leadership team - when expectations are set too high and not met, customers and stakeholders lose trust in the brand - or worse. Unrealistic overpromises usually crash and burn. Think about Theranos - they promised revolutionary blood testing technology that never worked as advertised, leading to legal issues and a loss of credibility - and the founder went to jail.

Oops.

The reality of underperforming on overpromising is ugly.

We live in interesting times.

#Overpromise #Underdeliver #LeadershipLessons #RealityCheck #SustainableSuccess #TrustMatters #Innovation #CorporateChallenges #Expectations #LessonsLearned

Original post: jimcarroll.com/2024/11/daily-inspiration-leadership-succe...

This morning the team talked about the leadership lessons they could learn from the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Elizabeth Holmes’ rise to prominence was as swift as it was remarkable. As the founder and CEO of Theranos, she captured the world’s attention with her ambitious vision of transforming the healthcare industry. Her mission was to revolutionize blood testing by offering quick and affordable tests with just a single drop of blood. This groundbreaking idea made her one of Silicon Valley’s brightest stars, and for a time, she was hailed as the youngest self-made female billionaire.

The image of Holmes in her iconic black turtleneck became synonymous with her brand—projecting confidence, determination, and a commitment to changing the world. But behind the image was a complex story that would soon unravel. As Theranos grew, so did the questions about the accuracy and reliability of its technology.

Journalists and regulators began to investigate, leading to revelations that Theranos had misled investors, doctors, and patients about its capabilities.

Despite her vision and the excitement surrounding Theranos, Holmes' story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of overpromising in industries where people's health is at stake. The collapse of her company in 2018 sent shockwaves through the tech and medical worlds, serving as a reminder of the importance of transparency and ethical responsibility.

Elizabeth Holmes' fall from grace was as dramatic as her rise. Once celebrated as a trailblazer, she was later charged with fraud and became a symbol of Silicon Valley's darker side, where ambition sometimes overtakes ethics. Yet, her story also highlights the immense pressures faced by young entrepreneurs to deliver results and meet high expectations.

Holmes' legacy remains controversial. To some, she is a symbol of unchecked ambition, while to others, she is a figure who dared to dream big but lost her way. Her journey offers valuable lessons about leadership, ethics, and the complexities of innovation in the modern world.

For more information about Elizabeth Holmes: www.calameo.com/books/007555329b196ea15d914