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    <link>http://www.missioncommand.org.uk/123-Reg/Blog/Blog.html</link>
    <description>Mission Command Leadership: Practical, straightforward advice to help you become a better leader and get the best from your teams</description>
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      <title>Why Tony Blair’s Leadership Journey Failed</title>
      <link>http://www.missioncommand.org.uk/123-Reg/Blog/Entries/2010/9/14_Why_Tony_Blairs_Leadership_Journey_Failed.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:33:21 +0100</pubDate>
      <description>Back in 1997, I was working on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.independent.co.uk/&quot;&gt;a newspaper&lt;/a&gt; which supported Tony Blair's election campaign and included colleagues who went on to join Blair's inner circle. The optimism and excitement during election night exploded as it became clear that the young moderniser of Britain's Labour Party had won a landslide victory. These were heady days for all who believed in Blair, the charismatic young leader with a radical new voice. Yet for those of us who weren't caught up in the New Labour love-in, there was something strangely unconvincing about Blair: he had the look, feel and rhetoric of a leader — and a strong and committed following — but something was missing beyond inexperience. It wasn't insincerity, quite, but rather the sense that there were significant gaps in his personality.&lt;br/&gt;Blair's memoir, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/Journey-My-Political-Life/dp/0307269833/ref=sr_1_1&quot;&gt;A Journey&lt;/a&gt;, published last week, fills in some of those gaps and offers a fascinating account of his path to leadership. Informally (and frankly, badly) written, Blair opens compelling vistas on his path to leadership: his triumphs (Northern Ireland and Kosovo), his difficulties (the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan), his challenges (intrigues within his party, especially his successor Gordon Brown), and companions on his journey (including George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Nicolas Sarkozy and the Queen) between 1997 and 2007.&lt;br/&gt;However, descriptions of what it is like to hold power in your hands, the crackle of intrigue and the sparkle of celebrity fade beside Blair's astonishing contradictions as a man and a leader. He emerges as both flippant and serious, down-to-earth and lofty, crude and intellectual, inconsistent yet with strong convictions, open yet highly political and ruthless but charming. His accounts of handling his team, the political intrigues, and the stage management of international events are compelling for those who want to grasp and hold power. And his formula for staying the course (strong and supportive wife, loving family and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11152307&quot;&gt;a few drinks too many&lt;/a&gt; will resonate with many leaders.&lt;br/&gt;Blair has earned &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_Prime_Ministers_of_the_United_Kingdom&quot;&gt;his place in history&lt;/a&gt; and still acts as an international mediator, but his 'official' story is facing a challenge from another rather more unscripted narrative. This concerns his legacy, as understood and written by his colleagues and the UK public, which Blair cannot edit or erase. And it seems to be troubling Blair at what should have been another moment of personal glory.&lt;br/&gt;In the UK, Blair appears not to be valued for his political legacy — his service to the UK his and international statesmanship — but rather as one of a new breed of self-serving politicians, who literally spun a web of power, duped the public on the grounds for going to war, blindly supported of George W. Bush, left a party in turmoil, and then attained fabulous wealth and faux-celebrity lifestyle after leaving office.&lt;br/&gt;No doubt his book will become a bestseller, but as the days pass, it is becoming apparent that Blair and his publishers are out of step with public perceptions. In his introduction he describes his book as an 'extended letter to the country he loves', but the truth is that the country no longer loves him. Where there was once unquestioning love and support, now there is disdain and hostility. His biographer has even coined the phrase &amp;quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-rentoul/john-rentoul-where-does-blair-rage-come-from-2066946.html&quot;&gt;Blair rage&lt;/a&gt;&amp;quot;. From angry military families, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/sep/01/tony-blair-memoirs-verdict/print&quot;&gt;accusations of treachery&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/sep/01/tony-blair-a-journey-review&quot;&gt;egotism&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/opinion/2010/09/01/tony-blair-on-a-journey-of-denial-115875-22528300/&quot;&gt;denial&lt;/a&gt; by the left-wing press and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/jeffrandall/7978588/Tony-Blair-has-rewritten-history-without-modesty-or-shame.html&quot;&gt;shame by the right&lt;/a&gt;, and a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/04/tony-blair-eggs-shoes_n_705756.html&quot;&gt;hostile reception in Dublin&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23875127-protesters-plot-to-spoil-tony-blairs-book-launch-party.do&quot;&gt;London&lt;/a&gt;, Blair is facing a storm of reactions, from personal threats to a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/tony+blairaposs+book+takes+unexpected+journey/3759707&quot;&gt;humorous campaign&lt;/a&gt; to move his books into inappropriate sections of bookstores.&lt;br/&gt;He may fare better on the international stage (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2010/09/02/ST2010090201430.html?sid=ST2010090201430&quot;&gt;early U.S. reviews have been benign&lt;/a&gt;), but the fact remains that Blair, like all leaders, may now have to review his own personal view of his legacy.&lt;br/&gt;So where did it all go wrong — and what might leaders learn from his mistakes?&lt;br/&gt;Presidential rather than cabinet-style of leadership Blair's charisma was clear from the start and he used this ruthlessly to bring his team into line and lock down dissenting members. This broke with British political tradition, where the PM is expected to act as primus inter pares rather than commander-in-chief.&lt;br/&gt;Strong control and inner circle that led to factions and polarization Blair's hold on power and reliance on an inner circle (mostly unelected) to help him make key decisions resulted in polarization between him and Gordon Brown, which led to a fracturing among senior MPs and factions within the party.&lt;br/&gt;Over-reliance on rebuttal and spin  From the outset, Blair understood the power of the media and employed advisers to rebut allegations against the Labour Party and then his government and spin their line. Several years into power, the government was judged to be driven by spin alone — a triumph of style over substance.&lt;br/&gt;Agenda that relied on launching too many initiatives and not seeing them through  The Blair and Brown governments shared a deluge of initiatives designed to give the impression of an impressive and energetic government bent on reform. Yet few lasted the course or delivered any real or lasting change.&lt;br/&gt;Breaking a personal pact with the public  Blair admits in his memoirs to being a 'manipulator' and early on he made a pact with the British public: &amp;quot;In order to circumvent the party I had to construct an alliance between myself and the public,&amp;quot; he writes. However, this personal bond couldn't withstand the scandals and the decision to go to war on the basis that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.&lt;br/&gt;Dysfunctional relationships and a compromise too far One of the key dramas of the Blair years was his bitter and festering relationship with Gordon Brown, his eventual successor. Blair offers a devastating critique on a man he considered to be maddening and with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11139978&quot;&gt;zero emotional intelligence&lt;/a&gt;. The feud drew untold energy from both men, their party and the government — and Blair seems to be &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23872579-mistakes-by-difficult-gordon-brown-left-labour-in-trouble-says-tony-blair.do&quot;&gt;taking revenge on his successor in his memoir&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br/&gt;Appealing to too many stakeholders There is no doubt that Blair has charm and personality, but two decades in public life have exposed his chameleon-like qualities. A gifted politician, he was always able to give the impression of agreeing with others and presenting himself in the best possible light.&lt;br/&gt;Back-seat driving after leaving office The publication of A Journey coincided with the leadership ballot for his party. Blair was unapologetic about claiming the limelight at this sensitive time for the leadership, and endorsed one candidate, much to their embarrassment.&lt;br/&gt;Believing in your own hype  Blair emerges from his memoir as a man who is super-confident, bordering on supreme arrogance. It is a salutary story of how power can inflate the ego, but Blair is unapologetic in his belief that he is a man of courage and destiny. His detractors have a different view and point to his website and foundation as an exercise in hypocrisy and hyperbole.&lt;br/&gt;Profiting from office and living the celebrity lifestyle For many, this is Blair's most shameless act since leaving office. To his chagrin, commentators continue to highlight his lucrative speaking engagements and need to support a vast property portfolio at the expense of his good works and international diplomacy. His elevation to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/&quot;&gt;celebrity status and publicity&lt;/a&gt; has, for many, undermined the dignity of his office and he is compared unfavourably with predecessors such as Margaret Thatcher.&lt;br/&gt;So what are your thoughts on Blair and his memoir? How does a leader manage his legacy when he has retired? Should they even try to do so? Do you think Tony Blair offers a progressive model of leadership or a regressive move to self-interest and spin? Your thoughts, views, and insights are valued as always.&lt;br/&gt;</description>
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      <title>Top 30 Leadership Blogs</title>
      <link>http://www.missioncommand.org.uk/123-Reg/Blog/Entries/2010/9/5_Top_30_Leadership_Blogs.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 5 Sep 2010 21:54:21 +0100</pubDate>
      <description>Thought I’d save you all some time - a very US-centric list but plenty of data to assist you in determining where to look next.  I take no credit for this list (it’s @MikeMyatt’s as you’ll see from below - well done Mike!) but it’s worth the retread!  I’m compiling a UK version .. but it’s taking some time! Enjoy.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.n2growth.com/blog&quot;&gt;N2growth Blog&lt;/a&gt;: Let’s get the self-promotion out of the way, and hey, if you don’t think my blog belongs on the list, let me know in the comments below. You can also follow me on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/mikemyatt&quot;&gt;@mikemyatt &lt;/a&gt;- Alexa Rank: 27,509 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: 6 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 20 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://johnmaxwellonleadership.com/&quot;&gt;John Maxwell on Leadership&lt;/a&gt;: The name says it all…in fact, I almost view John and the topic of leadership as being synonymous. You won’t find more solid thinking on the topic of leadership anywhere (can you tell I’m a big fan?). You can follow John on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/johncmaxwell&quot;&gt;@johncmaxwell&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 341,182 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 4 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://stevefarber.com/&quot;&gt;Extreme Leadership&lt;/a&gt;: Steve Farber consistently lays out useful and lucid thoughts on what it takes to be an extreme leader. Steve is a a great guy and you can follow him on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/stevefarber&quot;&gt;@stevefarber&lt;/a&gt; - Alexa Rank: 1,240,575 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 5 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://tompeters.com/&quot;&gt;Tom Peters Blog&lt;/a&gt;: Tom is the classic big thinker and is prone to the frequent politically incorrect rant, which is why I like him. Regardless of whether you agree of disagree with his opinions, you cannot challenge his candor or his passion. You can follow Tom on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/tom_peters&quot;&gt;@tom_peters&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 115,618 Google Page Rank: 6 PostRank Leadership Score: 26 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 16 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.michaelhyatt.com/&quot;&gt;Leading With Purpose&lt;/a&gt;: Michael Hyatt’s leadership blog is an exceptional read by a great CEO. You can follow Michael on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/michaelhyatt&quot;&gt;@MichaelHyatt&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 63,303 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: 2 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 13 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.johnbaldoni.com/&quot;&gt;Lead By Example&lt;/a&gt;: John Baldoni is a seasoned leadership pro and one of only a few leadership coaches that I endorse. You can follow John on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/johnbaldoni&quot;&gt;@JohnBaldoni&lt;/a&gt;.  Alexa Rank: 2,947575 Google Page Rank: 2 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 9 TwitterGrader Score: 98.5&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.danielpink.com/&quot;&gt;Daniel Pink&lt;/a&gt;: Thought Leader, TED Speaker and recovering lawyer, Daniel is one of a kind. You can follow him on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/danielpink&quot;&gt;@DanielPink&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 129,999 Google Page Rank: 6 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 7 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://weeklyleader.net/&quot;&gt;Weekly Leader Blog&lt;/a&gt;: Peter Mello’s blog has a variety of contributors and is always a great read. You can follow Peter on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/petermello&quot;&gt;@PeterMello&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 2,799,154 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: 3 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 16 TwitterGrader Score: 99.3&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://scotteblin.typepad.com/&quot;&gt;Next Level Blog&lt;/a&gt;: Scott Eblin’s authors some of the smartest leadership insights on the web. You can follow Scott on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/scotteblin&quot;&gt;@ScottEblin&lt;/a&gt;.  Alexa Rank: 1,123,13 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 11 TwitterGrader Score: 96.3&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://blog.threestarleadership.com/&quot;&gt;Wally Bock’s Three Star Leadership Blog&lt;/a&gt;: Wally Bock’s blog is practical, insightful, and always personal. Wally is a pure straight-shooter who pulls no punches while also happening to be one of the best writers I know. You can follow Wally on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/wallybock&quot;&gt;@WallyBock&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 251,748 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: 18 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 30 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://allthingsworkplace.com/&quot;&gt;All Things Workplace&lt;/a&gt;: This blog offers opinions and general information on leadership and leadership development by Steve Roesler. Steve’s insights are thoughtful and always spot-on. You can follow Steve on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/steveroesler&quot;&gt;@steveroesler&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 523,731 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 0 TwitterGrader Score: 99.3&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://blogs.hbr.org/goldsmith/&quot;&gt;Marshall Goldsmith Blog&lt;/a&gt;: Marshall Goldsmith is a class act, a competitor of mine (one of only two or three CEO coaches that I would recommend), and a deep thinker on the topic of leadership. You can follow Marshall on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/coachgoldsmith&quot;&gt;@coachgoldsmith&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 5,678 (HBR) Google Page Rank: 6 (HBR) PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 0 TwitterGrader Score: 99.3&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://sethgodin.typepad.com/&quot;&gt;Seth Godin’s Blog&lt;/a&gt;: The best-selling author, entrepreneur and “agent of change” gives you personal insights on the leadership landscape. I find myself only agreeing with Seth about 50% of the time, but he makes me think 100% of the time. You can follow Seth on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/thisissethsblog&quot;&gt;@ThisIsSethsBlog&lt;/a&gt; Alexa Rank: 4,876 Google Page Rank: 7 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 35 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://themanagementexperts.com/blog&quot;&gt;The Management Experts&lt;/a&gt;:If you’re looking for a positive spin on leadership then look no further than Phil Gerbyshak. TME is Phil’s latest blogging adventure and is a multi-author take on leadership and management that is simple, to the point and always positive. You can follow Phil on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/philgerb&quot;&gt;@philgerb&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 2,731,651 Google Page Rank: 0 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 13 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/index.html&quot;&gt;Leading Blog&lt;/a&gt;:  Michael McKinney authors the Leading Blog which takes a comprehensive look at all things leadership. I tend to agree with most of Michael’s positions (except when he left my book off his list) and find his business logic to be solidly grounded. You can follow Michael on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/leadershipnow&quot;&gt;@LeadershipNow&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 115,581 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: 18 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 13 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://greatleadershipbydan.com/&quot;&gt;Great Leadership&lt;/a&gt;: Dan McCarthy’s blog is a great source of leadership information and a consistently good read. You can follow Dan on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/greatleadership&quot;&gt;@GreatLeadership &lt;/a&gt;Alexa Rank: 333,659 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: 9 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 10 TwitterGrader Score: 99.3&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.robinsharma.com/leadership_blog.htm&quot;&gt;Robin Sharma’s Leadership Blog&lt;/a&gt;: Robin’s take on leadership is always both interesting and informative. You can follow Robin on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/_robin_sharma&quot;&gt;@_robin_sharma&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 138,904 Google Page Rank: 5 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 2 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leadchangegroup.com/&quot;&gt;Lead Change Group&lt;/a&gt;. The Lead Change Group was founded by Mike Henry Sr., who is one of the true nice guys in the business. You can follow Mike on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/mikehenrysr&quot;&gt;@mikehenrysr&lt;/a&gt;.  Alexa Rank: 200,949 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: 16 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 28 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.terrystarbucker.com/&quot;&gt;Ramblings From a Glass Half Full&lt;/a&gt;: Terry Starbucker’s blog represents some of the more contemporary thinking on leadership. You can follow Terry on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/starbucker&quot;&gt;@starbucker&lt;/a&gt;.  Alexa Rank: 259,822 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 9 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://artpetty.com/&quot;&gt;Management Excellence&lt;/a&gt;: Art Petty’s blog provides consistently solid leadership wisdom. You can follow  art on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/artpetty&quot;&gt;@artpetty&lt;/a&gt;.  Alexa Rank: 746494 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 15 TwitterGrader Score: 99.3&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.danieldecker.net/&quot;&gt;Daniel Decker&lt;/a&gt;: Dan’s blog is always reliable and grounded. You can follow Dan on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/danieldecker&quot;&gt;@DanielDecker&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 1,623,187 Google Page Rank: 2 PostRank Leadership Score: 24 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 13 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://leadertalk.mountainstate.edu/&quot;&gt;Leader Talk&lt;/a&gt;: Mountain State University’s leadership blog is hosted by Becky Robinson. You can follow Becky on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/leadertalk&quot;&gt;@LeaderTalk&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 297,226 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 14 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://orrinwoodward.blogharbor.com/blog&quot;&gt;Orrin Woodward&lt;/a&gt;: Orrin is smart, creative and insightful – I only wish he’d publish more frequently updated content. You can follow Orrin on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/orrin_woodward&quot;&gt;@orrin_woodward&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 47,694 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: 50 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 1 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tanveernaseer.com/&quot;&gt;Tanveer Naseer&lt;/a&gt;: Tanveer is bright and a deep thinker. You can follow Tanveer on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/tanveernaseer&quot;&gt;@tanveernaseer&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 1,163,245 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: 18 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 15 TwitterGrader Score: 98&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bigisthenewsmall.com/&quot;&gt;Big Is the New Small&lt;/a&gt;: Scott Williams is a breath of fresh air in the leadership space and well worth reading. You can follow Scott on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/scottwilliams&quot;&gt;@scottwilliams&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 293,337 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 22 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://scottgould.me/&quot;&gt;Scott Gould&lt;/a&gt;: Scott is one of my favorite young leadership bloggers. Scott goes deep with every post and is a must follow on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/scottgould&quot;&gt;@scottgould&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 446,936 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: 7 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 27 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.aspire-cs.com/&quot;&gt;Leadership Solutions&lt;/a&gt;: The Leadership Solutions blog is written by Mary Jo Asmus. You can follow Mary Jo on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/mjasmus&quot;&gt;@mjasmus&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 1,814,538 Google Page Rank: 4 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 14 TwitterGrader Score: 98.0&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ronedmondson.com/&quot;&gt;Ron Edmondson&lt;/a&gt;: Ron is smart, authentic, approachable and he posts as frequently if not more than most in the leadership space. You can follow Ron on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/ronedmondson&quot;&gt;@ronedmondson&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 644,746 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: 5 Number of Posts in last 30 days: 40 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/&quot;&gt;Leadership Freak&lt;/a&gt;: Dan Rockwell’s blog is a must read. While we don’t always see eye-to-eye on things, I hold Dan’s work in high regard. You can follow Dan on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/leadershipfreak&quot;&gt;@LeadershipFreak&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 1,051,958 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 27 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jamesstrock.com/&quot;&gt;Serve to Lead&lt;/a&gt;: If you’re into servant leadership then you should be reading James Strock. You can follow James on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/jamesstrock&quot;&gt;@jamesstrock&lt;/a&gt;.  Alexa Rank: 7,050773 Google Page Rank: 1 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 13 TwitterGrader Score: 96.3&lt;br/&gt;	•	&lt;a href=&quot;http://randomactsofleadership.com/&quot;&gt;Random Acts of Leadership&lt;/a&gt;: Random Acts of Leadership is Susan Mazza’s contemplative and thoughtful leadership Blog. You can follow Susan on Twitter &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/susanmazza&quot;&gt;@SusanMazza&lt;/a&gt;. Alexa Rank: 2,096,995 Google Page Rank: 3 PostRank Leadership Score: N/A Number of Posts in last 30 days: 3 TwitterGrader Score: 100&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description>
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      <title>Tony Blair’s Journey as a Leader</title>
      <link>http://www.missioncommand.org.uk/123-Reg/Blog/Entries/2010/9/5_Tony_Blairs_Journey_as_a_Leader.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 5 Sep 2010 20:17:39 +0100</pubDate>
      <description>Andrew Neather writes a comprehensive review of the book, but on Blair as a leader he writes: &lt;br/&gt;‘Blair's aim is different. He states that, “my aim was to write not as a historian but as a leader”. That is his excuse for the sometimes confusing lack of dates and the occasional jumping back and forth in his narrative. This is a meditation on leadership. As such it feels oddly retrospective, part of a teleology Blair has imposed on the telling of his own career. That and the refinement of the New Labour creed add up to the “journey” of the title.&lt;br/&gt;His fixation with leadership grew steadily: it is almost as though he admires decisiveness rather than the ability to get decisions right. Thus he has a genuine admiration for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/related-2459-george-w-bush.do&quot;&gt;George W Bush&lt;/a&gt;, even though his decisiveness flowed from the “immense simplicity in how he saw the world”. He describes even &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/related-1163-israel.do&quot;&gt;Israel&lt;/a&gt;'s Ariel Sharon as “a real leader”, despite being maddening.&lt;br/&gt;Sometimes this material comes out like a post-dinner motivational speech. Thus on his nerves before giving his famous “People's Princess” comments: “don't feed all the inner demons who suggest all the things that can go wrong. Just go out and do it”.&lt;br/&gt;The focus on leadership is clearest in his last two years in power: “I felt liberated, strong and up for anything”. He had come to realise that being in touch'” with opinion was no longer the lodestar. Doing what was right' had replaced it.”’&lt;br/&gt;Doing right is important - but it’s probably best to judge one’s relative success in achieving that to others!&lt;br/&gt;Compare this, and Blair’s own words as a self-styled leadership guru with some criticism dated some years ago about Blair’s style, and his seven shortcomings:&lt;br/&gt;1. Failure to manage expectations and follow through&lt;br/&gt;Blair has been addicted to grandiose claims that have in turn created unrealisable goals. He has preferred headline-grabbing initiatives to the hard slog of policymaking. As Dominic Lawson puts it in The Independent, NHS employees have probably “lost count of the number of radical reforms demanded of them over the past nine years”.&lt;br/&gt;2. Neglecting to adapt to changed circumstances&lt;br/&gt;New Labour gained power on the back of a slick marketing and communications campaign. But once in government, the party continued with this strategy; Blair “never learnt the art of leading a collegiate administration”, says Stern.&lt;br/&gt;3. Adopting the ‘heroic CEO’ leadership model&lt;br/&gt;Having signed up to the idea that chief executives achieve glory on their own, Blair has been “unhealthily self-centred”, says Stern.&lt;br/&gt;4. An authoritarian style&lt;br/&gt;Adopting the leadership style of Margaret Thatcher simply crimped his ministers’ creativity and initiative.&lt;br/&gt;5. Ignoring criticism&lt;br/&gt;Blair and his core team hived themselves off from the rest of the party and developed a bunker mentality, dismissing calls to change his style of government. The result? He has been forced to announce his departure.&lt;br/&gt;6. Addiction to arbitrary targets&lt;br/&gt;The government’s crude use of targets and performance measures has had unintended consequences. Labour’s “massive meddling” has damaged morale and hampered day-to-day management of the public sector, says The Economist.&lt;br/&gt;7. Inadequate succession planning&lt;br/&gt;Successful leaders leave talented successors behind, says Stern. But beyond Gordon Brown, no significant leadership talent has emerged over the past few years.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Most UK readers will enjoy the irony of number 7 when taken alongside the revelations in ‘Tony Blair - A Journey’!&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Time to sit back, wait and see what other commentators not make of Blair’s legacy and leadership style...</description>
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      <title>7 Reasons Leaders Fail</title>
      <link>http://www.missioncommand.org.uk/123-Reg/Blog/Entries/2010/9/1_7_Reasons_Leaders_Fail.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 1 Sep 2010 23:02:21 +0100</pubDate>
      <description>This comprehensive post was originally posted on PsyBlog.  Follow them here http://feeds2.feedburner.com/PsychologyBlog&lt;br/&gt;Here’s the post - with plenty to think about ...&lt;br/&gt;Around two-thirds of workers say the most stressful aspect of their jobs is their immediate boss, their line manager (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805841431?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=psy0a-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0805841431&quot;&gt;Hogan, 2006&lt;/a&gt;). While this will come as no surprise to most, this statistic suggests a massive number of unhappy working relationships. So, does this mean that leadership is failing on a massive scale? Well, not exactly...&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;A recent article published in American Psychologist beautifully explains why so many people experience their managers as piping hot geysers of stress (&lt;a href=&quot;http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.63.3.182&quot;&gt;Vugt, Hogan &amp;amp; Kaiser, 2008&lt;/a&gt;). What emerges is that bosses aren't inherently bad people (mostly), but that the modern culture of work sets them up to fail. Here are the seven main reasons I've picked out from this article for why leaders fail:&lt;br/&gt;1. Strict hierarchies.&lt;br/&gt;For Mark Van Vugt of the University of Kent and colleagues a large part of the problem with many modern organisations is their hierarchies. Leaders are at the top of the chain and are assumed to have all the answers, so they make most of the decisions. In reality knowledge and expertise is spread across people in organisations. But it's the leaders who must be seen to lead and so followers get frustrated because their superior knowledge and expertise is frequently ignored. This leads to:&lt;br/&gt;2. Poor decision-making.&lt;br/&gt;Leaders often don't make any better decisions than followers, and frequently make worse ones. This is another consequence of strict hierarchies. Rather than setting up leaders to fail, Van Vugt et al. (2008) argue it's better to agree that leaders are not always the best people to make the decisions. Spreading the responsibility around, or using more participatory strategies for decision-making is often more effective. But this isn't the way things generally work, part of the problem is:&lt;br/&gt;3. Huge pay differentials.&lt;br/&gt;Followers often hate their leaders because of the huge difference in their salaries. It's hard to feel any sympathy for someone whose pay is stratospheric (average CEO pay is 179 times that of average workers). And, because more pay means more status, leaders can quickly come to believe they really deserve the God-like status their pay suggests, resulting in their thinking they have all the answers and that they have the right to treat their employees less than fairly. In the bosses' defence, though, there are:&lt;br/&gt;4. Impossible standards for leaders.&lt;br/&gt;Perhaps because of the huge pay and incredible demands, followers expect their leaders to be almost superhuman. The leadership literature identifies a whole range of personal qualities thought important for a good leader. These include integrity, persistence, humility, competence, decisiveness and being able to inspire the troops. While a leader may be high on one or two of these, they are unlikely to have the full set. Followers are almost bound to be disappointed by what is, after all, another fallible human who is just trying to:&lt;br/&gt;5. Climb the greasy pole.&lt;br/&gt;If the boss is nice to you, it's a bonus, because it's not required for them to get on in the organisation. Leaders are promoted by those higher than them, not those below them - so it's only necessary for bosses to impress their bosses. This is a recipe for disaffection amongst the followers. Talking of which, forget the psychology of leadership, what do we know about the:&lt;br/&gt;6. Psychology of followership?&lt;br/&gt;One of the best points Van Vugt et al. make is that although it's leadership that has been most extensively studied and discussed, most of us end up as followers. So really the psychology of followership is more important than leadership. What is it that makes us follow someone else? And, more subversively: do we need leaders? For example, some research shows that when people know what they're doing, they resent having leadership imposed on them. Generally, though, there's little known about followership, and how to avoid:&lt;br/&gt;7. Alienation.&lt;br/&gt;As a result of the strict hierarchies, huge pay differentials, poor decision-making, greasy-pole climbing and feeling powerless to change huge bureaucracies, followers naturally develop feelings of alienation, and alienation kills motivation and productivity, along with any hope of job satisfaction.&lt;br/&gt;Talk is cheap&lt;br/&gt;By implication the way to rectify these perceived problems is to do the reverse. Don't instigate rigid hierarchies, discourage huge pay differentials, democratise decision-making and don't set impossible standards for leaders. Some organisations are already managing this - presumably those in which followers don't find their bosses the biggest sources of stress - but most are not.&lt;br/&gt;Of course talk is cheap and recognising the problem is quite different to knowing what to do about it, or having the courage to do it. Anyone wanting to make these types of changes across an organisation would have to be a really great leader - and there are truly few of those around.&lt;br/&gt;</description>
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      <title>Best leaders in the worst of times</title>
      <link>http://www.missioncommand.org.uk/123-Reg/Blog/Entries/2010/8/31_Best_leaders_in_the_worst_of_times.html</link>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:08:36 +0100</pubDate>
      <description>I had the misfortune to have met a good friend of mine today.  I say misfortune because she was in the throes of initiating a large scale redundancy package for her organization.  &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Beyond the usual sympathies and inappropriate bursts of black humor I did offer some received wisdom based on what I remembered reading about Robert Sutton’s talk to some senior executives facing something similar.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;If you chose the option of plant closure (it’s ALWAYS only one option) then there are four things that should be done to reduce the damage to the organization, after all, life goes on.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;	1.	 Forewarned is Forearmed.  Give as much notice of the timelines as possible and explain the narrative - what people will see and how it will all unfold.  Do some stakeholder analysis and make sure you include everyone that is going to feel the impact.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;	1.	 Be Transparent.  Be upfront, be honest and explain the business case to your employees as you have already done to the board.  They deserve and need to understand why.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;	1.	 Do Everything Reasonable to Keep People Employed.  You must always act within the law, but where possible go the extra mile (and include the costs of doing so in your business case (see point 2!).  Explore options for redeployment internally and where that fails assist your soon to be ex-employees to search for work elsewhere.  Not only is this the decent thing to do (‘do unto others etc’) but it makes good business sense - your ex-employees are still going to influence your reputation after the event.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;	1.	Empathise.  Be human, show some emotion - in public and in private.  No-one is going to think any the worse of you for being emotional.  In fact if you show no emotion and maintain an ‘sorry, it’s business stance’ throughout not only won’t you be thanked, but months from now you’ll wish you had.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;KB95CH7GZ2NY</description>
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