Basics

Leadership is Learned. So is a Lack of Leadership.

Phil Cole

Jun 28, 2022
3 min

Leadership is Learned. So is a Lack of Leadership.

People learn to lead poorly in the same manner they learn to lead well. And they get better at leading poorly.

Power versus the Story of Vision (or, How Leaders Act When They Lack Leadership)

Phil Cole

Apr 22, 2022
3 min

Power versus the Story of Vision (or, How Leaders Act When They Lack Leadership)

Leadership allows us to change other's behavior. When we lack leadership, we use power to force others to behave in the way that we want.

Phil Cole

Aug 30, 2021
1 min

Observing the Leaderless Group

This SEEING EXERCISE reveals the natural, ongoing, and distributed functions without leadership's intervention.

Phil Cole

Aug 1, 2021
2 min

The Functions in Action

This SEEING EXERCISE reveals the breadth of the functions of leadership in our past successes.

Phil Cole

Jun 25, 2021
3 min

Conclusion (Part 5, The Basics)

In each of the past articles in The Basics, we have explored how the functions define the amount of success that a group can have. We...

The Function of Learning (Part 4, The Basics)

Phil Cole

Jun 24, 2021
5 min

The Function of Learning (Part 4, The Basics)

Welcome back to The Basics. Check out the posters for the function of learning here. Learning is the beginning of the definition:...

The Function of Relationships (Part 3, The Basics)

Phil Cole

Jun 23, 2021
4 min

The Function of Relationships (Part 3, The Basics)

Welcome back to The Basics. Check out the posters for the function of relationships here. The second function in the definition is the...

The Function of Vision (Part 2, The Basics)

Phil Cole

Jun 22, 2021
5 min

The Function of Vision (Part 2, The Basics)

Welcome back to The Basics. Check out the posters for vision here. The first function of leadership is vision. In the definition of...

Introducing the Functions of Leadership (Part 1, The Basics)

Phil Cole

Jun 21, 2021
4 min

Introducing the Functions of Leadership (Part 1, The Basics)

Welcome to The Basics. Check out the poster for this section here: Our goal here is to introduce the functions of leadership, explain why...

Pre-Orders, Pre-Print, and an Announcement

Phil Cole

Jun 17, 2021
1 min

Pre-Orders, Pre-Print, and an Announcement

Pre-print copies of Redefining Leadership arrived... We are taking preorders now. The book will ship on August 1st. Over the next several...

Phil Cole

Apr 29, 2021
2 min

The Metaphor of Motion

I often use a metaphor of motion to explain the connections between vision, relationships, and learning. The goal of the leader is to...

You just finished this book. You are probably thinking, what did I just read? This makes no sense.

Phil Cole

Apr 17, 2021
2 min

You just finished this book. You are probably thinking, what did I just read? This makes no sense.

You just finished this book. You are probably thinking, what did I just read? This makes no sense. Here is what will happen. You will go...

Someone Makes a Mistake: The Hidden Functions in Action

Phil Cole

Mar 10, 2021
4 min

Someone Makes a Mistake: The Hidden Functions in Action

Someone performs a specific function wrong. So, the business wastes several hundred dollars of materials. That is a big deal for this...

This is how your boss got to be a leader. And it sucks. Do better.

Phil Cole

Oct 10, 2019
2 min

This is how your boss got to be a leader. And it sucks. Do better.

This sounds crazy, but we aren’t born knowing anything about leadership. Go ahead and argue with me about nature vs. nurture and all of...

Phil Cole

Sep 23, 2019
2 min

The Fourth "T" - TASKS

There is one additional thing that leadership is not. It’s a “T” word as well, but it’s a bit different that the other three. This is...

Learning as an Adult - the Adult Experiential Learning Cycle

Phil Cole

Sep 5, 2019
5 min

Learning as an Adult - the Adult Experiential Learning Cycle

Learning occurs only when a person changes his or her behavior. That's the end goal, the only measurement that matters. So what does that...

Somebody made a mistake. Should you get mad?

Phil Cole

Aug 27, 2019
3 min

Somebody made a mistake. Should you get mad?

Mistakes happen, and we’re often told that the most important thing is how we respond when they do. However, there’s something we need to...

Visualize leadership in the real world. What do you see?

Phil Cole

Apr 16, 2019
5 min

Visualize leadership in the real world. What do you see?

What do you actually see in the real world when someone is “doing” leadership? It looks a group of people performing tasks together. That...

Phil Cole

Mar 20, 2019
3 min

TACTICS (The Three Ts Series)

(TACTICS is the fourth article in our series about the three Ts. If you haven’t read the series introduction or about TITLE or TRAITS,...

Phil Cole

Mar 18, 2019
3 min

TRAITS (The Three Ts Series)

(TRAITS is the third article in our series about the three Ts. If you haven’t read the introduction or about TITLE, the first T, you...