My colleague Chris Cavanaugh recently made the observation that people find themselves in one of two groups these days: lamenting or inventing.

Many of us are looking backwards and lamenting. We grieve what has been taken away, either from us personally, or someone we know:

* our retirement account
* our job
* our house
* our club membership
* our assumptions about the way life works
* our confidence that we know what we are doing

“It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.”
– Warren Buffett

He was considered a legend in his industry.  Wealthy individuals from around the country asked if they could be his clients; many were turned away.  Past chairman of the NASDAQ.  Former board of governors member of the National Association of [...]

A CEO in New York shared a conundrum with me a few weeks ago. It involved money – the CEO’s compensation, to be specific.

A member of the Board had approached him with a request. A major portion of this Leader’s compensation for the year would come in the form of a stock bonus tied to hitting annual budget targets. At the mid-year mark, it was clear to the Board that the company would not hit the targets. The Board wanted to reward the CEO with the bonus anyway, and they were asking him to provide new (i.e. ‘lower’) targets that he and the company would be sure to hit. The request did not sit well with the CEO.

What guides your significant leadership decisions?

Elliot Spitzer is a role model for it. So is Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit. Bill Clinton. Jack Welch. Each of these leaders had a secret. When the secret was exposed it tainted or destroyed a promising or otherwise successful leadership legacy.

Why is it everyone shares their “secrets” of leadership success, but no one talks about the secrets of leadership destruction?

The economic world as we knew it has shifted significantly over the past six months. How has your leadership shifted?

On Tuesday of this week, I met with the President of a 600-person company that finds itself right in the crosshairs of the current real estate – capital markets mess. The day before, Monday, he had let 10% of his employees go — a move that was emotionally difficult, but necessary. In the last three months, this Leader has seen the landscape of his industry shift radically.

What struck me as we talked was the peace and confidence he projected. Even more significant was the clarity he had about his company’s focus. “Everyone knows we are focused on two things between now and December,” he said, and pointed to the whiteboard behind me, opposite his desk, where the guidelines for the coming months were written. This Leader knows where he is steering the company as the landscape around him shifts.

“I thought his press conference the other day was brilliant; though brilliant might be the wrong word to use at a time like this. I think you saw compassion and that first day you saw leadership. He was a strong presence. He had human interest stories and he had honesty when he said, ‘I’ve never dealt with this before.’ When you’re sitting there you’ve got a guy who is strong, compassionate and has a plan.”

- The Washington Post, 12.1.07

The Leader: Joe Gibbs, President and Head Coach.

The audience: players and coaches of the Washington Redskins football team.

The challenge: Leading the team in the aftermath of player Sean Taylor’s sudden death.

What talk have you given to the players in your organization in the past 30 days? What was the challenge? How would the reviews have read on your leadership performance?