What's Don Thinking?

Thought leaders benefit society by sharing leading-edge knowledge, guidance, and insights. Dedicated fans spread these ideas across industries.

But when I got off stage yesterday, a CFO came up, "Your thought leadership debunks several theories of other thought leaders." 

"Thank you," I replied. "...

Anyone can become a great leader with the proper training and environment. Experts tell us this:

• “Leaders are made, not born!”
• “Leadership can be nurtured into existence!”
• “Nature versus nurture? Clearly, nurture wins!”
• “Invest in leadership training and anyone can lead!”

Great advice.

But...

An HR executive asked, “How do you know when someone comes up after a speech if they’re going to pat your head or slap it?” I laughed. Challenging the status quo is risky, but after 2,000 speeches I’m starting to get the hang of it. I don’t want to cause trouble. I just want to educate.

OK. I lie. ...

The "boiled frog" laboratory experiment helps educate people on how slow, incremental changes may not be noticed until it’s too late. In the experiment, if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will jump right out. But if you put it in cool water that you slowly heat up, the frog remains unaw...

Anyone learning leadership from business schools, bestselling books, and motivational speakers knows that great leaders:

1. Show empathy
2. Are good listeners
3. Embrace change
4. Create a mission or vision
5. Develop their followers
6. Communicate
7. Build trust
8. Articulate clear goals and roles
9. Are ...

 NOTE: Smithsonian published that Merriam-Webster’s 2023 Word of the Year Is ‘Authentic’ - As technology manipulates what's real, we need to search for the truth.

We all want our leaders, products, and services to be authentic. We want the qualities in our life to be real or true. And honoring ...

Good management consultants, trainers, coaches, speakers, and industry experts inspire us to be winners. Many use popular metaphors to motivate us. One I hear a lot at conferences and in books is “you gotta be the lead dog.” You probably heard these phrases too in books and at conferences over the y...

How often have you heard a keynote speaker or management expert preach how small changes in leadership make a big impact? They're referring to something called the Butterfly Effect: a physics concept that the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil can set off a tornado in Texas.

The wisdom of the...

What do the Ancient Samurai have to do with business?