My wife and I went to see Journey To The Center Of The Earth. I love Jules Vern but I was a little hesitant about seeing what some were calling a “dumbed down” version of the novel. The tipping point was that it was in 3D. I admit it - I love the glasses. These were not the traditional paper 3D glasses, instead, they looked like they were from the Buddy Holly Signature Collection. So there we sat looking like members of the Elvis Costello fanclub. Watching my wife swat the 3D bugs and duck out of the way of the overhanging rocks was generally more entertaining than the movie. There was, however, one part that I sat up and took notice of. (more…)

Batman is my favorite Superhero. And I’m not talking about The Dark Knight as portrayed by Christian Bale (not that there’s anything wrong with that) - but I love the classic Super Friends Batman, the DC comic book Batman and even the Adam West Batman. He’s the one I think of when I see the Bat-Signal.

More than any other Superhero, Batman teaches some real-life, practical Leadership Lessons. Here’s what I have learned from him:

Understand That You Are Human: Batman is one of the few Superheros who has no super powers. He has to remind himself of these limitations to keep from doing things that are beyond his capabilities. While there may be some Super-Leaders, there are no Super-Human-Leaders.

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Robert Morris is a ‘Top 50′ Amazon reviewer. His writing style is beautiful - almost poetic - which is a rarity among business writers. He was kind enough to offer this insightful review of Toy Box Leadership:

“When thinking about purchasing a book, don’t be deterred by a book’s title (initially, I was about this one) and don’t base the decision solely on testimonials by an impressive list of business thinkers (although in this instance, their praise is justified). Rather, check out as many reviews as you can, especially Customer Reviews. Others have their own reasons for commending Ron Hunter and Michael Waddell on what they achieve in Toy Box Leadership. Here are two of mine. (more…)

Brand Autopsy on Toy Box Leadership

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My family and I went to a Drive-In movie a couple of weeks ago and watched Pixar’s hit film WALL•E. I totally agree with Roger Ebert’s take on the film: He says that WALL•E “succeeds at being three things at once: an enthralling animated film, a visual wonderment and a decent science-fiction story.”

My favorite part came about 45 minutes into it when WALL•E reminded me of a great leadership principle. Since you have probably seen a few ‘robots‘ or even ‘cartoon characters’ in leadership positions before, you may wonder how a digitally animated robot could teach anything having to do with leadership. Two words – Rubik’s Cube® (more…)

I like to read smart blogs. So when I started looking for bloggers to review my book, Toy Box Leadership, one my first choices was DJ Francis at onlinemarketerblog.com

DJ has experience in persuasive marketing communication and always presents his ideas in a clever and creative way. Here is his unbiased review of the book:

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The Secret To Great Leadership is Child’s Play.

As adults, we tend to complicate the principles of Leadership with the latest trends or popular theories when in actuality some of the most important leadership lessons are learned as kids through the simplest of sources—toys. This fun and fresh book reveals how your favorite childhood toys have already taught you the secrets of successful leadership.

In Toy Box Leadership you will discover:

• How your Slinky Dog can teach you to lead your team with a vision

• Why Mr. Potato Head had the right idea about communication

• What Little Green Army men have to say about strategy

• Why successful people are a lot like Weebles

• Plus leadership traits from six more classic toys

Whether you’re an executive, a manager, or a parent, you’ll find this toy box full of easy-to-learn and simple-to-use lessons to successfully lead and influence others.

Richard Stengel has a great article this month in Time magazine entitled, Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership.

When you think of great leaders, not many modern politicians come close to what Nelson Mandela accomplished in South Africa. After being wrongly imprisoned from 1964 until 1990, Stengel writes “He overthrew apartheid and created a nonracial democratic South Africa by knowing precisely when and how to transition between his roles as warrior, martyr, diplomat and statesman.”

Here are Nelson Mandela’s 8 Lessons of Leadership:

No. 1 Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it

No. 2 Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind

No. 3 Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front

No. 4 Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport

No. 5 Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer

No. 6 Appearances matter — and remember to smile

No. 7 Nothing is black or white

No. 8 Quitting is leading too

Read the article to discover the great anecdotes behind each of these valuable lessons.