Welcome to Our Insight
Welcome to Germane’s content rich web site. I believe in generously sharing experiences, ideas, insight and wisdom that make the world of work a better place – one in which people discover and use their greatest gifts and best self. I have, therefore, intentionally included a variety of substantive articles for leaders about the human/psychological aspects of their roles. I ... Read more »
Celebrating Mothers Day – Leadership Lessons from Mothers of Presidents
For mother’s day Germane Insights celebrates two wise women who taught their not-yet-president sons important lessons on leadership. The first young man, Abraham Lincoln, grew up to become one of the country’s greatest leaders, and many believe the second, Barack Obama, will be similarly recognized for his ability to lead and transform the country. (Don’t miss the trivia question embedded in this article. Send ... Read more »
Leading Like Lincoln
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, an enormously readable biography of Abraham Lincoln, is also a seminal treatise on leadership and a must-read for all who lead or aspire to do so. By way of numerous examples the book highlights four essential leadership characteristics: a balance of confidence and humility; a CEO for the ego; an intuitive and intimate understanding of others; and the ability to engage ... Read more »
Dorothy of Oz as the Quintessential Transformational Leader
Published in Harvard Business Review
In Feb. 2008 Harvard Business Review published my response to the September 2007 article, Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership. Excerpts from this response appear below.
Most legendary tales that serve as guides for leadership are male oriented. Women and their mentors need to find or create, and then use, success stories that feature ... Read more »
Transformational Leadership and Ego Development
Regardless of how they name it, leadership experts are calling for transformational leadership -”the ability to engage with others in such a way that leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality” (Burns, 1978). Few, however, directly identify the cornerstone of transformational leadership – ego development.
In recent years we have seen a variety of labels and ... Read more »