The Intangibles

Earlier this week we dug into the first 30 pages of Stephen M. R. Covey’s Trust and Inspire. Years ago, I got quite a bit out of the Elder Covey’s work, so I was glad to bring it full circle with this one.

Upon first glance, it seems like I’ll be trudging through another watered-down version of someone’s opinion on leadership. Lucky me.

When I think about the leaders that I’ve gravitated towards in the workplace, on teams, and in other areas of life, the INTANGIBLES seem to be more important than anything else.

What are the intangible parts of our processes and approaches that set us apart? Did we pick up on those from a leader we mentored under? Did they come about through trial and error? What might all of this look like in practice? Does it even matter?

I guess I have a lot of questions to answer. But observationally, the difference in the way good leaders lead versus the way ineffective leaders flounder may be less process and qualification oriented and more centered around the intangibles that often aren’t covered in “the rulebook.”

At this point, it seems like we should probably throw the rulebook out.