I am privileged to spend time in the presence of great leaders both professionally and personally.  As a new feature to the blog, I’d like to showcase “thoughts on leadership” from leaders I know and respect, starting with Lori Seal.

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Lori Seal is currently Chief Operating Officer at Blytheco, a leading software and consulting firm serving over 5,000 mid-sized businesses nationwide,  recently named Sage’s Business Partner of the Year for 2012.  Lori has served in leadership roles in the technology sector, including Junction Solutions, a top Microsoft partner, and Sage, a multi-billion dollar global software publisher, where she served for 13 years.

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Question 1:  Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Maybe someone who has been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person impact your life?

\nLori:  My mentor and hero in an accomplished executive business leader named Dave Butler.  Dave has a tremendous gift of making those around him feel special and valued.  He treats everyone with intense and equal respect, from top managers to janitors. In the companies he has led, it is believed that he knew the name and story of every employee.  This personal connection in turn inspired unprecedented performance and loyalty from the organization.  Dave became an iconic benchmark in how to treat people and many would consider their own actions against the standard of, “What would Dave Butler do.”\n\nQuestion 2:  What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?\n\nLori:  Passion.  Passion illuminates the light in a leader’s North Star.  Passion propels performance to inspirational heights. Passion rallies teams to move mountains. Passion sustains the leader through tough times (and there will be tough times).  Passion is the life stream connecting people who care, for it is the antithesis of apathy and mediocrity. Passion connects the heart to the will.\n\nQuestion 3:  What is the biggest challenge facing leaders today?\n\nLori:  Leaders are challenged managing “the balance”.  This is everywhere…the tension between critical business needs amidst resource shortages…the clamor for mindshare from competing stakeholders…the equilibration between driving excellence but respecting limits.  Profoundly, this challenge for balance goes beyond the leader realm to span our whole life…raising questions about the trade-offs driven professionals make against our families, our friendships, our physical and spiritual health. But if we aren’t struggling with these questions, we may miss the opportunity to connect to a larger life purpose and honor our “complete life.”\n\nQuestion 4:  What is one mistake you witness leaders making more frequently than others? \n\nLori:  I believe a common leadership mistake is inconsistency. Inconsistency occurs when leaders are not connected to their values and core vision and instead are buffeted around by external drivers, by the proverbial “waves and the wind.”  Inconsistency causes confusion throughout the organization, as employees cannot root onto something solid and unmovable.  The result is tentative decision making, fractured alignment, wavering execution, and erosion of trust.\n\nQuestion 5: What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time? \n\nLori:  My advice includes three things.  One, find an accomplished mentor and engage them frequently with completely transparency.  Two, invest in time to self-reflect. Know your purpose and values so you operate from consistency and truth.  Lastly, optimize the “people and progress” equation.  Some leaders are excellent drivers but tear down the people they lead.  Others are considerate and kind but cannot inspire progress.  The magic is to lead fiercely and coach compassionately.\n\nQuestion 6:  What do you do to bring balance between your personal and professional life?\n\nLori:  I am more successful finding balance in my life by engaging my executive coach and accountability group.  What a valuable forum to reflect, be conscious of my current trade-offs, set goals, and be held accountable to the choices I make.   In other words, I don’t expect it to happen by accident and I don’t try to do it alone.\n\nQuestion 7: What are you reading? \n\nLori:  I am enjoying the writings of Deepak Chopra.  I am also re-reading parts of “Good To Great” to remember the inspiration of the Level 5 leader.\n\n