Institute News

This past week, our leadership team spent several days at Harvard looking at creativity and agility. We learned that high-performing, agile organizations require a high degree of alignment, as well as a high level of autonomy.
 
In our organization, how aligned is everyone toward the goal, and how much autonomy does each person have in the conduct of her/his work? The goal, of course, is to achieve a high level of each and to be an aligned entrepreneurial organization.
 

Over the last half-century, I have viewed success from many vantage points, including my own career of 45 plus years. I have seen the creative genius of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, the inspiring writings of Dr. Maya Angelou, the legendary musical career of Dolly Parton and the dramatic excellence of actor/director Denzel Washington. I watched the Sam Walton vision prosper and the S.

Over the years, I’ve written CatchUp articles with leadership lessons from Shakespeare plays (King Lear, Comedy of Errors), Winnie the Pooh, Walking in Memphis (the song) and Harry Potter.

With various social media options, leaders today have no shortage of potential feedback mechanisms.

While getting good feedback is always a great practice, the old adage “don’t believe your own press” is especially important if we are to keep an even keel.

Unfortunately, sometimes the most detrimental information isn’t from external sources, it comes from “stinkin’ thinkin’” in our own heads. Even great leaders must find a way to combat it to be successful. There are several ways of thinking to be aware of.  

A common topic of conversation during the quarterly meetings of the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association is enhancing leadership skills through effective communications. This is important to the success of any fire service agency or team as it strives to provide the best possible fire protection and life safety services in a community.

Rest is a critical skill that many leaders set aside as an optional luxury that is rarely experienced. Our culture celebrates hustle and exalts being busy as a badge of honor. However, rest is not optional in the life of a successful leader; it is a strategic necessity.  


“If you want newness, you have to have strangeness.”

“If you don’t have wild ideas, you’re not going to find creative ideas.”

“A wish is the first step to a question.”

“Creativity is the raw material for innovation.”

If you think back over the last 20 or 30 years, we’ve seen innovative products introduced that make our lives easier or more convenient. Personal computers, smart phones, robot vacuum cleaners and many more products have become a part of our lives. But before they became indispensable to us, these products were ideas in someone’s head.

On April 3, 2025, Governor Bill Lee signed Public Chapter No. 140 into law. This Act amended Titles 5, 6 and 7 of the Tennessee Code by imposing new requirements related to development related fees assessed by local governments. The purpose of this new law is to ensure transparency, accountability and consistency in how Tennessee’s counties, cities and metropolitan governments assess and document development-related fees.

A few weeks ago, I attended my uncle Victor Allsup’s funeral. He was a lifelong farmer and one of Mississippi's leading dairy farmers for many years.
 

Leadership principles aren’t just theoretical; they have a practical impact. This impact can be either positive or negative to those we lead and the organization that we are a part of. That’s why I believe that leading with principles is a good leadership practice that many effective leaders should consider. This form of leadership is often referred to as principle-based leadership, but some may call it values-based leadership. While this leadership style has been around for many years, it is not often referenced in texts discussing leadership styles.