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Vol 3: 9 April 30, 2009
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We've Won Countless Awards!*
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*From our moms, but still...
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Leadership that Goes Beyond
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"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people."
~ Mohandas K. Gandhi
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True Leadership Means Seeing More, Doing More, and Saying More
 In this issue of the Communiqué, we explore how leaders must not only assess the present, but also take further steps to see the future. They must not only lead by example, but also actively teach what they know
to others. Then, while guiding and educating their
organizations, leaders inevitably make mistakes. The key,
then, is to be more than just accountable -- leaders need to know how and when to apologize. Imagine if the bankers who went to Washington to obtain assistance for their organizations had opted to apologize rather than stand defiant. Such a stance could have made all the difference in how they were received by the government, the media, and the public.
But apology is not always the best option. Author John Kador gives us this issue's list of The Five Instances Where You Shouldn't Apologize.
Do you agree with John? Disagree? Write in and start a conversation with the author, who'll be monitoring the blog.
In Other News
 + More problems for Google as the U.S. Justice Department opens an antitrust inquiry into the company's planned settlement over Google Book Search.
+ Print-on-demand? That's old news. Technologists recently announced a new machine that can print-while-you-wait.
+ Why force an author to travel across the nation for book signing events when a publisher can just host a virtual signing via Skype?
+ The American Library Association reports that, in 2008, Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner received many complaints from educators and parents, but the title reported most offensive for the second year running is a children's book.
+ Now that the White House has a first dog, let the Bo books begin!
+ Who needs Oprah to make a book a bestseller when you have Hugo Chávez?
+ Prince Charles of England will take on big business in his next book.
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Newsletter Policy
 Is there any word in the English language more exciting than the term policy? Amazingly enough, no rock band has claimed "Policy" as its name (one came close), and the term remains available for movie rights. Jurassic Policy or The Sixth Policy -- now those suggestions could have been compelling movie titles.
All snarkiness aside, we need policies to inform, structure, and guide our work, and now we have a draft of the policy for this newsletter. The draft policy document would not have been possible without the support and guidance of the Newsletter Committee and especially the efforts of Jeffrey Cufaude, Tai Moses, and Marilyn McGuire.
We want to know what you think. Please download the draft (it's only one page), read it, and send us your thoughts and ideas on how to improve it.
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Three Books That Show Leaders How to Do More
The Book:Leaders Make the Future: 10 New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World
 Why Read It? Yesterday's experience cannot serve tomorrow's challenges. We live in a volatile and
ever-changing world, and only those leaders who possess the necessary skills can handle what the future throws their way. Bob Johansen, former CEO of the world-renowned Institute for the Future, outlines the ten skills that will help leaders see connections in larger systems, embrace shared assets and opportunities, and cut
through the chaos to build a better future.
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The Book: Leaders as Teachers: Unlock the Teaching Potential of Your Company's Best and Brightest
 Why Read It? Most business professionals understand the value of connecting their
top leaders to other high-potential leaders in the
organization. Becton, Dickinson and Company, a $6.5 billion
medical technology company with twenty-eight thousand employees, believes its leaders
should make these vital connections by teaching. Author Edward Betof chronicles the company's eight-year journey
to create a leadership development program that relies on
all top leaders (even the CEO) to train other leaders.
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The Book:Effective Apology: Mending Fences, Building Bridges, and Restoring Trust
 Why Read It? Apologies have become so commonplace that they have lost almost all significance. Many people just go through the motions and apologize poorly. The best way to reclaim the power of apologies, argues author John Kador, is not to issue more apologies but rather to issue better ones. We make better apologies by using the five Rs: Recognize the wrong and the person harmed; accept moral Responsibility for your actions; express Remorse; provide meaningful Restitution; and offer assurance that the offense will not be Repeated.
Read an excerpt here and buy the book for 30% off.*
*Discount valid for a limited time and only through a specialized link in this newsletter. In other words, nonsubscribers don't receive a discount.
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Copyright 2009 Funny Times, Inc. Cartoon reprinted with the permission of Funny Times, P.O. Box 18530, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
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BK Mail Roundup: A Few Selections Rick Wilson found what he describes as "a very cool visualization of a very upsetting phenomenon." Slate.com tracks vanishing employment across the country via an interactive map. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Robert Jacobs marveled at the incredible story of Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist who studied her own stroke -- as it was happening. See the video here.
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 Arielle Kesweder enjoys a sudden burst of random dancing as much as anyone, but she remains especially impressed by the two hundred or so dancers who suddenly broke into a performance of " Do Re Me" in the central station in Antwerp, Belgium. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Dylan Wooters found some paranoia-inducing televised public service announcements about swine flu from the 1970s. See them here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------  David Marshall would like to remind everyone that the Marshall family dog was the first Bo, named well before the White House Bo. The Marshalls' pooch just turned twelve, and you can see him here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Berner remains wary of Facebook. Though it rescinded its claim to photographs and works contained on profiles, Facebook continues to maintain some shady affiliations and practices.
Do you have something interesting or entertaining to share with the BK community that won't get us arrested? Send it.
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As one of the nation's foremost authorities on the issue of trust, bestselling author Charles Green advises leaders, executives, and even heads of state on the subject. Green argues that just being trustworthy is not enough for leaders. Your TQ (trust quotient) involves credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation. All four of these components need to be measured and developed. Take Green's TQ Self-Diagnostic Test to find out whether you make a truly trustworthy leader.
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It's All Semantics
 Last week, I noted that we have a common word
in English to describe bad dreams (nightmares), but
we lack a term to denote good, happy dreams. The closest word we have is a term borrowed from another language. What is this term?
 No one submitted the correct answer, which is bilita mpash in Bantu, or in African American lingo, beluthahatchee. Yes, I know, that question was ridiculously tough. I promise, the next one will be easier.
 Here's your next mission: A woman gave natural birth to two sons who were born exactly a minute apart
on the same day of the same month of the same year. But the boys are not
twins and there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. What is the explanation?
Email me your answer, and if you're the first person to guess correctly, I'll send you a free BK book of your choice. Also, send me any comments, rants, or maybe just your thoughts on the highly inappropriate salute we had for the Pledge of Allegiance before the popular hand-on-heart gesture.
Oh, and if you enjoyed this strange site, you just may enjoy this strange game.
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