Category: The 3-Minute Leader™

James R. Rector Founder & Publisher, Profiles in Leadership Journal Creator of The 3-Minute Leader™ A CEO once told me he was exhausted from “talking leadership” every day, meetings, town halls, emails. But when I asked his team what they valued most about him, do you know what they said? “He listens.” Not his speeches.… Read the full article

James R. Rector, Founder & Publisher Profiles in Leadership Journal Every leader eventually runs into someone who is, frankly, hard to lead. Maybe it’s the teammate who argues every point, the one who always seems to find the gray cloud in your blue sky. Or the person whose brilliance comes packaged with a grating edge… Read the full article

James R. Rector, Founder & Publisher Profiles in Leadership Journal Resilience has become a buzzword. You see it in conferences, webinars, and blogs. These platforms can be helpful; they spark dialogue, introduce ideas, and connect leaders to one another. But resilience in leadership is not theory. It shows up in decisions; often costly, unpopular, and… Read the full article

By James Rector Publisher, Profiles in Leadership Journal In this issue of The 3-Minute Leader™, discover how slowing down at the right moment can turn resistance into support and create lasting wins. Imagine this: a company is preparing to launch a high-stakes product update. The leadership team knows it will spark pushback from one influential… Read the full article

By James R. Rector, Founder & Publisher, Profiles in Leadership Journal Joy Is a Leadership Competency Forget the notion that joy at work is a “perk”, like casual Fridays or free donuts. Neuroscience, organizational psychology, and medical research now prove what some leaders have known all along: joy drives performance. The Joyful Leader Award celebrates… Read the full article

By James Rector, Publisher Profiles in Leadership Journal Why Strength Begins with Something Soft It’s not a word you hear much in leadership seminars: Goodness. We hear about grit, performance, execution. But goodness? That sounds more like something for Sunday school than the boardroom. And yet, it’s the one quality that every lasting leader seems… Read the full article

By James Rector, Publisher Profiles in Leadership Journal Why the Best Leaders Don’t Interrupt, They Interpret Not all leaders speak first. Some don’t speak much at all. Instead, they do something rarer and harder: they listen well. And in a time of distractions, agendas, and constant noise, this quiet skill might just be leadership’s highest… Read the full article

By James Rector, Publisher Profiles in Leadership Journal Why Strategic Surrender is a Mark of Wisdom, Not Weakness “Cut your losses.” It’s a phrase we hear in boardrooms, kitchens, and poker games alike. But in leadership, knowing when to let go may be one of the most undervalued skills. Leaders are taught to persist. Stick… Read the full article

By James Rector, Publisher Profiles in Leadership Journal What’s Broken Is Older Than We Think Ever wonder why people with good intentions still end up misunderstanding each other? It’s not new. The Tower of Babel story, tucked into Genesis, describes humanity’s first collective project. One language, one people, one voice. Until, boom, God “confused their… Read the full article

By James Rector, Publisher Profiles in Leadership Journal Strong leaders don’t just know what to say. They know when the climate calls for silence, speed, or stillness. The best leaders don’t impose their voice on the room. They listen to it first. They assess the energy, the risk, the readiness. And only then do they… Read the full article