Maxwell Leadership

“No man can live happily who regards himself alone; who turns everything to his own advantage. You must live for others if you wish to live for yourself.”~ Seneca In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, The Ghost of Christmas Past transports the cantankerous old miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, back in time to the place Scrooge first had apprenticed as a young...

The following moral/ethical dilemma supposedly was included on an actual job application: You are driving down the road at night during a torrential downpour, when you pass by a bus stop. Three people are waiting for the bus: 1) An elderly lady who looks as if she needs medical attention. 2) A longtime friend who once saved your life. 3)...

Guy Laliberte’s parents (a PR executive and a nurse) hadn’t envisioned their son making a living by playing his accordion for tips from passersby. Hence, they weren’t exactly delighted when Guy informed them of his decision to bypass college in favor of becoming an artist. As much as they may have regretted his choice at the time, in retrospect, they’re...

The United States has seen its share of weather-related catastrophes in 2011. At the beginning of year, several cities were pounded by blizzards, and snowfall amounts approached record totals in Chicago, Boston, and New York. In April and May, a super outbreak of tornadoes wreaked devastation across the South-Central United States, most notably in the city of Joplin, Missouri. Later...

Leading peers can be tricky since you’re simultaneously cooperating with and competing against them. For example, athletes on the same team contend for a limited number of positions in the starting lineup, yet compete together on game day. Musicians within an orchestra vie for the first chair, but then harmonize their talents to delight audiences with their music. Coworkers jockey...

In 2004, a group of Yale students (24 of them) pulled off an elaborate prank at the annual Harvard-Yale football game. Dressed in crimson-and-white T-shirts touting their membership in the Harvard Pep Squad, the Yale students positioned themselves throughout the bleachers on Harvard’s side of the field. During the first half of the game, the imposters celebrated wildly whenever Harvard’s...