It is common practice to study leaders who succeed. In his latest book, "Derailed," Dr. Tim Irwin challenges us to study leaders who fail.

The book opens with profiles of 6 leaders who failed spectacularly and publicly; Robert Nardelli at Home Depot, Carly Fiorina at Hewlett-Packard, Durk Jager at Proctor & Gamble, Steven Heyer at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Frank Raines at Fannie Mae and Dick Fuld at Lehman Brothers. Using the experiences of these leaders as a stepping-off point, he then goes on to examine why they failed and what others can do to prevent falling victim to a similar fate.

The process starts, according to Dr. Irwin, by recognizing the 5 stages of the derailment process:

1. Failure of self/other awareness
2. Hubris: Pride before the fall
3. Missed early warning signals
4. Rationalizing
5. Derailment

He goes on to examine the five key character traits that are instrumental in keeping us from falling victim to the derailment process:

1. Character
2. Self Awareness
3. Self Management
4. Humility
5. Courage

Finally, Dr. Irwin addresses the five critical lessons we can take from the examples of the 6 leaders discussed in the book's opening chapters:

1. Character trumps competence
2. Arrogance is the Mother of all derailers
3. Lack of self/other awareness is a common denominator of all derailments
4. We are always who we are...especially under stress
5. Derailment is not inevitable, but without attention to development, it is probable.

All in all, this book doesn't cover any new ground for anyone who has studied leadership and self-development. What it does well, though, is to bring us to look at common leadership issues from a different perspective; that's it's just as important - and instructional - to study failure and its causes as it is to study success. It is for that reason that I can highly recommend it to anyone interested in developing the traits of a successful leader.

Full Disclosure Notice: I received a review copy of "Derailed" from Thomas Nelson Publishing as a participant in their Book Review Bloggers program.

This is the week. The biggest college football game of the year will be played in Philadelphia this coming Saturday when Army and Navy meet on the gridiron for the 108th time since 1890.

This game takes on special significance as big-time college football becomes more and more about money for the schools and a stepping stone to NFL riches for the players. An article in this past week's Parade Magazine, When Army Battles Navy, highlights what makes the Army-Navy game such a unique tradition in college football:

"There's no one you respect more but no one you want to beat more," he says. "Every year, I get chills when we run onto the field. But I want to hear our alma mater played second--just once--before I'm through."

One of the great traditions in sports is the playing of the alma maters at the end of the Army-Navy game. The players, coaches, and students (the entire corps of cadets and the entire brigade of midshipmen attend the game) stand together. The losers always go first. Then the players cross the field together to hear the winner's song.

 

"The greatest feeling you can have in the world is crossing that field to hear 'Blue and Gold' [Navy's alma mater] after they've played Army's song," says Ram Vela, who at 5 feet 9 and 193 pounds may be the smallest linebacker playing major college football. "When we stand there and I know the Army guys are standing right behind us, or sometimes even with us, it's like nothing else we experience. It sounds corny, but they are our brothers."

 

In many ways, Vela is a poster boy for those who play for Army and Navy. Since every graduate of both academies must serve five years in the military, almost no one with serious NFL ambitions considers either school. That means the coaches seek players like Vela who may be overlooked because they lack size or speed but who make up for it with smarts, toughness, and desire.

 

It's about pageantry, it's about playing the game for the love of the game and it's about the special bond that exists among warriors. To those who understand, the Army-Navy game is truly the most important game of the year.

And here's hoping that Army hears its alma mater last.

If you tie your goal-setting to the new year, now's the time that you should be laying the groundwork for a successful 2010. Here are three preliminary steps that you should take to get the process started:

1. Review where you are now against your goals for 2009. Pay particular attention to the goals you didn't make, with an eye toward determining why you fell short and what you could have done differently.
2. Consider where you want to be in 5 years. What do you have to do over the next year to move at least 1/5 of the way to that vision?
3. Identify your 'non-negotiables.' If you don't know what I'm talking about, review this post from Michael Hyatt. Once you're done, put together your list of tasks that will take priority as you plan your time.

Bonus Tip: If you don't have one already, form an accountability partnership with someone you trust to help keep you on track towards reaching your goals in 2010. You can find more information on forming an accountability partnership here.