Michael S. ErwinMichael S. Erwin

Michael S. Erwin

Founder & Executive Director. Cofounder of PosProject . Co-author of Lead Yourself First + Leadership is a Relationship.

Michael S. Erwin is the CEO of the Character & Leadership Center, and founder and president of the Positivity Project, a nonprofit organization that helps America’s youth build better relationships by recognizing the character strengths in themselves and others. He lives in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Philosopher's Notes on Michael S. Erwin's Books

Lead Yourself First
LockedPhilosopher's Notes

Lead Yourself First

by Raymond M. Kethledge and Michael S. Erwin

Solitude. It’s the secret sauce to leadership. But... In their great book Raymond Kethledge and Michael Erwin tells us: “Solitude is a state of mind, a space where you can focus on your own thoughts without distraction, with a power to bring mind and soul together in clear-eyed conviction. Like a great wave that saturates everything in its path, however, handheld devices and other media now leave us awash with the thoughts of others. We are losing solitude without even realizing it.” Big Ideas we explore include the big 4 of solitude (clarity + creativity + emotional balance + moral courage), the threats from our "Input Age," how MLK and Eisenhower used solitude, FOMO (get over it!) and how to change the world (starting with YOU!).

Quotes by Michael S. Erwin

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The most inspiring leaders are the ones who find some transcendent meaning in the enterprise they lead... A transcendent meaning is one that by definition stands apart from the specific goals at hand. To find it, therefore, usually requires reflection. The leaders who do find it are the ones we honor most.
Raymond M. Kethledge and and Michael S. Erwin
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... the leader can again expect moral criticism... The very point of these criticisms is to enforce conformity, and thus to prevent the leader from making these decisions in the first place. Moral courage is what enables a leader to make them nonetheless. It requires not only clarity, but conviction. And to have conviction, and thus moral courage, the leader must get her soul involved.”
Raymond M. Kethledge and and Michael S. Erwin
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The point is that every leader has her emotional limits, and there is no shame in exceeding them. What distinguishes effective leaders from inferior ones, rather, is their ability to restore their emotional balance.
Raymond M. Kethledge and and Michael S. Erwin
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Solitude is a state of mind, a space where you can focus on your own thoughts without distraction, with a power to bring mind and soul together in clear-eyed conviction. Like a great wave that saturates everything in its path, however, handheld devices and other media now leave us awash with the thoughts of others. We are losing solitude without even realizing it.
Raymond M. Kethledge and and Michael S. Erwin
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