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Welcome. If this is your first time here, thank you.

I’m David Thompson, and I built this site to share what I learned about Transformational Leadership versus Top-Down Management. I spent 25 years trying to become the best leader I could be, and the worst manager in the process.

My goal is simple: to get managers, young and old, to think about which style works best for them.

Leadership isn’t taught the way management is. You can see it in the number of books written about management but not leadership, and the number of degrees offered in management but not leadership. If I can change one person from striving to be the best possible manager into proudly becoming the worst by choosing to lead instead, the time I spent building this site will have been worth it.

Are you the next great leader in your organization? Start with three questions.

1

How do you want to be remembered?

I have worked for a lot of managers over the years. Some were pretty good, and I remember a few of their names. Some were absolutely horrible, and I definitely remember their names, not fondly. And then there were the great leaders. I will never forget them. I still reach out to them from time to time, because I respect them.

2

Do you feel superior?

If you believe you are the most important person on your team, thank you again for being here. If you think you can change that mindset, please stay. If not, this site may not be for you, because the reality is you’re not. If you were, why have a team at all? It’s the synergy, the difference of opinions and the collaboration of a diverse team that make us great. Much more than any one person, including you.

3

Do you want a team that strives for greatness, or one that just gets by?

I’ve seen it firsthand. When a team has no trust, faith or respect for its manager, it does exactly what it’s asked, out of fear or to avoid conflict. I would rather surround myself with people smarter than me, who know I trust them to take my plan and make it better, faster and more secure than I ever could. That’s where greatness happens. Not from one person, but from a team that feels empowered.

Two-minute reflection

Would you follow you?

Nine statements based on those three questions. Answer for how things are today, not how you’d like them to be. Nobody sees your answers but you.

Remembered Ego Trust

Your reading path

Start with these four

If any of this resonates with you, even slightly, I hope you’ll keep reading. Here’s the order I’d read them in.

  1. 1 Perspectives 2 min read Why some people manage, while others lead Most of us become the kind of manager we’ve seen. Leadership asks for humility, trust and a willingness to take the blame. Every single time.
  2. 2 Stories 3 min read Worst HR moment ever! I had a plan to let a good kid go with honesty and dignity. The plan did not survive the first thirty seconds.
  3. 3 Stories 8 min read The story of Gary How leadership can work for you, and against you, in the very same situation. A story about a brilliant hire, a picnic table, and a conversation I got badly wrong.
  4. 4 Stories 7 min read Dave, where did you go? AKA: My retirement In 2025 I retired early, and I wasn’t completely honest about why. This is the rest of the story, and the reason this website exists.

I truly believe the world has enough managers. What it needs are more leaders, and that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about.

The Worth Following newsletter

A newsletter worth following, about becoming someone worth following.

One honest story or lesson from 25 years of leading people, every other Tuesday. Short enough to read with your coffee.