Sword Tips

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Practical leadership insights from the trenches – drawn from experience, success, failure, and the real-world challenges leaders face every day.

I am a leadership coach and a professional author working directly with CEOs and senior leaders in the SF Bay area. I have also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco. Connect with me here or on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/larykirchenbauer. I am the author or more than 125+ newspaper columns published by the SF Bay affiliate of the NY Times among the 1,000+ articles I have published on various website. I have also written 3 ebooks about Leadership & Business Finance. You can receive the latest articles by subscribing to my newsletter:

I have been married forever to a beautiful woman and have one spectacular daughter who has dedicated her life to helping children with life-threatening illnesses.

09/18/2026

It's Friday — which means we're wandering around my desk again.

This week I found myself thinking about Kodak cameras, guillotines, Slow Horses, Navy wisdom, Mark Twain and Flash Mobs.

There's even a little leadership tucked in there somewhere.

Some things make you think. Some make you laugh. And some just make you wonder, "I didn't know that!"

Here's what caught my attention this week:

swordtips.kit.com/posts/your-friday-newsletter-for-september-18-2026

09/16/2026

What would you throw on your own Bonfire of the Vanities?

PRIDE? VANITY? VAINGLORY? ARROGANCE?

I'm not suggesting we recreate Savonarola's famous bonfire in Florence.

But there may be something valuable in the metaphor.

All of us have practices, behaviors and personal vanities that can get in our way. The challenge is recognizing them — and being willing to do something about them.

Sometimes that requires taking a hard look at the Man in the Mirror.

What would YOU throw on your bonfire?

https://swordtips.kit.com/posts/bonfire-of-the-vanities

09/14/2026

Have you ever heard the word arrogant used to describe someone?

Probably.

But here's the more uncomfortable question:

Has anyone ever used it to describe you?

Arrogance isn't one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but it's a close relative of PRIDE — and it can blind us to what's right in front of us.

That's what I'm exploring in today's Sword Tips.

https://swordtips.kit.com/posts/have-you-heard-the-word-arrogance-directed-toward-you?

09/11/2026

Twenty-five years later, we remember.

We remember those we lost, the courage of the first responders and the extraordinary unity that brought Americans together in the aftermath of 9/11.

As I reflected on that day, I kept returning to another question:

What have we learned?

We proved 25 years ago that we were capable of coming together. Perhaps remembering 9/11 should also mean remembering that lesson — and asking how we recapture some of that spirit today.

My reflections on the 25th anniversary of 9/11:

swordtips.kit.com/posts/the-25th-anniversary-of-9-11-what-have-we-learned

09/09/2026

PRIDE 1. Business 0.

That's one scoreboard no leader wants to see.

There's nothing wrong with being proud of what we've accomplished.

But PRIDE — especially when joined by Hubris and Envy — can become a dangerous business companion.

They're called Deadly Sins for a reason.

That's the subject of today's Sword Tips.

Take a look 👇
swordtips.kit.com/posts/7-deadly-sins-is-pride-destroying-your-business

09/07/2026

Which wolf wins?

There’s an old story about a battle that goes on inside all of us.

For leaders, there’s another question worth asking: What happens when those very human qualities come to work with us?

That’s where we’re headed this week in Sword Tips.

And for Labor Day, there’s also a story behind the holiday that I suspect many people have never heard.

It’s considerably darker than parades, picnics and a three-day weekend.

Take a look 👇

09/04/2026

It's Friday, so we're wandering around my desk again.

This week you'll find five more Mystery • Thriller • Suspense recommendations, a lesson from Stephen Covey, the real meaning behind the retirement gold watch, the accidental discovery of a major drug— and a few things that made me laugh.

Including several things a doctor heard during a colonoscopy. 😆

Your Friday Newsletter for September 4:

swordtips.kit.com/posts/your-friday-newsletter-for-september-4-2026

09/02/2026

Should breaking the rules end a career?

West Point has wrestled with that question in a very real way.

Its Honor Code sets an extraordinarily high standard:
“A cadet will not lie, cheat or steal or tolerate those who do.”

But what happens when someone violates that standard, admits it and asks for a second chance?

And perhaps more importantly for leaders:
What standard applies inside your organization?

In this week's Sword Tips, I look at West Point's experience — and the difficult line between accountability, forgiveness and the standards leaders are willing to enforce.

Should pleading guilty excuse the violation?

Swordtips.Kit.Com/posts/should-pleading-guilty-excuse-the-violation

08/28/2026

A little light reading for the weekend? 📚

I've put together five Mystery-Thriller-Suspense recommendations — all part of series – and there's plenty more where these came from.

But that's only one corner of my desk this Friday.

There's Dolly Parton, my 94-year-old grandmother, an 8-mph speeding ticket, the America's Cup, record-breaking humanoid robots and a particularly wicked line from James Lee Burke.

Your Friday Newsletter:

swordtips.kit.com/posts/your-friday-newsletter-for-august-28-2026

08/26/2026

Can you write a rule for everything?

Probably not.

But the people in your organization still need to understand what behavior is acceptable — and what isn’t.

This week’s Sword Tips takes a somewhat unusual route through the military, “conduct unbecoming,” my financial days and the challenge every leader faces in establishing standards of conduct.

And sometimes the most effective policy may be just five words:

“It’s important and we’re watching.”

Read it here: [LINK]

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