When I sat down to watch Invictus last weekend, I expected somewhat of a biography of Nelson Mandela’s vision to reconcile blacks and whites after his election as the first black president of South Africa In 1994. What was totally unexpected was the powerful lesson in the importance of vision, risk taking and passion required in personal leadership.

Vision

Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman, knew that he had to find ways to help

The great basketball coach John Wooden passed away Friday at age 99. His successful career hold lessons for anyone charged with motivating others and leading a team. We drafted the following post for an edition of our bimonthly eNewsletter, the Atkinson Advisor, a few years ago, and thought it would be a good time to revisit Wooden's Pyramid of Success.

John Wooden’s accomplishments as a leader are legendary. Wooden coached UCLA

It's been a few days since Undercover Boss (Sundays at 9/8c) aired right after the Super Bowl. We're still a little obsessed with it and like to talk about the show to anyone who will listen.

If you haven't seen it, the premise is simple: The head of a large corporation trades in his suit and tie for a week as he "trains" with several employees in the field (and a documentary crew gets it all on camera). Sunday's