Over two thousand years ago, Publilius Syrus was referencing leadership when he wrote, “Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” Calm is not the first word that comes to mind to describe 2020. By all measures, this year has been an ocean of commotion. As the wave of one crisis crashes into the next, … Read more
Leadership isn’t about you shining; it’s about helping those you lead to shine. After all, if your success is based on the success of those you lead, it’s in everyone’s best interest for you to do whatever you can to help them excel. One of the most important roles we play as leaders is that … Read more
If it were you, which would you most prefer? No choice Someone else’s choice for me My choice The answer is obvious: In general, we prefer to make our own choices.There’s a freedom that comes from making our own choices. This is the heart of empowerment:the ability to be directly involved in our work. This … Read more
Barbara was in a panic. This struck her colleagues as particularly strange, since she was the most experienced of the group. A Senior Vice President with twenty years experience, Barbara had worked in six different countries and was one of the most respected senior leaders in the company. What was causing Barbara so much stress? … Read more
Happy to report this post was recently published by ATD (the Association for Talent Development).You can find the whole post on by clicking here.
Decisions. We make them all day, every day. Decision making seems like it should be a relatively easy process. After all, we’ve got lots of practice at it. However, for leaders making decisions in organizational settings, there’s a whole new level of complexity that comes with the territory. It’s not as simple as right or … Read more
Saying you want feedback is one thing. The willingness to receive it is something else. Research has shown that leaders who ask for feedback are significantly more effective than leaders who don’t ask for it. Leaders who ranked at the bottom 10% in asking for feedback were rated at the 15th percentile in overall leadership … Read more
Mark has a dilemma on his hands. He’s just published a new eBook, and wants to use it on his landing page to build his email subscriber base. As a friend and colleague, Mark asked me to go to the website and download the eBook, and give him some feedback. The book content is great: clear, … Read more
I turned the key in the ignition. The dashboard read: CHECK TIRE PRESSURE I walked around the car. My last stop was the front right side.There was a huge rupture in the tire. It couldn’t be any flatter. I called my local chapter of the AAA. A repair truck showed up within 30 minutes, and … Read more
What in the world does “Happy Chewbacca” have to do with leadership? In case you missed it, this is the video that ‘broke the internet’ this week. Originally posted on Facebook Live, it’s gotten more than 150 million views on Facebook since last Friday.Here’s my challenge to you: Watch the whole video through (it’s 4:05), and … Read more
