Is your Culture Anti-fragile?

March 23, 2020

Having an Anti-fragile culture is more useful than having a Strategic Plan. I never thought I would say this, as my job is to help organizations implement their strategy. I have been resistant to the notion that strategic plans are useless in these times of rapid change. Let me be clear. Every organization needs a […]

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Leading a New Normal (strength and tenderness)

March 20, 2020

I am reminded of a William James (the world’s first psychologist) quote, “What you pay attention to in this moment becomes your reality.” I just went through an interesting exercise where we were asked, what were we paying too much attention to, and what were we not paying enough attention to. I notice if I […]

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How to interview a new potential leader!

March 13, 2020

Executive Interview Are you present in mind, when she comes to ask for your thoughts? Do you listen with openness when one of your team is expressing their point of view? Are you kind and responsive when her home life is coming undone? Can you be trusted when you say you will do it by […]

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How to Do Better

February 14, 2020

I am highly competitive by nature. I have come to realize that this is both a good thing and a bad thing for me. It depends on what is motivating me to compete, and then how I do it. Sometimes competition helps me get better at what I do, and how I contribute in the […]

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Fear Sucks (Literally)

January 17, 2020

We are emotional beings. We feel something before we think about it, and then we act, often informed by those feelings. Essential and useful parts of who we are as humans and our ability to interact with others and our environments. Emotions like anger, grief, love, joy and awe arise from particular perceptions and experiences. […]

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When the Shit Hits the Fan: Act, Don’t React

December 19, 2019

Most of us get into trouble with each other interpersonally; when we leave no time between the stimulus and our response. The stimulus may be something someone else has said, or done, which triggers a bad feeling in us. We feel threatened in the moment and that triggers an automatic emotional response. Often, or usually, […]

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Improve “Leadership” not “leaders”

November 22, 2019

Good leadership should result in an engaged workforce committed and skilled to execute the organizational strategy. This focused and aligned workforce, with the will and skill to get it done, doesn’t develop through working with individual leaders. Leadership occurs in the white space between individuals, not within an individual leader. All development needs to enhance […]

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Leadership Development is like Climate Change

October 25, 2019

It is relatively typical for me to get hired by CEOs and HR executives to help develop and optimize their leaders. They know rationally, if not emotionally, it is critical for the long term adaptability and success of their organization. I am often on the list of resources to check out because of my extensive […]

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Can she do the job?

September 27, 2019

Can she do the job? My thinking and conclusions on how to discern this have evolved a lot over time. Now I would say, there are four critical components to assess when wondering if a particular candidate for the role is likely to be successful? There are 4 key questions to ask? 1. Are they […]

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Crossing the Floor to solve a collective problem

September 13, 2019

Many of our organizational problems lie outside of our area of accountability. Locate the issue or conflict or problem in a connection/relationship not in a person or particular part of the system (e.g. Mechanical). What is the role you can play in empowering that relationship or connection. How will you cross the floor in order […]

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