Here Comes 2020!
This is the time of year when, even if you don’t make official “resolutions”, it’s difficult not to consider how you would like to shape the forthcoming year – and […]
Videos: Talking Strategy and Strategic Planning!
As we near the end of the year, I thought I would share with you a long video conversation about strategy and strategic planning. Francis Wade (my former consulting partner […]
Moderation is NOT the Answer
Throughout our lives we are told that moderation is best in all things. For example, inevitably professionals advise balance and moderation for diet and fitness. Yet, most Americans are overweight; […]
Great Managers are NOT Born, They’re Made
In business, we regularly promote our best and brightest performers to positions in which they have absolutely no expertise, experience or knowledge. Yes, we do. Not only that, we expect […]
First-Time Leadership Fear-Video
We have a strange system in Western business. As soon as you become great at doing something — whether sales, engineering, manufacturing, or making widgets — we immediately put you […]
Having Useful Conversations
We all find our identities in various communities, whether friends, family, colleagues, or allies. In those communities we speak to people who largely echo our views, both about the world […]
Indecision and Fear
Most of us have experienced a moment when we needed to make a decision, but instead, just gave in and went with the flow. Or, instead of giving in we […]
Personal Power Run Amok
For most of my life, through my late twenties, I was dancer. When I was about 14 I recall being in a dance class in which the teacher—she was my […]
Toxic High-Performers
What do you do about high-performing team members who are also problems for everyone else? They may be the best deal-maker, or the best at operations or an amazing engineer -- but they upset their colleagues, refuse to cooperate or otherwise poison the workplace. Do you simply fire them, losing the benefit of their skills and knowledge? Or do you focus on trying to develop their people skills and empathy so they can stay on the team? And where do
Emotional Safety for Innovation Success
Having the emotional safety to fail is fundamental to fostering creativity and innovation.