Do you know anyone who can bat 1.000? The best baseball players hit in the low to mid .300 range and we think that is terrific. Executives don’t bat 1.000 when it comes to decision making — nobody is perfect. However, executives’ “batting average” may be lower if they’re making decisions without addressing potential blind spots. What are Read More >
Professional Development
The Number 1 Reason Executives Fail in New Jobs
Jack Wilson, CEO of American Manufacturing Enterprises, was coming up on his 8-month mark in his new role and it was painfully apparent to everyone that he was not delivering on the Board’s great expectations. They couldn’t understand how someone with a career of progressive successes, starting as a bright up-and-coming MBA and culminating with Read More >
Dealing with a Prima Donna Employee
Jane Carter is the CEO of a 150-person, 5-year-old technology company that has been growing at a 20% rate each year. About one year ago, they recruited John, a star sales guy, to work for Bob, V.P. of Sales. John is a true rainmaker. He has boosted sales numbers and the whole company knows and Read More >
5 Ways to Overcome Fear as a Leader
Senior leaders, and especially CEOs, are typically seen as stoic, fearless personalities. Fear is not something people believe leaders experience, much less something that plagues them. Yet, the ‘average’ senior leader knows fear all too well. Recent research published in the Harvard Business Review by Roger Jones affirms the reality of fear in the life of a Read More >
Introverts Make Great Leaders, Too
The most common misconception I hear is that introverts aren’t leaders. Are you an introvert? If so, then it’s likely you’ve been plagued by such misconceptions for most of your career. The truth, however, is that some of the biggest and brightest CEOs of our time are or were introverts. Take Bill Gates and Warren Read More >
Emotional Self-Management for Leaders: a Mission Critical Skill
There was a time when leaders were encouraged to “say what they felt.” The truth is, however, that leaders need to monitor and manage their feelings so that they can effectively respond rather than react. That’s why the “say what you feel” mentality has–thankfully–gone the way of the dodo bird. For better or worse, leaders Read More >
What to do When Someone Ticks You Off at Work
Every week in my consulting work advising senior executives on the people side of the business equation, someone invariably will tell me about a colleague or employee doing something that ticks them off. And, I will ask, “Did you talk to them about it? More often than not, they will respond, “Not yet, or, Nope, Read More >
Thinking and Acting Strategically: A Critical Leadership Skill
When hiring or promoting someone into a key executive position, CEOs and board members typically look for candidates with interpersonal effectiveness and the ability to think and act strategically. At the senior level, technical competence is a given. It’s hard to climb the ladder if you are not technically qualified. However, whether you are a Read More >
What Mindfulness Can Do for Your Development
What is mindfulness meditation? Quite simply, practicing mindfulness is training your mind to focus your attention on the present. Mindfulness meditation has overcome misconceptions of being religious, quirky, or New Age. While it does have roots in Buddhism meditation, it provides anyone and everyone a way to disconnect and clear the mind. Why People Meditate Read More >
4 Things that Keep You from Being Your Best & How to Address Them
The warrior Achilles is one of the legendary heroes of Greek mythology. Achilles was extraordinarily strong and courageous, but he had one vulnerability–his Achilles heel. The term “Achilles heel” is now used to describe a powerful person’s fatal weakness. What is your Achilles heel? Delegation? Temper? Statistics and analytical analysis? You’ve likely reached your current Read More >