Clients often ask me to design or participate in their leadership development programs. These programs require significant investment and senior leaders view them as a way to groom and strengthen high-potential employees -- the ones... Continue reading
I recently surprised a COO by giving him very different advice about a business problem from what he had heard from others. Here’s the situation: Through the grapevine, a bunch of junior R&D folks expressed... Continue reading
I just got a call from a senior leader: A community outreach staffer was causing his management team some consternation. When he was hired 18 months ago, he’d approached every job with zest, volunteered for... Continue reading
After working for a number of months with a vice president who’s had a successful career trajectory in a well-regarded firm, I realized that every few years I meet leaders who are noticeably anxious --... Continue reading
One day last week after lunch, while walking back to my office, I noticed a man parking in the last of four curbside spots in front of the Post Office. He maneuvered a bit and... Continue reading
In most jobs, you have to learn how to integrate your leader into your plans. Unless you own or run the place yourself, part of your job is to help leadership be successful while you’re... Continue reading
When it comes to what’s going on in his business, one of my favorite CEOs has the humility to say, “I don’t know what I don’t know.” He wisely acknowledges what many C-suite leaders don’t:... Continue reading
Whichever software platforms and development methods an organization relies on, the features and functionality that users want aren’t always available. As the Rolling Stones song goes, “if you try sometimes, well, you might find /... Continue reading
The senior director sighed. He had just conducted the third interview of the afternoon, and we only had a couple of minutes to debrief before the next one. “How well do these candidates stack up?”... Continue reading
If the correct thing to do isn’t obvious or easy enough, we usually do whatever seems best at that moment, even if it violates norms. When norms are violated multiple times, though, they generate a... Continue reading
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