Why Smart People Make Dumb Decisions
Did you ever find your self in a mess and wonder how you got there? There’s no guarantee your decisions are always going to be good ones. Too much is unpredictable. However, many of us have had the experience of looking back on a situation and thinking “I should have...
10 Awful Truths Every Leader Needs to Know
You might get away with ignoring these truths for the short term. You can rally people with charisma and through fear for the short term. But if you care about the long term, to successfully face today's challenges, leaders need to know how to deal with these 10...
Q&A with Jesse Stoner on Challenges Facing Leaders Today
I was recently on a panel looking at the future of leadership. Here are my thoughts on how leaders can face today's challenges in a way that prepares organizations for the future. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing leaders today? One challenge is the...
2016 ConantLeadership Award
I was honored to receive the 2016 ConantLeadership Award Click here to read about the award and my response to their questions: 1. Top tips you would give to a leader who is looking to deliver results in a quality way? 2. A lesson you learned from a crucible moment in...
5 Questions to Surface Your Leadership Beliefs
What you don't see CAN hurt you. . . and your team. Unexamined beliefs can undermine your good intentions. Here are five questions to help surface some important leadership beliefs and to consider how well your actions reflect them. ...
Three Blogging Essentials
After five years of writing my weekly leadership blog, I have taken some time to reflect on what has contributed to its success. These are my major lessons learned on how to establish a blog that people want to read. Three Blogging Essentials 1. Content, content,...
How to Write a Blog People Want to Read
This is the 5th anniversary of my blog! With over a half million views last year and near the top of almost every list of best leadership blogs, it has been successful beyond anything I had imagined. I am passing along the biggest the lessons I’ve learned. In this...
The 4 Decision Styles: When to Involve Others in Decisions
You face countless decisions each day and must determine which to make on your own and when to involve others. This is true no matter what your role or level, whether you are CEO, a project leader, or a team member. How do you know when to involve others in decisions?...
Caught in Team Drift? Consider Honorable Closure
Has your team’s performance fallen off lately? Was it once exciting to be part of the team, and lately you find you’re not having fun? Perhaps your team has succumbed to team drift. In my Harvard Business Review article, “Diagnose and Cure Team Drift,” I explain how...
Self-disclosure, Leadership and Trust
One of the leadership dimensions that often gets marked lowest on 360 assessments is the one related to “disclosing information about self.” When reviewing assessment results with coaching clients, I have noticed that those who are rated low on this trait are often...
It’s Time to Take a Stand for a #TrueLeaderCreed
The news these days is filled with disturbing accounts of bad leadership behavior. The current U.S. elections have been particularly contentious… with attacks on the personal instead of the issues… reinforcing fear instead of articulating a vision for the country....
The Dimensions of Trust
Trust is like a bank account. You start a new relationship with a certain amount of trust, and then over time you add to that account to build a solid foundation. And like a bank account, it can be emptied overnight if you’re not careful about your investment. Why...