News & Events

“Values + Actions = Culture.” Sitting between values and culture are the actions of a leader. Actions reflect our true values and define the culture of our organization. Actions, I believe, represent the most important component of this equation. It seems interesting then, that organizations focus an enormous amount of time on defining values and […]

Great leaders can see sunshine while standing in the rain. Don’t get me wrong, they readily acknowledge the rainstorm. In fact, they are the ones holding umbrellas over their people. These leaders do not dismiss the concerns of their team, but they also never let them forget where they are going. One contemporary version of […]

“I want to evaluate you based on the quality of your decisions, not how effectively you carry out my decisions.” A frustrated executive recently told me that no one on his team was willing to make a decision. Instead, everyone came to him for guidance before acting on even the smallest issue. A quick survey […]

Leadership requires a destination. “If you could choose only one book for me to read on leadership, what would it be?” I was asked this question by a young physician who had recently become the department chair for his medical specialty. He was a bit surprised when I suggested a book that focused on improving […]

“Isn’t email terrible? Things so easily get misconstrued.” During a recent email exchange, I thought I had upset my colleague. This was her response after I sent a message apologizing to her. Turns out she was not upset at all and the message I misinterpreted was, in fact, intended as a quip. A five-minute phone […]

“Writing about our culture makes it real.” My colleague made this observation during a recent conversation we were having about our company’s culture. She explained how it gives people the ability to articulate our culture, to label it if you will, in addition to feeling it. “The stories we share help people understand who we […]

“If you aren’t the lead dog the scenery never changes.” It’s easy for some leaders to convince themselves that running a close second is good enough. These are often the same people who “play not to lose” instead of “playing to win.” Being a fast follower…following a trail cut by someone else…oftentimes feels safer, less […]

I have a friend who owns and operates a small company. Each time we get together, he never fails to tell me how fortunate he is to have a great business partner…how aligned they are on strategic matters and in making important operating decisions, how each of their skill sets seem to compliment the other, […]

“Creating a succession plan feels like writing a will.” This was the response I got from a client after inquiring about his reluctance to develop a succession strategy for his company. When I asked if he had a will, however, my client proceeded to give me a detailed explanation of the comprehensive estate plan he […]