Blind Spots That Plague Even The Best Leaders

The ongoing tension between innovation and execution have never been a bigger issue for leaders.  Competition and even Disruption demand leaders always watch the bottom line while looking out the window to see which way the wind is blowing.  The failure to do both can quickly doom your entire organization. Read more

The Two Traits Of The Best Problem Solving Teams

Team collaboration is one of the most misunderstood concepts within many organizations.  The old axiom of the sum is greater than the contribution of the individual parts it not working.  Too much feedback from the wrong people and not enough from others creates predictable patterns of frustration.  Teams need real Read more

How To Train Yourself To Take Feedback

One of the major weaknesses I find through my executive coaching is many leaders avoid or even hate conflict.  This inevitably leads to even more conflict because the situation was not dealt with before it escalated into a crisis.  The only way to avoid this is effective ongoing feedback.  This Read more

5 Ways To Counteract Your Smartphone Addiction

This problem has been a hard one for me to admit.  I rationalize like everyone else that its related to work and keeping up with friends.  However, when you start trolling all the latest news and watching those cute dog videos for two hours per day, something is desperately wrong. Read more

Five Signs You’re Running Yourself Into The Ground

I have this nagging conviction that many days I am simply doing the wrong things faster.  My personal productivity far exceeds the development of my personal character.  Weekends away from the daily grind feels like catching up instead of slowing down.  This Forbes post confirmed a lot for me: “Time Read more

Why Your Inner Circle Should Stay Small

This idea is the exact opposites of what most people are advising today.  The larger your network the better, which means the more people you are connected with on social media the better, right?  Actually, wrong because they in reality are virtual connections and not real people who are committed Read more

The Power Of No

This idea changed my approach to personal leadership, which eventually changed everything I do and don’t do in life.  The concept was first introduced by Stephen Covey in 7 Habits when he demonstrated just because something is urgent does not mean its important.  I eventually became very efficient in doing Read more

Creating The Right Organizational Culture

I find myself in working with executives debating whether prioritizing results or activities is the best approach to building a healthy organizational culture.  The activities approach is more directive and seeks to define what things should be done well that will give the greatest return.  When you use results as Read more

Defining The Elusive Work-Life Balance

Every coaching client I have worked with in the last 3 years has this item on their list for improvement.  I am personally convinced that shifting the focus from balance to integration is the key to gaining margin.  This allows for shifts in certain seasons in time without feeling we Read more