It’s astonishing how many smart business leaders struggle with solving problems. We don’t mean these leaders are indecisive or complacent — far from it. In fact, in some cases, leaders make decisions too quickly, with an incomplete data set and/or inaccurate assumptions; in other cases they hesitate to decide, lacking a clear decision-making process. Just … Read More
Leadership development
How Unconscious Bias Creates a Conflict of Interest
The Unintentionally Unethical and Biased Employee — I believe that most people try to do the right thing most of the time. If they make a commitment, they try to keep it. When they have to choose between an organization’s best interests and their own, they often err in favor of the organization. We see … Read More
Achievement Drive: The Leader’s Guilty Secret
With a cumulative 100 years or so of assessment, coaching, and consulting under our belts, we have discovered that nearly every executive-level leader carries with them a “guilty secret.” Sounds juicy, doesn’t it? In the news over the past few years, some have been found to have purchased millions of dollars of art through their … Read More
Leadership Development: Necessary AND Sufficient Components that Catalyze Leaders’ Performance
Employees, stakeholders and executives alike have high expectations of their leaders. Unfortunately few leaders are born perfect; most have to work hard at getting there. And along the way they may discover some significant gaps. He/She is Great…but…. As consultants we are often asked to advise on how to improve a leader’s performance. The conversation … Read More
Transactional vs. Relational Leadership – Which is Best?
Fans of the multiple Emmy award-winning television series The West Wing enjoy a deep and accurate insight into the dynamics and impact of different leadership styles. At one moment the fictitious President Bartlett will be building common ground and consensus with foreign or domestic leaders; the next moment he and his staff will be counting … Read More
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Leadership
Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont — three of the most famous horse races in the world constitute theTtriple Crown of horse racing. Over the last 150 years, only 13 horses have taken the crown. These thoroughbreds represent the outstanding performers in horse racing. They are meticulously bred, trained, and conditioned to race under variable conditions. … Read More
Keeping Your Leadership Superpower from a Distance
Remote Working has Changed How Leaders and Followers Interact The daily exchanges between a leader and follower were as crucial as any factor in effectively leading employees. These minor interactions were the focus of much study in the 1980s but the findings are so well understood by most leaders that not much has been written … Read More
Restructuring a Toxic Organization: What to Expect
We mentioned in a previous article that toxic individuals are infectious. Such employees focus on means rather than ends, promote drama over performance, and create significant drag on an organization. Moreover, they recruit others and shift the cultural norm. When this happens, restructuring is essential — but it will be resisted. Predictable Resistance to Organizational … Read More
Leadership: The Ten Worst Behaviors
It is often said that an employee who leaves a company is leaving their leader, not the company. Because leaders and their employees are in a power relationship, any corrective feedback often remains unspoken until the exit interview, or perhaps is never spoken at all. And in truth, most leaders do not intend to be … Read More