Gut Check: Are You Aware of the Unspoken Brutal Reality of Leadership?
The last two weeks have been quite dramatic for many reasons. We have witnessed the second wave of the global pandemic spread at a ferocious pace. We have also watched President-Elect Joe Biden, and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris earn a historic win in the U.S. election. At the same time, we have also seen President […]
Gut Check: Are You Strengthening the Resilience and Resolve of Your Team?
In Cook County, Minnesota, USA, located on the shore of Lake Superior, you will find an unforgettable image. Growing out of the bare rock, on the shoreline of the lake, is a lone tree that is twisted and gnarled. In the book, In the Company of Trees, author Andrea Fereshteh shares that the tree has […]
Gut Check: Are You Ready to Lead the Future?
One of my favorite quotes by the great Harvard Business School Professor and Innosight co-founder Clay Christensen when he said: “the new game begins before the old one ends.” We all seen companies unable to change, pivot and transform themselves in the face of a changing context. In many ways, all the unprecedented events that […]
How strong is your leadership presence right now?
The global pandemic hasn’t just upended our world, but we have all been thrust into virtual communications in a make-or-break way that raises a question most of us haven’t had to think hard about before: How do we project our leadership presence through virtual means when many employees have become remote workers? It’s been one of […]
What is in Accountable Leaders and Why I Wrote the Book
On July 23, 2013, I launched the first edition of The Leadership Contract. That was seven years ago today. I was in New York City speaking at the Human Capital Institute conference. I held a book signing after my presentation and there was a buzz around the table as people lined up. The feedback I received […]
Have you conducted your mid-year leadership gut check review?
Normally, when June starts to edge close to becoming July, I post a Gut Check for Leaders blog and invite my readers to reflect on their leadership performance over the first six months of the year. Mid-year is a great time to pause and take stock of my experiences and key learnings. Where did I […]
Is this your defining leadership moment?
In my recent discussions with senior executives and clients in my network, many have openly shared how they are feeling at this unprecedented time. They describe being stressed and overwhelmed. Many are under intense pressure. Others tell me they are struggling to deal with the uncertainty and ambiguity we all face. A few have admitted […]
The Accountable Leaders App – Supporting Leaders When It Matters Most
Over the years, the majority of my client work has been to support companies and their leaders at critical inflection points. These were pivotal times where they needed to either shift their business strategy, turnaround poor performance, drive global growth or come together after a merger or acquisition. In each situation, the stakes were high. […]
Are You Communicating Enough at this Critical Time?
It’s Week Three of the lockdown. I’ve continued to stay connected with clients and others in my network. Even after 21 days of working at home with the entire family in attendance, we are still figuring this out as we go. We are in this together. Surprisingly, an interesting leadership insight emerged on the home […]
Do you have a strong community of leaders to lead you through this crisis?
In early February 2003, we kicked off an 18-month leadership program for the top 70 leaders of a large municipal government. We designed an experience to help them better lead their organization into the future. It was the first time the city was engaging in this type of development for its senior leaders. We began […]