My Top 10 Blogs from the Last Decade

December 30, 2019

One of the favorite ideas in business is the notion that entrepreneurs and executives need to balance their focus between working on the business and working in the business. This critical insight was shared by Michael Gerber many years ago in his book The E-Myth Revisited.

I always try to take this vital idea to heart, but it is a challenge to work on the business when I’m serving clients, travelling around the world, and speaking and writing. These activities are critical to my company. It’s all about me working in the business. So, I relish pockets of time when I can stop and shift my focus to working on my business.

I was able to do this in December. Most of my client work and business travel wrapped up in the first week of the month. With all this work behind me, I then had the rare opportunity to step back, play a bit of catch up, and work on my business.

One of the things I did was to review the analytics of my blog posts and measure their impact, likes and comments on LinkedIn, Google and on my website. I always find it fascinating to look back at all the posts and the stories to see which ones were most meaningful to my readers.

What I also did this time was to look at the data through a more extended time horizon – over the past decade. Over that period, I’ve written well over 300 blogs, not including all my other articles, books, and e-Books. Based on my review of the data, I was able to identify my top 10 blog posts from the past decade. It was not easy to whittle down the list to just ten, but I did. In many ways, these are the blog posts that have been most meaningful to you. Here are the top 10:

The 10 Worst Kinds of Leaders. This blog post goes back to September of 2012. It was by far the most popular blog that I’ve ever written. This post came out almost a year before I released my book, The Leadership Contract. The reaction from readers immediately told me that we were all frustrated with the bad and mediocre leaders in our organizations. This would further inform my research and work over the rest of the decade.
Are You the Leader People are Yearning For? This blog was posted earlier this year after my business trip to New Zealand. It was weeks after the tragic events in Christchurch. The world was in awe of how Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern showed her compassion, resolve, and empathy. The reaction made it clear to me that not only are we fed up with mediocre leaders, but we are also all yearning to be led by strong and compassionate ones.
Who are Your Pillar People? As an entrepreneur and business leader, I have always believed that successful companies are built on the backs of extraordinary people. I call them “pillar people.” They enable you to develop and grow a thriving business. This post was inspired by one of my colleagues who retired after having a significant impact on our organization and clients.
Do You Know Your Personal Leadership Story? Leaders are shaped by experience. The good ones and bad ones leave an enduring mark and shape who we are as a leader. Yet, most leaders don’t know how these experiences influence them. This blog post shares the story of GM CEO Mary Barra and chronicles her humble beginnings to becoming the top leader of one of the world’s largest automakers.
Do You Have Meaningful Leadership Conversations? This is a recent blog post that tackles the need for leaders to come together to have meaningful leadership conversations. When they do, they release positive energy and deepen their learning and commitment.
Do You have Tough Conversations? One of the most common issues that I see in organizations is the need for their leaders to have tough conversations. Most don’t. This still comes up at least one or two times each week in my client meetings. This blog post puts a spotlight on this critical challenge and provides a way for leaders to improve.
Do You Undermine the Confidence of the People You Lead? Leaders, at times, can say and do things that undermine the confidence of the people they lead. This little blog post was inspired after I worked with a client. She was a strong and confident leader, but her boss did things which caused her to question herself and erode her performance.
What Kind of Leadership Culture Would Enable You to be at Your Best? This is the question I find myself spending a lot of time talking to my clients about. Leadership culture really matters, and more leaders have a deep desire for a working environment that is more compelling, connected, and committed.
Are you a Truly Accountable Leader? Leadership accountability is the primary focus of my work with leaders and their organizations. This blog post shares findings from my research that reveal the five characteristics of truly accountable leaders.
Are You Aware of the Personal Struggles of the People You Lead? Mental health has become a primary issue in our organizations. Leaders need to be keenly aware of the personal challenges and struggles that their people may be facing. This blog post generated a lot of conversation with my clients.

There you have it, my top 10 blogs of the decade. I hope you find this review helpful. Happy New Year!

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