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 […]
My Top 10 Blogs from the Last Decade
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 […]
How do you deal with gossip at work?
Even though 2019 is winding down, there is no let-up on new leadership stories breaking out in the media. Just this past week, there was a doozy of a story that emerged from the 70th anniversary of NATO. The meeting was held in London and entirely overshadowed by a leaked video of a small group […]
Do you have meaningful leadership conversations with colleagues?
This fall, I worked with many senior leaders across several organizations to help them get clear on their company’s strategy and then understand how they need to step up and lead with greater accountability. I typically use the core ideas from my book, The Leadership Contract, as the backdrop to the sessions I lead. I […]
Do you undermine the confidence of those you lead?
Stacey was starting to hyperventilate. We were minutes away from kicking off a two-day leader forum. The mounting stress and pressure were getting the best of her. At one moment, I pulled her aside, looked straight into her eyes and said, “Everything is going to be fine. My team and I have your back!” She […]
Have you conducted your mid-year leadership gut check review?
Summer is finally in full gear. For many this is the time to take some vacation and enjoy the amazing weather. It’s also a good time to reflect on your leadership role. Every year at this time, my Gut Check blog focuses on helping you reflect on the first six months of the year.
How do you stay inspired?
Of all the places I visit in my work, Brazil has easily become my greatest source of great leadership stories. This past Sunday I arrived in Sao Paolo for my fifth trip to Brazil in just three years. My past visits have coincided with incredible leadership stories. There were the massive protests of March 2016, […]
What New Leadership Insights Did You Learn This Year?
My team and I spend a lot of time talking to senior executives about leadership accountability at large-scale speaking events, presentations, workshops and seminars. Between all this activity and the global travel it necessitates, the pace is demanding but the work is highly rewarding. I also relish the downtime when it arises. A couple of […]
Is Your Team Fully Behind You?
British Prime Minister Theresa May is proof that everyone who aspires to be in a leadership role should be careful of what they wish for.
Is Your Muscle Memory Getting in Your Way of Change?
It may seem odd but whenever I think about the difficulties of adapting to and leading change, I think of something that happened over 20 years ago involving an old refrigerator.