Reflecting on Leadership: What Will You Carry Into the New Year?
As the year winds down, the hustle and bustle of deadlines, holiday plans, and end-of-year reviews can easily consume our time and energy. But amidst the flurry, I want to invite you to take a moment—a real pause—to reflect on your leadership journey this year. The end of the year isn’t just a time to […]
Retention Concerns? — Consider This Solution
Right now, there are 0.9 people for every 1 job opening in the US. In other words, there are more jobs than there are people available for employment. And there’s not just one reason for this, but several factors that have come together to cause an ongoing shortage. For example, since the COVID Pandemic in […]
The Leadership Power of Simple Phrases
Sometimes, people say things to us that we aren’t prepared for—whether we agree with them or not. It might be something we’re not ready to receive or something uncomfortable to hear. As a leader, you’re in the unique position of receiving all kinds of feedback—both positive and challenging. While praise, compliments, and admiration are easy […]
Lost in Translation: A Case Study in Miscommunication
In the wake of my recent viral LinkedIn post about a CEO’s attempt at creative messaging, I’ve been reflecting on the profound impact that communication (or miscommunication) can have within leadership—and quite frankly throughout the whole of an organization. The post sparked a mad flurry of reactions, many of which revealed how easily messages can […]
The Power of the Thing You Want the Least
What I want least, is worse than all the other things I don’t want. ➜ Do I want to wake up at 5:20 to go to the gym? Of course not. ➜ Do I want to feel the anxiety I get just before I go on stage at a conference? Of course not. ➜ Do […]
Building Your Leadership Phalanx
Have you seen the movie “The 300” (2007)? If you haven’t, then you now have plans this evening. And you’re welcome. In the movie, Gerard Butler plays King Leonidas. In this one scene he describes a Greek battle formation called a Phalanx. “We fight as a single, impenetrable unit. That is the source of our […]
The Reason Your Workers Are Leaving
“Why Are Your Workers Leaving in Droves? It Comes Down to 1 Simple Reason” [Inc. Magazine article] Ah yes. An article with an enticing title promising to provide me with “one simple reason” – a “magic seed” that’ll solve my problems… Turns out I happen to agree with this one. I happen to agree with […]
Authenticity is a Dirty Word
|| Describe authenticity without using either of the terms “transparency” or “vulnerability.” || In March, I attended a conference on Healthcare Leadership. It was three days of lectures, networking, and “bed-fries.” One of the lectures at the conference was presented by a healthcare leader who I have virtually (online) admired over the years. Online he […]
Let’s Talk About Burnout: at the Leadership Level
I hear a lot of talk about employee burnout. And that’s very reasonable. Good leaders care about the well-being of their employees, understand that the effects of employee burnout can extend to the customer experience, and know that turnover is costly. We should talk about it. But we don’t talk enough about burnout at the […]
When Leadership Coaching Works (and when it doesn’t)
“We’ve invested in other leadership coaching and training. But you’ve reached a deeper level of work and progress than we’ve ever had someone get to before.” A client shared this with me in a conversation recently. We were discussing the results of an Organizational Performance Audit we completed, and having a “midway meeting” to touch […]
