Focus On Them Not On Yourself

Nov 21, 2023 | Leadership Development

“So how are things going with your new executive vice president?” I asked Taylor, a senior vice president. “Well, considering 10 minutes into our first meeting with her - which mind you, was virtual - she said, ‘I don’t like looking at myself’ and turned her camera off, I’d say I’m not feeling very comfortable.” replied Taylor. “Wait. What?! Your new EVP turned OFF her camera 10 minutes into your first meeting with her because she doesn’t like looking at herself?” I asked incredulously. “Yep....

See It Before It Happens

Oct 26, 2023 | Leadership Development

Wouldn’t it be great if the next time something unexpected happened, your team spent less time reacting and more time taking action? It may sound impossible, but it’s not. I’ve had several conversations with clients recently about how to develop quicker and more effective responses to the unexpected. We’ve all come to accept that changes are and will continue to occur at faster and faster rates, so what can we do? As leaders, how can we help our teams cope? We help them get better at seeing...

Are You Developing Problem Reporters or Problem Solvers?

Sep 19, 2023 | Leadership Development

“I know this is terrible to say, but I don’t want Larry on my executive team. He sucks the energy out of the room. Brad, the previous director who managed Larry, was great, but Larry exhausted him! I know Larry wants to become a director and I really can’t fault his performance. It’s just him. He’ll kill the energy and culture we’ve developed as an executive team this past year and I won’t jeopardize that.” That may sound a bit dramatic, but it’s a very real issue one of my clients is dealing...

What Would We Do If…

Aug 22, 2023 | Leadership Development

I recently had the opportunity to co-facilitate a client’s exercise on stress testing their business continuity plan. It was also an opportunity for me to reiterate the importance of strong Stage 1 and Stage 2 leadership skills with these leaders. This client’s business continuity plan is in draft, so the exercise was important to not only identify gaps in the draft plan, but to also test the various teams’ ability to jump to the proposed course of action or to develop another solution if the...

Limit Your Focus and Stop the Confusion

Jul 25, 2023 | Leadership Development

A client recently shared, “My team never seems to know what to do or when to take initiative. They wait for me to tell them what to do and I’m tired of it. I can’t continue to do everyone’s job!” Does this sound familiar? You’re an experienced leader. You’ve onboarded, trained, developed, and worked with dozens of team members before but times are different. There’s way more work to do than ever before and fewer experienced people to do it, so it falls to you or it doesn’t get done. Right?...