The Humility Problem in Leadership

“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” — Rick Warren Most leadership failures don’t stem from a lack of skill or intelligence. They stem from the ego. When leaders make it about “I and Me” instead of “We and Us,” teams disengage. Strategic plans become mandates instead of … Read more

When Corporate Values Mean Something

“Values are like fingerprints. Nobody’s are the same, but you leave them all over everything you do.” —Elvis Presley Values drive everything. That was true in the Army, and it’s true in every business I’ve worked with since. In The Power of Being All In, I describe Adaptive Leadership as the compass leaders need in … Read more

The Long Game – Sustaining Transformation Through Adaptive Leadership

The ultimate test of learning culture isn’t what happens in formal training sessions – it’s whether these concepts become the natural language of everyday problem-solving.   When someone suggests “Let’s do a quick AAR on that meeting” or “We need some tactical patience before deciding,” you know the transformation is taking hold. This cultural integration … Read more

Building Organizations That Practice Adaptive Leadership

  Your leadership team gets adaptive leadership. They’ve read the books, been to the workshops, had the conversations. They’ve learned about building organizations that practice adaptive leadership for several years now. But understanding something and actually doing it when the pressure is on? That’s a different game entirely. The gap isn’t about knowledge. Your leaders … Read more

Tactical Patience: The Leadership Skill We Don’t Talk About Enough

Tactical patience is necessary for today’s turbulent times. Volatility is no longer the exception — it’s the operating system in which we need to lead. Disruptive technologies, shifting markets, and complex stakeholder demands often leave leaders with more questions than answers. Traditional approaches, rooted in certainty and playbooks, fall short when the rules themselves are … Read more

Working Toward True North and Getting Alice Through Wonderland

Have you ever felt like your team members are working hard but not necessarily moving in the same direction? In Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, there’s a scene where Alice asks the Cheshire Cat which way she should go. The Cat replies, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” When … Read more