How to Empower Without Losing Control

When I interviewed Mr. Doug Hyde, Executive Vice President of a major architectural firm, for my book, The Power of Being All In, he told me something worth noting. His organization expected to roughly double in size over the next three to five years. Then he told me how: “We need to continue to grow … Read more

Effective Listening in the Information Age

It is hard to be patient. It is hard not to answer every email or text within seconds, although most of us try. In Leadership in the Information Age, I wrote that leaders are like the proverbial firefighter: any time we see a problem in the making, we feel a need to go “beat the … Read more

Why Micromanagement Is a Failure of Leadership

As we came out of the 1970s with the Cold War drawing to a close and new threats rising from every corner of the map, the Army knew it had to change its culture. I described that decision in We’re All In. We had to build junior leaders who could make real strategic decisions, which … Read more

The Holder Model: Listening as Respect

Why one general’s quiet habit worked, and how to make it yours. Last week I told you about one of my role models, Lieutenant General Don Holder (USA retired), who visited the junior soldiers in a unit, asked lots of thoughtful questions, took notes, and never interrupted their answers. I keep coming back to that … Read more

Why Listening Is a Strategic Advantage

The second Big 6 principle is the one almost every leader underestimates. One of the finest Army leaders I ever observed in my military career was Lieutenant General (Retired) Don Holder. He helped lead the Army’s doctrinal shift toward decentralized operations and empowerment, and in doing so he shaped generations of leaders. But what I … Read more

From Nametag to All In

The five stages of culture every organization passes through, and how to tell which one you’re really in. A car dealership executive told me about one of his service technicians not long ago. The man was finishing up a vehicle at the end of a long shift, and the executive stopped by and asked what … Read more