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

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

Balancing The Personal And The Professional

Balancing the personal and professional is one of our leadership principles. But what does that really mean? Healthy cultures are places where people understand the importance of living according to their values. If you map out what you do during a day or week and compare it to your personal values, you’ll probably discover a … Read more

The Case for “Status Intelligence”

In a recent edition of The Wall Street Journal, Professors Gavin Kilduff and Tessa West of NYU suggest there is a different skill in team interaction than previous researchers have found, which they call “status intelligence” [1] –– the ability to read status hierarchies within a team. They separate it from other skills, such as … Read more

Focused Listening

Focused listening is a key component to being a Level Five leader. At today’s modern pace, often with the intention of multitasking, information can be lost. Conversations end up needing to be repeated. Meetings are held, but is everyone truly “present?” In a hybrid, remote/in-person world that many are now in, these issues can be … Read more