Belonging and Connectedness

Making People Matter Few of us knew that roughly 40 percent of my class entering West Point would not graduate four years later. That attrition was not an accident. It was, in some respects, by design. The culture of the institution then was built around pressure, endurance, and the belief that only those who could … Read more

Who Is Your Battle Buddy in the Boardroom?

Why Every CEO Needs a Trusted Advisor Who Has Been in the Trenches In the military, the battle buddy concept is non-negotiable. You never go anywhere alone. Your battle buddy is your trusted partner, the person who shares your risks, watches your blind spots, holds you accountable when it matters most, and tells you the … Read more

Why Adaptive Leaders Must Adapt Now

The world didn’t send us a memo. But it did send a message. When I was writing The Power of Being All In, I had the opportunity to interview a number of senior leaders across industries about the leadership challenges they were navigating in a changed world. One of those conversations has stayed with me. … Read more

The Currency We Forgot

Why Trust Has Become Today’s Leadership Imperative The Trust Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About Something fundamental has shifted in how people relate to authority, to information, and to each other. Trust—the foundation of every high-performing team I’ve ever led or studied—has become fragile. And in many organizations, it’s broken entirely. This didn’t happen overnight. … Read more

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