The Most Powerful Pause in Leadership

Why the discomfort of two seconds of silence is the discipline most leaders skip, and the one their teams notice first. Count it out slowly. One. One-thousand. Two. One-thousand. That brief gap, two full seconds, is one of the most underused tools in leadership, and it costs nothing to use. It sits between the moment … Read more

Level 3: The Points of Light Culture

The most hopeful level is also the most frustrating. Here’s why. When I interviewed Andrew Sewnauth, President and CEO of CDS Life Transitions, for The Power of Being All In, he said something that stopped me cold. “Companies that don’t take time to invest in their employees pay an even greater price.” He wasn’t speaking theoretically. … Read more

The After Action Review: Learning Without Blame

Early in my career as a Major in the U.S. Army, I had the privilege of serving as aide-de-camp to General Crosbie Saint, then the Commander in Chief of U.S. Army Europe. We spent most of our time together in helicopters and jets, moving constantly across Western Europe and back across the Atlantic for meetings … 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

Level 1: The Nametag Culture

When people show up but never buy in, and the clock is already running. In We’re All In, I described several case studies where cultures had decayed to the point of causing serious harm — not just to their bottom lines, but to real people. One of them was Barclays Bank. Barclays was among the leading … Read more

Decision-Making in the C-Suite: Clarity Over Speed

What the military concept of tactical patience can teach executive teams about making sound decisions under pressure. Chaos Doesn’t Destroy All In Adaptive Leaders. It Reveals Them. I recently joined Frank Zaccari on the Bounce Back in Business and Life podcast, and the conversation took me somewhere I find myself returning to often: what separates … Read more