In working with some of the best and brightest C-Suite and emerging leaders, it becomes clear quickly which leaders are comfortable with conflict and which ones aren’t. Some struggle painstakingly in working through the rationalization of whether to have the conversations required to push through disagreement, while others eat conflict for breakfast every day. The second group often shares the liberating effects for themselves as well as their relationships that benefit from

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night follows the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” Hamlet While going through some items in my office, I came across a forgotten compass. As I polished it and decided it was in the “keep” category, my mind flashed back to when it was given to me. I’d like to say it was an heirloom from my great, great grandfather who came here from Ireland, or that it was a rare find in an antique shop. However, it came to me

Growing up, Sunday afternoons were split equally visiting both sets of grandparents. While closest to my maternal grandmother, it was my paternal grandmother who taught me about the power of storytelling. As I recall this precious time, my mind flashes back to the many priceless stories I learned about not just family – but life. Her many accounts kept me completely captivated and were woven just as intricately as the tapestry pattern on the old sofa where I was seated for un

Do any of the following scenarios sound familiar? “Because of all my meetings, I can’t get my work accomplished!” “It seems like we have a meeting to have the meeting to prepare for the real meeting.” (my personal favorite) I wish I were making these up, yet they’re all actual statements from conversations these past couple of weeks. The theme is rampant with many leaders – there are too many meetings. Is there a better way? Can the very thing that’s designed to generate grea

…Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. were great leaders. They had control of virtually no one, yet their influence changed the course of history. Michael Hyatt, Former CEO – Thomas Nelson Publishers We all know the feeling. It’s the gut-felt twinge of impending loss. It’s the fear associated with giving up a person or group, handing over a project and forfeiting a decision within our span of control. It’s often a familiar scene as we watch other leaders, and sometimes e

What went wrong? This isn’t an unfamiliar or uncommon scenario to many of us and it happens more than it should. How does someone miss the cue card for staying within the given time for a presentation, a meeting or even an impromptu, “do you have a couple minutes?” office drive-by? There are a few main reasons this happens: 1-    The person isn’t thinking about the limit and the rest of the agenda, only what they need to communicate on their behalf to make their point; 2-   

“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the question – for once I know the question, I could solve the problem in 5 minutes.”  Albert Einstein Stephen Covey, in his work, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, pointed out the lesson by reminding us, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.”  Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google responsible for leading the build-out of their infrastr

Following through – whether in hockey, basketball, baseball, golf or any number of other sports – results in lift, accuracy and power. It guarantees the very best attempt and outcome after contact with the puck or ball. Strong follow through demonstrates reliability. None of us are perfect. Any one of us can occasionally drop the ball. Yet a continued pattern of a lack of follow through can send all the wrong signals, damaging our personal brand and reputation. The most respe

“I’m comfortable with seat of the pants decision-making.” “It’s okay if I don’t have all of the answers when choosing an option.” “I would prefer to move forward to seize the opportunity, knowing I can make any needed adjustments later.” Your response to these statements tells you a lot about your approach to decision making. If you were thinking, “Yes!” “Yes!” “Yes!”, then you most likely have an appetite for the type of decision-making used in an entrepreneurial environment

There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you had given. –Dale Carnegie One of the most sought-after competencies for our clients this year has been presentation presence skill development.  I’m perplexed about what may be driving this uptick. Maybe it was the pending eclipse, global warming, or some textbook public displays of bad professional presence. Or, perhaps many leaders are simply s

This title line is way too familiar to those of you with small children who have traveled in the car on vacation or another local “exciting” destination like Chucky Cheese, Worlds of Fun or Disney.  When we step outside of this childlike mindset, the concept applies to the way we view and approach life and business. We’re often looking to “arrive.” For most, the human spirit within us has an internal hope and optimism that we will get to our destination often more quickly tha