This post is part of the “Where Leadership Gets Hard” series—based on over 25 years of coaching leaders through real problems. No theory, just what I’ve seen work. I start almost every coaching session the same way. After a minute of catching up — how's the family,...
In a recent post, I talked about the importance of risk-taking to career and organizational success. This post extends that idea by offering five specific criteria for evaluating whether a risk is right or wrong for you. When considering a risky move, most people...
There’s a lot of giving when you’re a leader. You’re giving lots of direction, coaching, clarifying, explaining, feedback, and course-correcting. All of that output can make a leader exhausted, deenergized, and spent. When you’re doing it day after day after day, and...
I originally wrote these tips for my son, part fatherly advice, part hard-earned wisdom from a lifetime of getting things right, getting things wrong, and learning the difference. But the more I looked at the list, the more I realized none of it is just for him. These...
In remembering Dolly Parton and the extraordinary legacy she leaves behind, I was reminded of a story I shared in my book, Leadership Two Words at a Time. Dolly’s confidence, authenticity, generosity, and unmistakable sense of self offer a powerful lesson for leaders....
This post is part of the “Where Leadership Gets Hard” series—based on over 25 years of coaching leaders through real problems. No theory, just what I’ve seen work. I've noticed a sentence that comes up in my coaching sessions with leaders at fast-growing companies. It...
Leadership is hard work. It takes making accurate decisions based often on inaccurate or incomplete data. It requires bringing about change and contending with the resistance that it prompts. It's caring about those you lead, but remaining objective enough not to get...
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