Topical Articles
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Executive Improvement
Dinosaur Tails and Backpacks — Check Your Six
Warning: I intend to mix a bunch of metaphors in this article. If you’re an English teacher or just a self-appointed...
10 Client Lessons from 2021, PART DEUX
Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach. -- Aristotle This is Part 2 of a 2-Part series It’s interesting…...
10 Client Lessons from 2021, PART 1
Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach. -- Aristotle This is Part 1 of a 2-Part series I love the...
The Workplace of the Future
The Workplace of the Future Auntie Em, Uncle Henry...you're not in Kansas anymore! Coming out of the chaos of the last...
Are You Micro-Managing??
By D. Kevin Berchelmann This is an interesting and pertinent topic to me, as many of my clients – some aware, some not...
Size matters… doesn’t it? — Are bigger leaders better?
Some CEOs make a lot of money. Their Vice Presidents don't usually make as much, and the directors, managers, and...
What’s in a Name?
-- A rose by any other name… Synonyms. Don’t you just love ‘em? Some examples: Word Synonym Bossy ...
Tough Conversations: Have ‘em or avoid ‘em??
Nobody really likes them. Yes, some are better than others in dealing with them, but they are likely not high on our...
Hey, this stuff works! — Whouldathunkit??
Apologies for the length. We recently received an email from a junior executive we had worked with for several years....
The Trilogy: Responsibility, Accountability, and Leadership
I recently had a conversation with some really smart people around Dan Pink’s book, Drive: The surprising truth about...
3 Key Strategies for Effective Training (of any kind)
Training is essential for success—always has been, always will be. But like everything else, not all training is...
Executive Teamwork: Why Senior Staffs Must Play Well Together
“Teamwork” has forever been a buzzword in our business world. It seems that the importance of having employees work as...
Developing Leaders
You Want It When??!! …aka Artificial Deadlines are Useless
Another Monday morning and I’m looking at the list of things that had to be done last week but aren’t.
I guess they didn’t have to be done.
Some of us have boundary-setting challenges that make our lives more difficult when we start babysitting monkeys from other people’s circuses. And then some of us have deadline-setting challenges that make those around us stop taking our sense of urgency seriously.
Dinosaur Tails and Backpacks — Check Your Six
Warning: I intend to mix a bunch of metaphors in this article. If you’re an English teacher or just a self-appointed...
Meetings Are For People Who Aren’t Too Busy
An old friend sent me a picture the other day of this blue ribbon that says, “I survived another meeting that should...
10 Client Lessons from 2021, PART DEUX
Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach. -- Aristotle This is Part 2 of a 2-Part series It’s interesting…...
Best Boss Ever: Back to the Leadership Basics in 2022
Wow! Where the hell did 2021 go, and why did it leave us with so many work environment leadership challenges that none...
10 Client Lessons from 2021, PART 1
Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach. -- Aristotle This is Part 1 of a 2-Part series I love the...
Criticism and Feedback: NOT the same thing!
I had a mid-level manager ask me recently, “Is there a difference between giving feedback or giving criticism as a...
The Workplace of the Future
The Workplace of the Future Auntie Em, Uncle Henry...you're not in Kansas anymore! Coming out of the chaos of the last...
The Emperor Has No Clothes! Except for His Socks
Disclaimer: The identities of the characters in the story below have been changed to protect the innocent from...
Navigating the NOW Normal
Being normal is an overrated concept. No one actually fits the definition, since we all have our own, so no one is...
Bad News Bearers
…do we kill the messenger? We’ve all heard – and probably used – the idiom no news is good news, meaning that if we...
Don’t Be a Leadership Dummy
--stop making this so hard I wanted to call this Leadership for Dummies, but that title was already taken. Looking...
Organizational Excellence
You Want It When??!! …aka Artificial Deadlines are Useless
Another Monday morning and I’m looking at the list of things that had to be done last week but aren’t.
I guess they didn’t have to be done.
Some of us have boundary-setting challenges that make our lives more difficult when we start babysitting monkeys from other people’s circuses. And then some of us have deadline-setting challenges that make those around us stop taking our sense of urgency seriously.
Dinosaur Tails and Backpacks — Check Your Six
Warning: I intend to mix a bunch of metaphors in this article. If you’re an English teacher or just a self-appointed...
Meetings Are For People Who Aren’t Too Busy
An old friend sent me a picture the other day of this blue ribbon that says, “I survived another meeting that should...
10 Client Lessons from 2021, PART DEUX
Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach. -- Aristotle This is Part 2 of a 2-Part series It’s interesting…...
You Don’t Have to be a Jerk; Really, You Don’t
-- Grace and accountability can coexist Lots of you have asked why I say “Grace and accountability can coexist” so...
Accepted Doesn’t Mean Acceptable
… even if we’ve always done it that way We Texans were a little bit whiney last month during SNOWVID-21, but most of...
Client Covidians, circa 2020
As the consultant, I’m supposed to offer advice, coaching and counsel to my clients. They pay me to bring a...
Nothing Helps a Bad Mood
--like spreading it around 2020 is over. Ding dong, the witch is dead. Don’t you wish we could flip a switch on the...
Simplicity: Thy Name is Decision Making
-- Keep it simple, stupid. Okay, okay. I'm not calling anyone stupid, per se. I just want us all to remember...
On Your Marks, Go!… Get Set
-- 2021 is off and running Kinda like Kevin Berchelmann described a business decision-making style in June’s At...
Fast is Good, Faster is Better!
-- Pick a lane, add speed We need speed. Not the breakneck, uncontrolled, sitting-your-ass-on-a-rocket...
Assuming Makes an… Well, You Get the Picture
Who out there knows the old saw about what happens when you assume? Great. You can put your hands down. Yes, we all...
