Topical Articles
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Executive Improvement
Hmmm, You look Like a 4.87 to me…
Again, the issue of performance review ratings rears its head... I always find this topic fascinating; in reality (my...
More Consultant Crockery…
So, there's this question on LinkedIn, asking a plethora of "strategy consultants" a valuable, fairly straightforward...
Last One Out, Turn Out The Lights…
Succession Planning. The final frontier... to boldly go where damn few have gone before, no matter how frequently they...
Strategy – When Ego & Logic Collide…
So, a colleague of mine was preparing for a 2-day strategy session... Never mind that I really dislike these...
You Aren’t Paranoid – They Really Don’t Like You!
I've mentioned in earlier blog posts, and now it's confirmed -- many employees aren't too keen on their managers. Some...
Frequent Decisions Usually Make Successful Decisions
Years ago, I worked for a USAF Colonel named Scott Atkins. He would tell me frequently that, "If 25% of your decisions...
Brother Have You Got A Dime?
Bail out the auto industry, you say?? $25B sounds like a lot of cash to normal people, but it's barely a band-aid for...
Strategic YES, Planning NO
Strategic Planning is dead. Long live strategic planning... An interesting conundrum; we know that strategic planning...
Stupid Should Hurt…
I was recently involved (as a participant) in a strategic planning event; the facilitator, Alan Pue, was discussing...
Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
So, I've got this client (lots of my stories start this way)... Well-run construction company, with a pretty darn...
Airline CEO = Rocket Scientist
Finally, someone gets it. Delta Airline's CEO, Richard Anderson, announced to reporters that airlines needed to raise...
Did I Mention That I HATE Travelling?
Don't get me started on my latest "airport-TSA" story. I'm trying to block that out, and you really don't want to hear...
Developing Leaders
Inspired or Not, Here You Come!
“Leadership is about influence and inspiration.” – Everyone Who Knows Anything Who has the most influence on the mood...
Come together, right now… over me!
-- The people side of merger integration Ok, so maybe the Beatles reference was a bit much... We were two...
Congrats on the promotion, LOSER!
So, just got that big promotion, eh? Now, you’re “It.” Big Shot. Grand Poobah. Boss Hog. El Jefe. Shiznit. The Big...
Who’s Got Your Six??
As the leader of your team, who’s got your back? Are the people who work for and with you watching out for you, or do...
Integrity Isn’t Flexible
I wrote about this a couple of years ago, but it seems like things are getting worse, not better. I’ve had a number of...
Integrity, Courage & Inigo Montoya
Kevin Ross is my best friend and my partner-in-crime at Triangle Performance (how cool is that?) We frequently have...
Leadership 2019: A new year, let’s do it right!
2018 is in the can, finished. Stick a fork in it, it’s done. A new day has dawned. 2019 is here, we’re over a week...
The (not so) Great Communicator
In her book Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott writes, “The fundamental outcome of most communication is...
You better develop your own leaders… because HR’s not going to do it.
I was reminded (again) this week that just because someone says it’s a priority doesn’t make it so. True across the...
The Real Meaning of Leadership
— It’s not a title, office or salary… I originally told this story several years ago, more from a motivate-to-perform...
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...
Is your competition a terrorist?
No doubt many of you have been looking toward 2018 lately, adjusting your strategy and plans to make it a(nother)...
Organizational Excellence
Diversity in Tech: Dudes, you’re failing!
Warning: Fairly lengthy article, something of a rant, and I’m going to say “bullshit” quite a few times. Buckle up,...
Delegate Your Way Out of the Trenches!
Leaders have got to get better at delegating. Intentional leadership takes time, and there are already plenty of...
Contact Center Leadership
The Unicorn of Continuous Improvement -- Two steps forward, two steps back… Continuous Improvement… the unicorn of...
You’re Not Leading… If They’re not Following
Thought I’d keep it light this month. It’s possible someone told me I’d been a little preachy lately… but what do they...
What’s Wrong With Me?
… never mind, I already know. I’m gonna try to keep this upbeat, but the underlying issue is sad… and oh so...
Anchors Aweigh
… what’s dragging your team down? Last week, I had a great conversation with an old boss (and friend) of mine who’s...
Let’s Talk
--aka: Communication for Dummies Sometimes, I just plain suck at communicating effectively. If you doubt me, ask my...
HELP!
-- I hate to ask, but… “Can I do something to help?” “No thanks; I’ve got it.” Sound familiar? At the office? At home?...
Competition vs. Collaboration
- "Can we all get along?" Rodney King III Late in my Air Force career, I had the great fortune to command a fantastic...
Low Employee Engagement Isn’t the Problem…
-- Low leadership engagement is. Not long ago, I received a request for comment about employee engagement being at a...
De-mystifying Millennials
How many of you are growing weary of pundits and advice-givers obsessing over Millennials taking over the workplace?...
Where Is Everybody?
--The war for talent rages on… Don’t get caught with your pants down. That idiom has its origins in the Roman Emperor...
