August 23, 2023

When people describe great leaders, they often use words like confident, action-oriented, and sharp. Those descriptors are important with the relentless pressure to perform, produce, and exceed expectations.  That’s why it really struck me when I recently read three different blog posts that talked about leaders achieving great success by being vulnerable, acknowledging errors, and

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July 18, 2023

In last month’s newsletter, I provided a list of some unexpected but critical ways to measure leadership effectiveness. This month, I’d like to add something to that list. What is it? Situational fluency. The best way to define situational fluency is by describing what it looks like in action. Consider this scenario. Luisa was leading a

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June 20, 2023

During my time working in the corporate world, I did everything I possibly could to be a productive, efficient leader. I focused on developing high-performing teams, and I was diligent about ensuring everyone met their deadlines and key metrics. Plus, I wanted to make sure whatever I did made my boss look good. Sometimes that’s

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May 24, 2023

I recently got to visit with a number of senior leaders after speaking at a leadership conference. Through multiple conversations, I noticed a pattern in their comments about the current challenges they are facing. It was the same thing I had been hearing from other leaders in a wide range of different industries.  They all

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May 11, 2023

Last month, I had the immense pleasure of taking my daughter to Napa Valley for her 21st birthday. What better place to celebrate than the heart of California’s wine country? As we sat on a patio and sipped a luscious Cabernet, I had an epiphany: Wine-making is a lot like leadership. (And no, that wasn’t

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April 17, 2023

Let me start by saying this: Leadership is absolutely a human-centered activity. I don’t believe machine learning can or should ever replace personal communications between human beings. Are the advances being made in artificial intelligence (AI) downright remarkable? Yes! But computers still can’t capture the nuances of our language with the ability to make genuine

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