Creative Tension: Balancing Vision and Focus
ASK ALMOST ANYONE HOW THEY’RE DOING THESE DAYS, AND YOU’LL HEAR THE SAME ANSWER: BUSY It has turned into the default state of modern work. Emails, meetings, customer demands, operational fires, and endless streams of information compete for our attention. In the...
The Value of a Board
BOARDS OF ADVISORS AND DIRECTORS ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE SUCCESS OF ANY LEADER Throughout my career, I have experienced every level of board leadership—from informal advisory boards and investor-led groups to formal governing boards with full fiduciary responsibility....
Effective Support for Leaders
THE CEO PLAYS THE MOST CRUCIAL ROLE IN SETTING A HEALTHY TONE FOR THE ORGANIZATION The old adage, "It's lonely at the top," is true—perhaps now more than ever. And isolation isn't exclusive to CEOs; it extends to workers across the board. In a post-COVID world, the...
Leading in a VUCA World
MOVING BEYOND RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM In my last couple of decades of experience, I have seen the benefits of these systems firsthand, both in my own ventures and by working with nearly 80 companies directly. I’ve specialized in helping mid-market businesses implement...
A High Performing Team: Your Role as Leader
EVERY LEADER IS ON A JOURNEY Think about the value of a high-performing team and how that team supports your leadership journey, especially as an organization grows and changes – and consider the impact that change has on an organization’s culture and the demands on...
The CEO and Culture
PROTECTING WHAT YOU BUILT There's no doubt that the culture, writ large, both in the documented things like core values or key leadership principles and the unwritten rules of how we do things here -- the rules of the game, so to speak -- those are heavily influenced...
Focus on Health in My Local Community
As a volunteer Board member of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, I am proud to be part of an organization working to prevent kidney disease and provide support for people dealing with kidney disease. As a kidney transplant recipient, I know firsthand...
Leadership and Letting Go
BETTER LEADERSHIP -- HOW TO WEAR FEWER HATS In my leadership practice, I often work with founder-led companies. Some have been around for a long time, and even some of those are run by founder CEOs who -- even after building out a great leadership team - - still...
Taking On a New Leadership Role
CHALLENGES FOR A LEADER PROMOTED FROM WITHIN -- HOW TO START Getting promoted or taking on the leadership role — especially the CEO role — from an internal promotion is an awesome achievement. In addition, it is usually a great thing for the culture because it helps...
Leadership Decision Making
TIME BOXING FOR BETTER TEAM MANAGEMENT For leaders of people, managing conversations, processes, and goals related to performance becomes more predictable, less random, more fact-based, less emotional, and easier to understand when talked about as time-bound...