Leaders have tenacity. Tenacity means you have what it takes to get through ridiculously tough stuff as you strive to achieve your goal.

Great leaders also inspire others to build tenacity in themselves, so that everyone crosses the finish line together.

When you look back at your journey, can you recall times when you pushed through what was ridiculously hard?

20303

We expect managers (with teams) to lead better, but are we providing them with what they need to do so?

 

Management is not leadership.

 

Most organizations have many means to manage work, which includes asking people to share, measure, and report on their progress.

20306

What holds you back from stepping into a better future? It may be that you are avoiding disappointment.

“That sounds like a personal issue,” you might say. Yes, it is. Avoiding disappointment shows up often in the workplace too, including in the C-Suite.

Have you heard this statement before? “We tried that before, and it didn’t work.” Or how about this one: “That won’t work here.”

When such idea-crushing statements are made in strategic settings, avoiding disappointment is at play.

20131

You may have only recently heard the term “ESG” (Environmental, Social and Governance), but it isn’t new.

What is new: Pivots to ESG commitment. That is a Pivot from earnings-driven leadership and reacting to ESG regulations to leadership committed and proactive to stakeholders and ESG.

Perhaps the most obvious Pivot is in who is selected to lead and govern a company; the C-suite and Board, respectively.

20125

You can make better decisions when supported by diverse minds working together toward a common goal. That is, when they are Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive (DEI).

I know this to be true because I’ve been supporting decisions my entire (long) professional career. Nearly half of my career was in large corporate offices, which at the time were not great models of DEI.

More recently I’ve done so as a software-company CEO, a consultant, and as coach for a diverse group of leaders in a peer group.

So let’s talk about the groups you may lead, consult with, or are part of.

20092

I spoke to a Rotary group this past week. Like many service organizations, local Rotary clubs are seeing their membership decline and many members are choosing to no longer attend meetings in person. And attracting new members, especially younger “business, professional, or community leaders” is proving difficult.

The local club I spoke to aims to reignite momentum.

To get to the crux of the matter, my talk focused on clarity and context. You’ve heard this often from me. It’s worth repeating:

 

“You can’t change a person, but you can change their context”

20084

We used to believe that the way to measure “success” of a person’s performance was their output. Many believed that if what was delivered met our expectations, then all was fine with our employees.

This thinking is not only outdated, it’s risky, and must be unlearned.

20075

When being clear with others, it can be useful to pause. Pausing will help you best ensure that your communication with others lands as you’ve intended it to. You want the content of your message and the tone you intend to both get through, clearly.

Too often, we miscommunicate.

20065

In the 5 Daily Practices, the final step is to connect the “what,” “who,” and “how” to your “why.”

You may have heard “Start with why.” Having this phrase on one’s mind has certainly helped many companies be more customer-focused. Understanding one’s purpose (their “why”) has also helped many gain hope, focus, and resilience as they live purpose-driven lives.

19878