Personal Balcony Time

Personal Balcony Time

(This post was first published here on March 20, 2017.) Great leaders make sure that they schedule what we call “balcony time.” So many things call for our attention at work every day that we can get completely caught up in the day-to-day business of...
The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone

I’m not sure if you know this, but next to Christmas, Halloween is the most expensive holiday in the calendar year. The average American spends more on Halloween than on any other holiday, save Christmas. This is my Halloween blog. You are traveling through another...
Trust and Verify

Trust and Verify

Many of us were introduced to the five fingers (or five elements) of trust on the LEAD 24/7 retreat. We talked a lot about trust during that time together. What we discovered is that trust encompasses many critical pieces. I can trust (or not trust) your talent, your...
The Lenses We Wear

The Lenses We Wear

The first time I became painfully aware of the lenses through which I see the world was during an anti-racism training the organization I worked for at the time held for staff and other key leaders. I was twenty-seven years old. Most of my memories of the training...
Making Decisions at the Wrong Time

Making Decisions at the Wrong Time

Fellow Leaders, I’ve always loved the original version of Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas. For 53 years the Grinch had put up with packages, boxes, bows, trees, singing, jing-tinglers, and roast beast from all those happy Whos down in Whoville. After...
Innovating Innovation, Part 3

Innovating Innovation, Part 3

This is the third in my mini-series on creating new value, also known as innovation. The first post took a deep dive into the concept of value—what it is and how it should be core to the existence of every organization—especially for-profit organizations.  The second...