In nearly every Agile Leadership class I teach, there’s one:  A dissenting voice.  Sometimes (rarely) their skepticism is overt, but more often, they ask pointed “questions” designed to elicit a concession that Agile isn’t going to work in every organization.   When that fails, the cynic usually doubles down with how/why Agile has not worked at their organizations. So, I thought that now…when every workplace on the planet has been turned upside down by a microscopic monster (thereby making Agile leadership more important than in any other time in history)…would be a good ti ..read more

To  round out this series titled Women in Leadership during COVID-19, I am examining one last set of reasons why I believe women leaders have out-performed men during this pandemic. In Part 1 (released June 7, 2020) of this series, I provided the history and data that strongly supports the theory that women leaders have outshined male leaders during the COVID-19 crisis. In Part 2 (released June 21, 2020) of this series, I explored the “Emotional Intelligence Paradox” that women face every day in the workplace, and how that contributes to the leadership gender gap, but which may also be on ..read more

As I continue to continue to dive into the subject of women in leadership (in preparation for our upcoming Agile Women Leaders Certificate Program), the next logical step (given that COVID-19 impacts virtually every narrative on the planet) was to examine whether women leaders are out-shining male leaders during this epidemic.  As such, this article constitutes Part 3 of my Blog Series:  Women in Leadership during COVID-19. In Part 1 (released June 7, 2020) of this Women in Leadership during COVID-19 series, I provided the history and data that strongly supports the theory that women ..read more

As I continue to continue to dive into the subject of women in leadership (in preparation for our July 2020 Agile Women Leaders Certificate Program), the next logical step (given that COVID-19 impacts virtually every narrative on the planet) was to examine whether women leaders are out-shining male leaders during this epidemic.  As such, this article constitutes Part 2 of my Blog Series:  Women in Leadership during COVID-19. In Part 1 (released June 7, 2020) of this Women in Leadership during COVID-19 series, I provided the history and data that strongly supports the theory that wome ..read more

As I continue to dive into the subject of women in leadership (in preparation for our Agile Women Leaders Certificate Program, launching in July), the next logical step (given that COVID-19 impacts virtually every narrative on the planet) was to examine whether women leaders are out-shining male leaders during this epidemic. And more importantly, what this means for women leaders who are wading through the implications of this crisis at YOUR organization? At first, I considered the stories (which began to surface very early…perhaps too early…in the crisis) that women leaders were excelling dur ..read more

First, let me begin this article by disclosing that (despite the misleading complexion of my first name), I am a woman, and I have held various leadership positions for nearly 20 years.  As such, it goes without saying that I naturally flirt with bias whenever I talk about women in leadership.  Regardless, I have done my best to channel Joe Friday and present “just the facts, ma’am”. I was inspired to write on this topic following a robust discussion last week in my Center for Agile Leadership (CFAL) “Women in Leadership Support Forum” video-conference, when the subject came up with ..read more

“Now, more than ever before in history, anxiety and uncertainty are playing a huge role in our behavior, our assumptions, our trust…our hope.  So, I went back to basics and re-read Don Miguel Ruiz’s book, The Four Agreements.   Because…yes…ancient shamanic wisdom has a place in this COVID-19 world”. Bear with me… Of course all business is governed by facts and figures – no argument there.  BUT I am personally drawn to Agile Leadership because it also has a SPIRITUAL SIDE.  “How so?” you may ask with side-eyed skepticism. Well…in my opinion ..read more

As this is written, the world has fallen victim to the effects of a global pandemic. Radical action is being taken to stem the spread of COVID-19, three-quarters of a million are confirmed sick, and as of today, over 36,000 have died.   As a result, global financial markets are in crisis, having lost more than 30% of their value, and appear to be declining every day. Millions of service workers have been laid off, and there is great uncertainty as to when (or if) they will be able to return to work. Many countries and states within the USA have issued shelter-in-place orders, and mos ..read more

Since I spent my last four blog articles talking about a “Creating a Purpose-Driven Team”, and my September 22, 2019 blog article addressed “When Your Vision Statement Lacks Vision”, I think it now makes sense to spend some time differentiating between the terms “Purpose”, “Mission”, and “Vision”, particularly since it’s very rare to find two organizations that agree on their usage, definition and application. But in my opinion, it’s critical to understand how each discreet term (and the “order” in which they are conceived) is relevant to each other…and moreover to your organization’s ultimate ..read more

Leaders cannot do anything alone, and creating purpose-driven teams is no exception.  The message may be formalized at the “top”, but purpose-driven cultures cannot be mandated from the “top-down”.   Rather, it’s up to leaders to foster crusaders who will spread and model that message “in all directions” throughout the organization.  Below are three (3) observations on which I’ve personally relied, in order to grow these purpose-driven “crusaders”. The Best Crusaders Stay Challenged Bottom line:  Employees want to think, learn, and grow…particularly those who are encou ..read more