The idea of using storytelling as a tool in a leader’s arsenal has begun to sink in. Finally, stories are leveraged for things other than marketing or PR campaigns. Stories help get buy-in from teams or funding from investors. Stories provide a way to navigate bad news while keeping teams motivated. Stories can even be leveraged by the leader themselves to share a vision or articulate their value. However, it is not just the stories we tell, it is how we tell them that makes them powerful and ultimately effective. I could write a book about how the ability to tell great stories, effectively ..read more

Credibility is a word used when talking about leadership. But let’s talk about what Credibility truly means. We work in a world where individuals (notice I did not say leaders) talk themselves up online, celebrate wins, and tout their credentials. None of these things make one credible as a leader. At the end of the day, your credibility is not about what you say, how often you are interviewed on podcasts and panels, or even whether or not you get an exit for your company. Credibility as a leader is determined by whether or not others follow you. Will others be motivated because they trust y ..read more

No one can be confident driving down a road in heavy fog. Even if you believe you know the road well. There will always be unexpected obstacles and dangers to your wellbeing just around the corner (the one you can’t even see). Now, why in the world would it be any different in business? In my work, I see a lack of clarity, creating issues for leaders. How can you engage investors if your vision is unclear? How can you sell your product if the value to your customer is unclear? How can you have a healthy team dynamic if the culture is unclear? Why would anyone follow someone who wasn’t clear ..read more

Here we are at the beginning of December and most of you are finalizing or have completed your strategic plans for 2022. Goals are set, metrics defined, and outcomes articulated to staff and board alike. Now how about your personal Strategic Plan? Are you going to go through 2022 with no personal goals? If your company, department, or your career are growing, then your leadership effectiveness must as well. Without a clear and well-crafted plan, you may find yourself encountering self-created Turbulence over the next twelve months. So, craft your own Leadership Development Plan for 2022. Her ..read more

This year I have been sharing some highlights from my book Turbulence: Leaderships Unsexy Solution to Streamline Rapid Growth. Each chapter focuses on areas of leadership that can be improved to avert Turbulence. Here is an overview of some of the things covered. If there is something on this list you think needs work, let me know. I’m here to help. 1. Learn to have effective and productive conversations with all stakeholders. 2. Clearly communicate a well-articulated vision: If you don’t know where you are going, you will end up nowhere. If you can’t articulate where you are going ..read more

Research shows that leader authenticity can have powerful outcomes for organizations. One study found that “employees who perceived their entrepreneur/leader to be more authentic had correspondingly higher levels of organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and work happiness.” When commitment, job satisfaction, and work happiness are high, productivity and financial outcomes also improve, so there is good reason to pursue authentic leadership. When working with clients, I define authenticity in two ways. The first is “not copied.” I find this helps frame an individual’s authentic ..read more

Many people perceive conflict as two cars heading toward a head-on collision. It feels threatening and personal. In reality, conflict is like two cars in different lanes heading in two different directions. Rather than a head-on collision, conflict is a misalignment. In redefining the word conflict like this, we take out the anxiety, discomfort, or even enmity associated with it. When we remove the discomfort or threat level, we can productively assess and address how to become realigned. Then, instead of viewing the conversation to resolve conflict as walking into a head-on collision, we can ..read more

A study of 268 senior executives by the Center for Talent Innovation said executive presence counts for 26 percent of what it takes to get promoted. That is almost a third. But how often in your busy workday do you ensure you are showing up with all stakeholders in a way that supports both you and your business? Confidence plays a critical part in how credibly a leader is perceived and, by extension, trusted. After all, the term con man is short for confidence man. They are gifted in getting others to trust them (even when they should not.) In my ten years of working with leaders, I have com ..read more

If you’ve played Pictionary, you’ve experienced the challenge when someone on your team can’t draw. The person knows what they’re supposed to draw, but no matter how hard they try, they can’t make it clear to you. They add lines and draw three more dots, then circle one part of the picture over and over, then erase the whole thing and draw it all again, but none of it helps, and your team just keeps guessing. Regrettably, we do this throughout the day in meetings, speeches, and informal conversations. We think that by repeating ourselves or by saying it louder the message will eventually be cl ..read more

Imagine how much more effective conversation in a foreign country would be if you spoke the language. Think of how many challenges could be avoided and how much more fun the trip would be. That’s also true in business. Speaking the same language as the person with whom you’re communicating can avoid or at least mitigate misunderstandings and the ensuing turbulence. Think about it: the language you speak with employees is not the same as the language you speak with your clients. The language you speak with your board of directors is not the same as the language you speak with your C-suite pee ..read more