“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” – Helen Keller Together, a team can attain new heights of success, the emphasis being on ‘together’ or collaborative efforts. For a team to thrive and shine, the leader needs to master the art of team dynamics. To excel in the dynamic business environment, a team needs to work in perfect synchrony like a well-oiled machine. But your team can only achieve that level of coordination and productivity if you, the leader, act as the mechanic who meticulously oils and maintains the machine. Is there a secret formula to ensure the high perform ..read more

Embracing the Post-Covid Mindset: Rethinking Work and Family As an executive coach who’s guided leaders through thick and thin for over 20 years, I’ve witnessed a fascinating phenomenon: a large-scale mindset shift triggered by the global pandemic. COVID-19 didn’t just disrupt our health; it fundamentally changed the way we approach work, family, and even our relationship with employers. Work vs. Family: Finding Harmony, Not Balance For decades, the narrative was all about achieving “work-life balance.” COVID exposed the fallacy of this concept. Balance implies a constant teeter-totter act, sa ..read more

It’s an old saying you’ve likely heard before. For anyone who owns a business, this phrase is counsel that may be hard to do. For all the owners out there, all three counts in this simple mantra may be nearly impossible. Lead-follow-getoutofwayFirst, to Lead On one hand that seems obvious. You own the business, who else would be leading it? Well, it might not be you. Leadership is much different from management. You might be managing the dickens out of your business, but still not really leading it. You might even be crazy busy, but not providing key leadership when it is needed. En ..read more

We’ve all heard various ideas about managing our lives. When you break it all down, things can get lumped into these three categories. And we’ve all heard the saying: “Live for today.” But what about yesterday and tomorrow? Life isn’t a series of isolated moments. It’s a beautiful tapestry woven from the threads of our past, present, and future. Learning from Yesterday Dwelling on past mistakes can be a drag. Yet, completely ignoring them sets us up for repeating them. The key is to find a balance. Use yesterday as a teacher. Analyze what went well and what didn’t. Did you miss a deadline? Ma ..read more

Company culture. It’s a buzzword thrown around in boardrooms and plastered across job postings. But what exactly is it, and how do you achieve it? There seems to be a common misconception: culture is something you build, a foundation laid from scratch. But a thriving company culture is more akin to a garden – something nurtured and encouraged to grow organically. This post dives into the difference between building and growing a company culture, exploring the benefits of the latter and offering tips for cultivating a positive and thriving work environment. Building vs. Growing: A Tale of Two ..read more

A few years ago I wrote a piece contrasting the “cool breeze” and the “fog machine”, whimsically (at least my attempt at whimsy) to illustrate extreme possibilities in the way a leader can show up at work. I think It’s time to delve deeper into that idea (minus the whimsy part). While the “Cool Breeze” and “Fog Machine” personalities capture a fundamental aspect of workplace dynamics, the reality presents a more nuanced spectrum. Let’s dive deeper and explore the shades in between: The Gentle Breeze: Similar to the “Cool Breeze,” these individuals are positive and solution-oriented. However ..read more

People talk about charismatic leaders having “big” personalities. Powerful leaders are often known as “Type A” personalities. We know about introverts and extroverts. But how does personality really impact your effectiveness as a manager or owner of a business? If we take away celebrity status from high paid CEOs and public figures, what else does personality have to do with how you run a business? For starters, I will argue LOTS! Anyone choosing to start a business or get promoted into management must face the challenge of influencing the people around them. Before you open your mouth the fi ..read more

Leaders at all levels share some common responsibilities. It doesn’t matter whether you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 or the owner of a small shop in the local town. You have some common threads that weave the fabric of who and what you need to be as a leader. In a recent post I introduced the three circles of leadership. This model describes and contrasts the leader you want to be vs the leader the company needs you to be vs the leader your team expects. Seldom do those three circles fully overlap. There is always movement within the model. Leveraging these three principles, I want to presen ..read more

The Wizard of Oz may have been pulling levers and projecting smoke and mirrors, but that wouldn’t make him a very effective leader. In today’s dynamic world, the “man behind the curtain” approach simply doesn’t work. True leaders understand that inspiration stems from visibility, trust from approachability, and connection from relatability. Just like Dorothy needed to see the Wizard face-to-face to gain courage, your team needs to experience you as a real, accessible human to truly follow and be motivated. So, how do you shed the illusion and step out from the shadows? Here are 5 ways to BE m ..read more

We often imagine leadership as a grand production. Spotlight moments, heroic decisions, and sweeping pronouncements come to mind. But what if the key to building a truly impactful reputation isn’t found in these blockbuster scenes? What if it lies in the quiet, seemingly insignificant interactions that fill our daily lives? The truth is, leadership isn’t a one-time performance; it’s an ongoing narrative woven from countless threads. Each conversation, each decision, each gesture contributes to the tapestry of how you’re perceived by those around you. These small moments, not the big events, a ..read more