Leaders who admit what they don’t know make space for others to shine. The first time I heard a leader say “I’m not sure,” I was caught off guard. It was years ago, in a conference room where the air felt heavy with expectation. A senior executive, known
How Cross-Checking Can Save You from Costly Mistakes A colleague once sent me a glowing report about a new vendor who could “revolutionize” our workflow. I did not question it. He was smart, seasoned, and confident. Six weeks after signing the contract, the vendor had already missed three deadlines, communication
I didn’t think I’d ever be the kind of person who needed a water bottle to remind me to drink. But here we are. Dehydration makes everything harder: thinking, moving, even staying patient. Miss a few glasses, and I feel it. The problem is, on a busy day,
Years ago, in one of my first big projects, I was on a call with a client whose deadline was barreling toward us. We were behind schedule, not because anyone was slacking, but because a key vendor had dropped the ball. Tensions were high, and one of the senior leaders
My notebooks used to be a jumble. Half-finished lists, arrows pointing in every direction, words squeezed into corners, sticky notes stacked on top of each other. I’ve always loved paper notebooks and probably always will. There’s something about the feel of pen (or pencil) on paper that nothing
Why understanding your team’s needs is more than just “being nice” — it’s a strategy for stronger outcomes. Goals and people aren’t opposites. They’re partners. Some leaders still think empathy belongs in the “soft skills” category, nice to have, but not mission-critical. In their minds, real results
I didn’t need another gadget promising to “fix” my focus, but curiosity won. So I’ve been wearing brain-tracking headphones… while writing, leading Zoom calls, walking my dog, and even at the gym. What These Headphones Actually Do The MW75 Neuro are some excellent noise-canceling headphones. Both the sound
Most bosses get compliance. A few get loyalty. The difference is not found in performance reviews or team meetings. It is found in how leaders choose to protect, support, and connect with their people when it matters most. Loyalty by design is not accidental. It is built in the moments
A great chocolate milkshake does not wait for you. It is perfect in that first stretch, cold, thick, rich. Give it too much time and it loses its edge. The ice cream melts, the texture thins, the magic slips away. Leadership works the same way. Opportunities, like milkshakes, have a
The Step-by-Step Method for Breaking Down Complex Problems The worst part about a messy problem is not that it is hard, it is that it is foggy. You cannot tell what matters, what is noise, or where to even start. When her department got restructured, my colleague Meg ended up
“The harder the decision, the more it reveals who you are.” Pressure does not invent your character. It exposes it. When the room heats up, shortcuts start to look like solutions, and the voices around you get very convincing. That is when your real values walk in. A few years
“The harder the decision, the more it reveals who you are.” Pressure does not invent your character. It exposes it. When the room heats up, shortcuts start to look like solutions, and the voices around you get very convincing. That is when your real values walk in. A few years