Check Yourself (Before You Wreck Yourself)
What are your employees afraid to tell you? The most dangerous problems in any organization are rarely the loud ones. The real risk is the silence around the thing everybody sees but nobody wants to say out loud. So here’s a better question every leader needs to ask, and keep asking: What are my people […]
Who is Talking About You When You’re Not in the Room?
The Conversation Most Leaders Never Hear Several years ago, I was having a conversation with a CEO about leadership succession. We were discussing a group of highly talented executives within the organization, all of whom had impressive resumes, strong performance records, and significant leadership experience. As we worked through the discussion, something interesting happened. Whenever […]
When Doing the Right Thing Could Cost You Your Job
What leaders must do when fear and uncertainty tempt them to protect their position instead of the mission. There’s a moment many leaders experience but rarely talk about. You’ve done your job. You’ve delivered results. You’ve represented the mission well. And then suddenly something you said—or something you did—creates more attention than you expected. Now […]
When Executive Respect Isn’t Enough
The Invisible Barriers that Hold Leaders Back The First Time I Realized Respect Wasn’t Enough Early in my career, I was elected to public office. I had the title. I had credibility in my community. And I had the respect of many people in the legislature. But there was something I didn’t have yet—and I […]
The Loyalty Trap: When Being a Team Player Costs You the Promotion
Let’s talk about a hard truth no one wants to admit: Being loyal can cost you. Not because loyalty is bad.Not because your team doesn’t appreciate you.But because sometimes, loyalty becomes a trap—one that keeps high-performing leaders stuck, overlooked, and under-leveraged. If you’ve ever heard, “We just can’t afford to lose you in this role right now,”—this […]
How to Build Events That Actually Change Culture
The Leadership Event Mistake That’s Keeping Your Culture Stuck How to build events that actually change culture, not just schedules Every leader wants to use their event to inspire change. You bring your teams together, invest in programming, and design an experience that feels energizing and engaging. But here’s the truth most organizations never admit: […]
Five Questions to Ask Every Speaker You’re Considering
The Speaker Vetting Mistake That Could Sink Your Event 5 questions every planner must ask to avoid a keynote disaster Every planner wants to book a speaker who brings energy, insight, and credibility to the room. You want someone who makes people sit up, lean in, and talk about the message long after the lights […]
Boring Speakers Are Bad for Your Culture
The Risky Move No One on Your Planning Team Wants to Admit Boring keynote speakers are costing you more than you think After being a professional speaker for 20 years, here is what I know for a fact. Every meeting planner wants to create an unforgettable experience. You focus on the perfect venue, top-tier catering, […]
Rank-and-Yank: Why Forced Ranking Is Fueling Your Turnover
Want to ruin collaboration, breed distrust, and send your top performers packing? Simple: force your employees into a ranking system, pit them against each other, and fire the “bottom” tier every year. That’s rank-and-yank—and it’s not leadership. It’s lazy management. Used by some of the biggest names in business during the ‘90s and early 2000s, this […]
Toxic Leadership: 7 Traits That Quietly Wreck Your Workplace
Some leaders don’t yell. They don’t slam doors or send scathing emails. They show up to meetings on time and hit their numbers. And yet—they’re the reason your team is walking out the door. Toxic leadership isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s quiet. Subtle. Strategic even. It hides behind performance metrics and polite professionalism. But make […]