After conducting an in-depth study of seventy-two high-performing CEOs, Cornell University researchers reached a surprising conclusion. The key predictor of success for leaders wasn’t grit, focus, education, decision-making skills, a knack for strategic planning, or even IQ. It was self-awareness. Many experts would say self-awareness is simply the ability to monitor and regulate our thoughts, […]
Why You Need to Hit Pause to Keep Moving
How to Avoid Our Most Common Thought Traps
A New Guide to Clear Thinking in a Confusing World
During the early days of the Vietnam War, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara wanted to know if American military efforts in Vietnam were effective. He charted the numbers of weapons lost, enemies killed, and so on. But there was a hole in his thinking. A critical colleague told McNamara he’d failed to count “the […]
Do You See Yourself Clearly?
How Teams Can Help Leaders Overcome Their Blindspots
When you see a group of friends roar with laughter after taking a selfie, you can bet they used a warp app to capture the moment. Like the funhouse mirrors of yesteryear, the app stretches our bodies and squeezes our faces to hilarious extremes. We have to laugh because the reflection has nothing to do […]
How to Break out of Business as Usual
The Enneagram Solution to Upgrading Our Outmoded Conflict Responses
Whether we know it or not, we all rely on a few basic strategies for moving through the social world. Different people adopt different strategies. Some try to be helpful and friendly; others aim for perfection. Some try to be attractive and productive, while knowledge is the goal for others. The problem is that most […]
Your Power as a Leader
The 4 Realities of Your Impact on Others
As leaders, we possess more power than we think. But we can only use it for good if we understand it and embrace it.
Are You a Responsive Person?
4 Ways to Set Expectations for Collaborative Communication
Unresponsive people drive me crazy. I hate sending an email or Slack message to someone and then waiting days to hear anything back. (Admittedly, I have sometimes been guilty of this myself.) This is particularly maddening when you don’t hear anything at all. One of the questions I always ask when interviewing executive assistants is […]