In the rush to resolve issues, many leaders move too quickly toward fixing a problem before they fully understand it. But clarity comes before resolution. In a recent coaching conversation, I asked a client what his goal was going into a difficult meeting. His answer:...

In my last post, I talked about how retention has shifted. Once upon a time, companies leaned on pensions to keep people around. Today, it’s culture and psychological safety that anchor loyalty. But here’s another layer we don’t talk about enough: sometimes the best...

Once upon a time, loyalty was rewarded with pensions and a gold watch after 40 years of service. That world is gone. Today’s workers aren’t just chasing paychecks; they’re seeking purpose, autonomy, and flexibility in their lives. The challenge for leaders is this:...

Assigning decision-making authority isn’t a magic wand that solves everything. Being the “decision maker” doesn’t mean going it alone and calling all the shots. It means leaning into collaboration, gathering input, and communicating clearly — especially when your...

Decision fatigue isn’t just about making too many choices — it’s about carrying every one of them. When leaders feel they must always be the call maker, small decisions pile up, draining focus and energy. But there’s another dimension at play: if your team isn’t...

In my last post, The Silent Saboteur, I explored how unspoken expectations quietly undermine team performance and trust. But what happens when we do speak up — and things still don’t change? Sometimes, the problem isn’t that expectations are unspoken. It’s that...

One thing I keep running into in conversations with leaders and teams is the massive impact of unspoken expectations. No matter how many times I’ve touched on this subject, it’s worth reiterating because it’s one of the biggest factors behind dysfunctional...

Remember that old joke about the married couple? There one where, after years of marriage, the wife turns to her husband and asks why he never tells her he loves her. Shocked, he replies, “What do you mean? I told you I loved you the day we got married. I promise, if...

Sometimes leadership feels like planting seeds you may never see grow. You show up. You hold the space. You ask the hard questions. You model the behavior you hope to see. And then… nothing. No big “aha” moment. No visible change. Just silence or slow movement. It’s...

In a perfect world, we’d all get to hand-pick the people we work with. We’d build teams of people who think like us, work like us, communicate like us, and share our same work ethic and values. But in reality? Most of us find ourselves working alongside people we...