Insights and Articles

Recently I have started to work with CEOs who want to work on how they will transition out of the corporate world. All are very accomplished CEOs who are ready for a new chapter. It’s a positive development – in contrast, to simply making a change in their...

For most of my fifteen-year coaching career, I have promoted the idea that high-performing teams must have a foundation of trust. I’d advise my clients that if team members don’t trust each other, there is little likelihood they’ll demonstrate healthy conflict about...

Let’s start with the metaphor that your brain is like hardware, while your mind is the software that runs on that hardware. Thanks to evolution, your brain has some serious limitations, but upgrading the software (your mindset) actually improves how your brain works....

In April 2009, I missed a flight. It was one of those adrenaline-filled, cortisol-pumping experiences where I hadn’t given myself sufficient time to get to the airport. It led to a trifecta of emotions: Shame that I was not better prepared Anxiety about getting on a...

A couple of weeks ago I arrived at a client’s office and this normally calm, grounded CEO declared: “I really need your help with a people issue that’s bothering me.” This was quite unusual for him—he’s incredibly competent, the company is flying high, and he’s...

What Is a Listening Tour? A listening tour is an extremely valuable tool for any new CEO (or any leader, for that matter). It involves meeting with a wide variety of people from many levels of your company. It helps you understand “the lay of the land” at your...

How CEOs can ask for, secure, and act on quality feedback. I often joke that my work is made possible because candor needs to be outsourced. CEOs have a problem getting a decent quantity of quality feedback. For new CEOs, this feedback issue is compounded by what I...

Eight years ago, I received a call from a CHRO who confided in me that my client (a new CEO) was doing a very poor job of inspiring the troops. She concluded with this statement: “He’s not making meaning for employees.” I thought it was a brilliant insight into one of...

For over ten years, I have worked with CEO candidates and CEO-elects. Watching very sophisticated leaders navigate the CEO-succession process is a fascinating study in human nature. The process is rarely without its bumps and there is a huge amount of sensitivity for...

One of my CEO clients regularly reminds me that “the wise man has many advisors.” I’ve watched my CEO clients build (sometimes intentionally and sometimes organically) a cadre of advisors who help in all kinds of ways. I’m now a believer in the idea that this is one...

If you want to lead a company that outperforms the competition, start by clearly defining your company’s vision, mission, and values system. Once these are defined, you must then articulate the strategies that will allow you to accomplish that mission. There is...