Blog

By: Josh

 “Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”

Looking back at his 35 years of service i...

By: Josh

We can pull inspiration and conviction from a lot of different sources in life. And while I don't really consider social media to be one of those regular sources for me, I was surprised to recently find a post that did just that - offered a little inspiration and a little conviction, which...

By: Josh

I am preparing to transition out of a challenging role and a season at work that was defined by long hours, a consistently overwhelming list of tasks and responsibilities, the need to manage organizational issues and urgencies every day, and not enough time accomplish half these things. Th...

By: Josh

I used to work with a colleague who was incredibly smart. He simply knew a lot of things about…A LOT of things, both within our work and beyond it. He was well read, informed about current events, and could engage on almost any topic. I respected him for his vast knowledge, and he brought ...

By: Josh

Mark Twain’s quote, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead,” is a message that regularly emerges in my mind. Whether it’s writing for work, writing for 3x5, or talking about writing with others, I’m reminded of his message. And the first lesson I pull f...

By: JJ

You and your team have just finished a significant amount of work crafting a clear and purpose driven vision statement. You’ve carefully laid out your long-term goals, developed the strategy necessary to achieve those goals, and are motivated to get after it. Now fast-forward six months. You...

By: Josh

The less I talk, the better the discussion.

This is a philosophy that guides how I lead, engage with others, run meetings, and facilitate developmental sessions. There is power in questions. They create space, opportunity, engagement, and creativity. Questions can create meaningful mome...

By: Josh

Two podcasts I regularly listen to each end with a consistent question. One asks, “What advice would you give to young, emerging leaders?” The other inquires, “What have you changed your mind about recently?”

Curious, hungry, and committed leaders seek advice. They are always in search of...

By: Shawn

Think back to the last time you actually stopped someone and asked them for directions. Not so long ago, this was a pretty common occurrence, and we placed our full trust in a random stranger on the side of the road. Now, with instant access to numerous digital maps, many of us prefer to ...

By: Josh 

When I think of what ownership on a team looks and sounds like, there are three enduring examples that stick out to me.  

The first is from L. David Marquet’s book, Turn the Ship Around!, where he shares his ship’s three-name rule. When any member of the crew saw a visitor on the boat, h...

By: Josh

Leadership is connecting with others and developing them.

It’s identifying the need for organizational change and leading those monumental efforts.

It’s crafting deliberate, intentional messages and communication.

It’s investing in stakeholders, building relationships, and spending time...

By: Sam

Open your favorite news app, scroll through your go-to social media page, or, if you are feeling daring, turn on the live news. With today’s nearly limitless access to information, I have found myself overwhelmed by information. But it wasn’t until a few months ago that I started to recogni...

By: Josh

When you think back to all the bosses you’ve had over your career – who are the intentional, positive, and inspiring ones you remember?

What about them and how they led makes them memorable for you still today?

In my first year working after graduating college, I remember one boss who ba...

By: Josh

I don’t feel like I am actually part of this conversation at all.  

He just won’t shut up.  

She never asks me for my input.  

He thinks he has all the answers.  

Have you said any of these to yourself recently at work? Or maybe something similar?  

You’re not alone. And for leaders, ...

By: Josh

Feedback is an essential component of all leaders’ developmental journey. Yet, despite feedback being a core part of any developmental plan and a topic widely researched within organizational behavior, leaders still struggle to effectively leverage this tool to develop others and improve t...

By: Josh

It all comes back to feedback.

I’ve written these words numerous times. Maybe even a few too many times. So much so, in fact, that when I departed my previous job two years ago, several direct reports on my team gifted me a going away plaque that captured many of my “infamous” leader quot...

By: Josh

I recently finished Adam Grant’s newest book, Think Again, which argued for developing a willingness to and skills for questioning our assumptions, knowledge, and approaches to how we work with others. I found it a compelling and intriguing read.

But there is one statement he makes in the...

By: Josh

I was hired into an organization a few years ago that espoused a culture of leadership excellence and prioritization of leader development. I was thrilled to join this new team. When I attended my first meeting as a new hire, though, I was quickly and significantly let down. No one introdu...

By: Josh

Fulfilling the responsibilities of “leader” is in fact not one singular role with a set, unchanging job description.  Instead, it is a complex web of many roles that we fill over time – even within the short span of a day.

Leaders must be many things, to many different people, at many dif...

By: Josh

Lunch typically remains an individual activity in my team, as I think it does for many others. You have the freedom to work through lunch, to go home to be with family, to go out with colleagues, or use that time to engage with important stakeholders.

That is, except for the first Wednesd...

By: Josh

I recently talked with a mentee about his new developmental goal, which aimed to improve some specific aspects of his communication skills as a leader. As we talked, I offered a few perspectives about communication, which started off by discussing the three strategies to help structure our...

By: Josh

You can’t lead if you can’t communicate.

Do you craft strong correspondence through your emails?

Are you able to successfully inform, influence, and inspire with your spoken words?

Can you write in a clear and compelling way?

A core leadership skill is communication. Moreover, leaders ...

By: Josh

Leaders must provide clarity on what it important...and what is not...for their organization. They set and communicate priorities, eliminate distractions, and ultimately, build capacity for their people.

Prioritization is the act of defining the organization's 'big rocks' and placing them...

By: Sam

How individualized are your leader development efforts? Are your events, activities, and initiatives tailored to the unique needs of your team, or even more importantly, to individuals? Or are they broad brush strokes waving over vague, cookie cutter topics on leadership? 

How are your tea...