Leadership Intelligence for the C-Suite

“The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.” Taken from lessons in history and life experiences, Niccolò Machiavelli wrote these words in The Prince, published over 550 years ago. The message is clear: the end justifies the means. These words might seem harsh, but they are not surprising. They reveal the tension that can exist in business between profit and people. Is cheating to achieve favorable results part of doing busine

Building trust is increasingly challenging and vital for executive leadership teams. Distrust in society is breeding polarization. Evidence suggests less than a third of employees are willing to help, live near, or work alongside someone who disagrees with their point of view on things that matter. Trust is the currency of any business and holds a company together during change. CEOs and top management teams are expected to be visionary change catalysts. However, many leaders

Have you ever wrestled with the idea of being vulnerable in a conversation? Regardless of leadership level or amount of experience, most leaders struggle with the tension of being vulnerable or not. In difficult conversations, followers want to know you care about them. But concerns about managing perceptions often keep leaders from showing vulnerability. And when a leader is guarded in a difficult conversation, it promotes distrust. Although leaders are expected to convey an

I inherently trust most people and can quickly distrust others. Why? For the same reasons as you. To avoid something terrible from happening. Deciding whether to trust someone or not is an essential life skill. Putting faith in the wrong someone or something is costly. Increasingly, leaders face the challenge of overcoming an inherent distrust in leadership. A recent global trust study discovered that less than one in three people are willing to help those with whom they disa

Star Wars presents an epic struggle between the light and dark side of the force. This special-effects-laden movie saga produced over ten billion dollars of revenue for Disney. However, in the workplace, the made-for-movie behaviors of dark personality traits are not the same. A dark personality sits in between what is considered a normal personality and clinical pathology. Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy make up the Dark Triad. These dark personality types are

What sets a data-driven organization apart? Evidence suggests better revenue and customer value. Data-driven organizations are better equipped to make decisions and take the right actions. Today's generative AI is driving a data revolution. Recent evidence suggests that the percentage of data-driven organizations has recently doubled, an increase greater than at any time before. But, unlocking the full potential of what is possible with data analytics requires a talent strate

Without selfless love in the workplace, achieving the best of what might be is impossible. Stop and think about the implications of that statement for a moment. There is no serious debate that well-designed organizations with clear organizational strategies influence desired behaviors, culture, and performance. Numerous studies identify failure as often tied to misalignment between the organization and its operational environment. However, while organizational alignment is es

What if your key to unlocking the best of what can be lies in moments of reflection on what was? As we begin this new year, I encourage you to spend some quiet time reflecting on this past year's unseen hurdles, the habits you reshaped, and what matters most. Evidence suggests that critical reflection on personal experiences unlocks learning, leading to better judgment and decision-making. The past year may have left you hesitant or feeling dreadful about an uncertain future.

Behavioral science proves it: your world is perfectly designed for the results you are getting. Leaders who want to achieve ambitious goals need to be able to change people or change people. Unfortunately, a challenging talent marketplace gripping every business is often delaying timely people changes that matter. Leaders feel trapped between tolerating performance below expectations or having the employees to deliver results. When you accept poor performance, everyone pays t

When it comes to what a comfortable indoor temperature is, I am frequently in a different hemisphere than my family. On visits, debates are almost guaranteed. The surprising thing is that although spirited and sometimes a little animated, they are actually civil. And we enjoy our time together even if it means sometimes, some of us are covered in blankets. Differences are increasingly common. Distrust breeds polarization. Evidence suggests that, on average, leaders spend mor

Development is essential for leaders to thrive in today's turbulent marketplace. You're either growing or falling behind. Embracing l eadership assessment can build your capacity to navigate complex challenges and steer your team and organization to success . If you haven't already, you will want to try a 360-degree assessment. You might be surprised to learn that 360-degree surveys are used in over 85% of Fortune 500 companies. Feedback is the lifeblood of a high-performing

Are you looking to level up innovation and creativity in your business to produce a competitive advantage? Maybe you're skeptical of whether it is possible to develop your team and believe you should hire for it. It's the debate of nature versus nurture. A common argument presented in support of team development is that if people were born with creativity, we would observe more consistency in creativity among team members. Evidence suggests an individual's behavioral drives a

No leader strives to create a toxic culture. It's a liability. Just its mention can stir up negative emotions within those with experience. Evidence from an MIT Sloan study suggests a toxic workplace is the most potent driver behind the more than 50 million workers who quit their jobs recently. Employees and leaders are trying to avoid toxic cultures at all costs. But when present, there is no escaping, even if working remotely. It is easy to understand a toxic culture is bad

Stuck on the leadership plateau? Finding it challenging to navigate obstacles with the success you hoped for? Feeling like you are not living your best life? It's common to feel like you have a handle on things on minute, only to realize you are stuck making an important decision and cannot see the bigger picture because of the daily grind. As you climb the ladder in any organization, the need for a trusted thought partner increases, yet it's harder to find. That is where an

The future workforce is more diverse than ever. Census data confirms cultural diversity is growing faster than predicted, especially among Gen Z. A competitive talent landscape, technological advances, and global population shifts are rapidly increasing cultural diversity in the workplace. Regardless of your industry, you will likely experience vast differences between cultural expectations among employees, challenges in attracting and retaining culturally diverse talent, and

Most executives want more out of life and work, and businesses want to grow. The pressures of increasing uncertainty and a fast-paced digital workplace are intense, and leaders face many new challenges. If leaders and teams are not striving to improve, they are falling behind. So, how can leaders and businesses avoid wasting time chasing ideas that don't move the needle in a turbulent environment? Some of the most admired companies in the Fortune 500 are turning to executive

Empty stadiums at the 2020 Olympics provide a fascinating glimpse into the profound impact of others' presence on workplace performance, productivity, and profitability. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 12.7% of full-time employees are now working from home, while 28.2% are working a hybrid model. Empty offices are no longer a rarity. Social facilitation sheds light on the subtle ways the presence of others impacts performance and why an Olympic athlete would

If you are not laughing, you're likely not paying attention. Good humor is a part of a good life. But many leaders fail to take it seriously. After a couple of decades of working in talent management, I get it. There are more than a few good reasons why leaders should think twice before using humor at work. But new research suggests that humor during times of crisis significantly improves employee engagement and organizational performance. It seems like an understatement to d

To be successful in a rapidly changing world, we need to invest in developing new leadership skills. According to TrainingIndustry.com, an estimated $166 billion was spent in 2019 on leadership development in the United States. The more a leader learns and effectively applies, the better they perform, and consequently, our organizations achieve better results. This statement is the tenet of leadership development training. While there is some logic in that statement, it overe