Tension Management

“First, get the right people on the bus—then figure out where they should sit.”   Think great companies are built overnight? Think again.   In this 6 minute video John and Dave break down Jim Collins’ Level 5 Leadership from his book Good to Great—the mindset that turns persistence and people into long-term greatness.   […]

“Even experienced speakers get nervous. That adrenaline is good — it means you care.” One of the most critical leadership skills is your ability to engage audiences.  At the same time, public speaking is something many of us avoid at all costs.   When I was coaching, my focus was entirely on helping my client.

“When everyone orients their work around a shared goal, the silos start to melt away.”   In his book Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars, one of my favorite business authors Patrick Lencioni wrote about how a BHAG (Big Hairy Ass Goal) gives everyone something big they can buy into — a unifying purpose. When people

“Anytime you don’t feel confident, it comes across to everyone else.”  What do we need to do as leaders to have more confidence, especially in areas where we’re not feeling so strong?   What we focus on has a great deal to do with how we feel and how we perform.   If you focus

“In the end, leadership needs to lead to results — otherwise, what’s the point?”   Maybe it’s all that studying for actuarial exams early in my career that gave me an affinity for acronyms as a great memory tool.  Thus in my coaching practice I’ve developed the HERO story template, the HOMER template, the To

Your ability to identify and call forth your employees’ superpowers is a real attribute of great leadership.   So how do you do this?   Click on the photo below for a 6 minute video in which Dave and I share how to identify and express superpowers.   Helene Doing Some Wall Climbing   (If

As a good leader or manager, when someone on your staff isn’t performing well, you’re probably wondering what the cause is—what’s going on?   In this 4 1/2 minute video, Dave shares an excerpt from his Pride-Based Leadership program called The Four Root Causes of Poor Performance.  This will help you assess the causes of

“Leadership isn’t one hat. It’s knowing which hat to wear in the moment.”   Poor performance generally breaks down into one of these four categories:   Unaware Doesn’t realize they’re under-performing. Unable Lacks the skill, knowledge, or resources. Unwilling Has the ability but lacks motivation or buy-in. Unsuitable Mismatch between person and role.   How

Have you ever missed an appointment? You scheduled a meeting or call with someone and for some reason it didn’t make your calendar or you just totally forgot about it?   Dave shares his own experience with this, and lessons learned from which we can all benefit:   I scheduled an important call with a