Back to Blog

Leadership Development

  • Unending Hassle or Leadership Growth? Rethinking Tough Bosses

    What if that boss you could never please was trying to accelerate your leadership growth?  Maybe that question triggered an eyeroll or a flashback to a performance review you’d rather erase. Stay with me on this idea for a minute though, and consider the possibilities…  What if the leader who challenged your work, questioned your decisions, or pushed…

  • Bad Attitude? Beware of the Cost

    Have you ever had to work with a leader who has a perpetually bad attitude? I have, and it negatively impacted my perspective of the company, my stress level, and my results.  A leader’s attitude sets the tone for decisions, team dynamics, and performance.  When a bad attitude is ignored – your own or someone…

  • Procrastination: The Crippler of Accomplishment

    Procrastination is sneaky, especially for leaders. I know every month I find loads of other “important” things to do, instead of focusing on writing the two blogs posts I committed (to my team) I would do.   No, procrastination usually doesn’t look like laziness… We use busyness and competing “priorities” to justify it. I mean, there’s…

  • The 100% Rule: How We Build (or Break) Leadership Credibility 

    Ever had a leader whose words and actions didn’t match? I have. It was disappointing, demoralizing, and frustrating. But more than anything, it left me skeptical of everything he said. Once you’ve experienced that kind of disconnect it’s hard to fully trust a leader’s word, and that’s when leadership credibility begins to erode.  Our actions will…

  • Are You Leading a Team of Leaders or A Leadership Team?

    As a leader, this is a question worth asking: are you leading a team of leaders or a leadership team? This isn’t a question of semantics. This is the difference between division heads rowing in different directions and a team rowing together, guided by a shared vision, goals, and organizational priorities.  A team of leaders remains siloed, with each…

  • Extraordinary Leaders: Simple Shifts Can Deliver Big Results 

    One of the most extraordinary leaders I’ve worked for was my boss of nearly 20 years ago, Ed. He was smart, no-nonsense, with a dry, witty humor that surfaced at just the right moments. To some, he was intimidating—but as his direct report, I found him approachable and deeply thoughtful.   Ed was an extraordinarily good…

  • A Leader’s Attitude Is Everything: Is Yours Building or Breaking Your Team?

    Authored by Karen Pelot, Edited by Becca Whipple Attitude is Everything Have you ever worked with a leader who makes difficult things feel easy? What about a leader who made everything feel more difficult? Juxtapose those two. If you could choose, which would you spend time working with?  Years ago, I was working with a…

  • Organizational Culture: The Critical Element Leaders Often Overlook 

    Organizational culture as a strategy first got my attention when I heard the phrase “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” in a customer-service workshop as a young leader. The idea resonated with me immediately, and over the years I’ve repeatedly experienced it firsthand. Sometimes in great ways, sometimes like a SH*% show.   Peter Drucker is credited…

  • 5 Leadership Conflict Styles Every Leader Should Know

    Author: Karen Pelot, Edited by Becca Whipple  Why do conflict styles matter? Did you know your go-to leadership conflict style could be costing you in your working relationships and results?  As a leader, the opportunity for conflict is embedded in nearly everything you do: feedback, prioritization, boundary-setting, change management, and the list goes on. Leaders…

  • Where To Focus For Successful Change 

    As an executive coach, I’m often brought in to work with leadership teams when they need successful change. Regardless of the nexus, I’ve learned the real change needed – the one that will make the change stick – is usually tied to the organizational culture. Candidly, culture shifting is not easy, but leaning on the…

  • Why Leadership Growth and Development Must Be a Career-long Commitment  

    How Leaders Lose Their Edge — and How to Get It Back When was the last time you did something professionally that felt like a stretch? Looking back, did it help you grow? It’s an important question for leaders, especially in today’s ever-evolving landscape.   Maybe there was a time when innovation, agility, and adaptability were…