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Strategic Leadership

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 3 Leadership Hats You Need to Be Wearing This Week

    Leadership Hats… More Than KPIs. Think about your favorite boss for a minute. What made that leader so effective? Chances are, it wasn’t just their strategy and ability to hit KPIs. More likely, it was how they showed up for you.   As leaders, we have the privilege of playing pivotal roles in helping to shape…

  • Are you Shoulding or Committing to Action?

    How to Avoid This Leadership Cop-Out Ever catch yourself saying “I should…,” “We should…,” or worse, “You should…”?  When I was going through the executive coaching program at UT, I learned to notice when a client was “shoulding” versus committing to action. Hearing the “should” was part of learning to fully listen to what’s being…

  • Spring Cleaning for Leaders

    A Refresh for Mind, Priorities, and Workspace  Every year, by the end of March, I get the “spring cleaning” itch. Not just the traditional “dust the blinds” kind of cleaning, but also mental, physical, and environmental clearing. I crave change, which means things in my home and office get moved around – a lot.   As…

  • Control the Controllable

    A Leadership Practice for Managing Stress & Driving Success Control the controllable. What does that even mean? To start, it’s the remedy to feeling like a victim and being full of frustration when “stuff” happens that is outside of your control. It’s the antidote to the emotional, mental, and even physical fatigue that’s prone to…

  • Navigating Change

    “The only thing that is constant is change.” – Heraclitus Ever feel like the ground is shifting beneath your feet?  I know a lot of leaders who are feeling that way now. As I’ve been talking with my clients about navigating change, and the uncertainty that always accompanies it, I’m reminded of James.  When James…

  • Self-Awareness and Leadership: What’s Missing Here?

    Have you ever known a leader who, with “vulnerable” self-awareness, acknowledges things about themselves that are not ideal, but never tries to improve them? I have. Working for that leader was frustrating, to say the least. It also made me wonder what was wrong with his superiors. Why was everyone OK with these behaviors? As…