Professional Development
My Transformation: Why I Needed A Coach, Part IV
“Old Soldiers never die, we just change uniforms.” Spending over half your life working in your chosen profession and then changing to something new doesn’t require a transition, but a transformation. We transition between positions at a job, but when you break a glass ceiling, a transformation is required. When we relocate from one location…
Read MoreLeadership Beyond the Titles
“Great titles do not automatically create great leaders.” (Republished with an updated link to the USA TODAY Online article) Some people believe that once they obtain a particular title, they are a great leader. That could not be further from the truth. Leadership does not come from titles, but from the people behind them. There…
Read MoreUnconsciously Competent: Why I Needed a Coach, Part II
“Sometimes we do not truly appreciate our abilities.” A coach identifies those blind spots to help us become our best selves. In the Conscious Competence Learning Model (Curtiss & Warren, 1973), we may all experience the four stages. But my interpretation and application of the stages are a little different than what the model may…
Read MoreWhat Help Do CEO’s Need?
“The affected group normally knows best what they need.” I like to conduct some research on a topic before I share my curated thoughts. Research on this subject required more effort than I expected. The results of my Google search, “What do CEOs need help with?”, were a series of articles that provided input to…
Read MoreCEO Professional Development: I’m No Superperson
Long ago, as a junior leader, I learned that, “Everything I know is not everything there is to know.” Fast forward 15 years to when I became a CEO; this maxim was even more prevalent. There was much more to know, leading 400 versus leading 40. The number of moving pieces, the complexity of problems,…
Read MoreJudgment: The Foundation of Thoughtful Decision-making
Decision-making is rarely an easy task. It requires a great deal of time, talent, energy, and information. During the next few weeks, we will explore the characteristics of decision-making through the wisdom of prominent individuals – some familiar to you, while others may have lived before your time. Regardless, the sage advice they provide is…
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