Updates

The transformation problem hiding in plain sight: Leaders are depleted

So many of the organizations with which we partner are in the middle of significant transformations that include shifts in business model and in several organizational capabilities. This heightens the importance of knowing whether the organization and your leadership team are thriving or depleted. Gartner’s 2025 HR Priorities Survey found that leader and manager development was the number one priority for the third consecutive year — specifically because leaders are not equipped to lead change at the speed organizations now require it. This points to two issues, in fact: depletion and capability gap. Let’s focus on the first one, which is depletion. [Read more…] about Transformation Requires Energy

Guest post by Michael Roytburd

You’ve probably heard the term mindfulness. Maybe you associate it with meditation. Maybe you’ve learned about it in mental health settings. Maybe you’ve even received some training. Mindfulness is talked about a lot these days, and that’s for a good reason. You may be practicing mindfulness without even knowing it. And if you aren’t, there are countless simple opportunities to use mindfulness to improve your life — they might be right under your nose (literally).

So first, what exactly is mindfulness? [Read more…] about Mindfulness: The Opposite of Autopilot

Executive roles have always been highly demanding. In recent years, however, the demands of business and the associated social complexities have multiplied, requiring more and more of leaders at the C level. In my nearly 30 years of working with leaders, I am paying more attention to how they are grounding themselves to be at their best in their roles. In fact, at the start of working with an executive leader, I assess how they are oriented to their role, as well as the demands they face. Specifically, I look to see how the stresses of the role are affecting them, and whether the job has them, or they have the job. [Read more…] about Does the Job have You?

As an organization development consultant and leadership coach for over thirty years, I’ve noticed many patterns that really great leaders share. Read on to gauge the extent to which you are incorporating these ideas and practices into your life and work as a leader. [Read more…] about Putting in the Work

Every person is a composite of the experiences, events, relationships, and influences they have had in life.  It’s a rich narrative tapestry that shapes our beliefs, attitudes, values, and world views.  The late Neil Stroul, an influential leadership coach, described it this way: we all “ride in on a story.” The story we ride in on is the lens through which we perceive and interpret everything that is shaping our reality.  That is, the narratives we carry with us significantly influence how we communicate, how we understand others, and how we respond to situations. [Read more…] about The Story We Ride In On

We all know that change is hard, including good or beneficial change. Our current Return-to-Office (RTO) debate epitomizes how challenging change can be when there is no road map to follow. Hindsight reveals that all the rules of the road that were in place for decades were actually cultural norms that fit a moment in our history that no longer exists. For example, workplaces designed for a traditional nuclear family, with dad at the office and mom taking care of the kids, no longer serves our current reality. Waking up to this realization is exciting for many workers, scary or threatening for others, and messy for everyone. [Read more…] about Embracing the Messiness of RTO as a Leader