Transformative leadership insights
The 5 Layers of Leadership
Most leadership advice floats uselessly on the surface. We are bombarded with slogans like "the foundation of leadership is trust" or "we have a high-performance culture." To drive true innovation and human performance, we must look past the slogans and move down through the functional layers of human nature—from organizational mythology down to hard biology.
Why People Follow One Boss and Ignore the Rest
I spent 15 years at CIA, and one lesson has stayed with me longer than almost any other. People don't follow the boss with the best title. They follow the boss who makes them feel certain about one thing.
Your Management System Might Be Teaching People to Protect Themselves
During World War II, the OSS, the predecessor of the CIA, published a manual teaching ordinary people behind German lines how to sabotage organizations from within. The instructions are pretty remarkable, and could be a description of an ordinary week in a great many organizations.
Reorganizing Won’t Solve Your People Issues—Here’s What Will
The solution to soft problems is not a reorganization plan. Try everything else first.
Avoiding Feedback Could Sink Your Career: 15 Painless Ways to Get It
Most people avoid getting feedback—after all, who wants to hear uncomfortable truths? However, sidestepping honest feedback can have consequences, sometimes on a massive scale.
Stop Fighting Human Nature. Start Leading with it.
Executives today face a paradox: their strategic plans aim for better engagement, collaboration, and innovation—yet the deeper forces that influence these outcomes, such as culture and morale, remain stubbornly unchanged. Welcome to the soft issues: emotionally driven, people-centered challenges that define an organization’s spirit but resist traditional solutions.
What Spies Know About Human Nature That CEOs Don’t
Spies and CEOs operate in different spheres, but they share the same challenge: figuring out how to make people act in ways they normally wouldn’t. Here are four lessons from intelligence work that CEOs can apply right away, along with operational tips that transform espionage tradecraft into leadership strategies.
Your Employees Aren’t Broken—Your Leadership Model Is
For all the talk about strategy, metrics, and technology, leadership still comes down to one timeless truth: people run on human nature. The most effective managers don’t fight it — they work with it. Here are practical steps to do exactly that.
The Power of Why
The right question at the right time unlocks the most useful answers. A great leader knows how to use questions to open up thinking – for them and their teams.
How Self-Awareness Can Unleash Your Team's Potential
How do we see ourselves as we truly are and not as we wish we were?
Beyond Charisma: Building Trust through Authentic Leadership
Authentic leadership is about being genuine, transparent, and ethically sound. It’s about leading with integrity and creating a culture where trust is the cornerstone of every interaction.
Great Leaders Make Good Decisions Based on Facts
Fact-based decision making is a disciplined process that requires careful thought before processes and procedures are measured in order to collect the right data and then use unbiased, non-judgmental analysis to tease from the data those facts that are important in making decisions and forecasting the future.
How Bad Bosses Stop Innovation
Leaders who take a fear-based approach can be deadly for organizations.
Taming the Tiger: Strategies for Leaders Facing Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations are inevitable. Whether it's delivering critical feedback, navigating conflicts, or discussing sensitive issues, they can trigger a surge of fear, stress, and anxiety. They can make even the most seasoned leaders falter.
The Three Types of Bad Bosses
It’s a fact. Bad bosses drive employees crazy and hinder the growth of organizations. Here are the three types of bad bosses.
Freeze Out Fight-or-Flight in the Boardroom
In the hot seat how do you bring your best negotiation and conflict-handling skills to the table?
What a Good Leader Must Know About Carrots and Sticks
It’s exhausting managing a team when you feel like you are the only one pushing, pulling, and providing the energy to get things moving. But it doesn’t need to be this way.
One Ridiculously Easy Way to Build Trust is to Stop Doing This!
Want to be respected as a leader? Avoid the platitude trap.
Five Workplace Lies & What to Do About Them
Workplaces are complex ecosystems, and sometimes, the mantras we hear don't quite match reality. Here are 5 common lies we tell ourselves and why it's important to be aware of them.
How The Mind Tricks Itself
Have you ever tried to sell an idea and watched as the meeting suddenly derailed itself? Our auto brains are wired to use mental shortcuts to process information quickly, and these shortcuts can lead to biased, faulty thinking.