Just a few years ago, a now-client was hiring his first employee to help him launch a startup – with big plans to disrupt the marketplace. “Culture is our differentiator,” the CEO told the interviewee. “Culture is how I’ll ensure …
Leadership coaching is a sought-after element of the leadership development process, but the framework that underpins it is all too often incomplete – or inconsistently applied from one engagement to another. It typically focuses on what the organization requires from …
Great leadership requires courage of convictions, courage to voice a dissenting opinion and the courage to ask an unpopular question. And sometimes, leaders must have the courage to step into an uncomfortable situation. It’s not always easy to summon the …
Let’s start with a story. This is a Zen parable about a woman staying in a mountainside retreat, located high above her beloved fishing village. She is staying in a beautiful house she built herself and has decorated over the …
Words matter, of course, but actions matter a lot more. And when words and actions contradict, confuse, or distract, they call attention to a classic leadership shortcoming: the challenge of “walking the talk.” Nowhere is this more important to get …
This week, United Express flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville made headlines for the mistreatment of a customer onboard. In order to accommodate airline employees who were needed on a flight from Louisville the next day, customers were “re-accommodated” and …
The single most time-honored piece of advice ever given to a person is probably Plato’s “Know thyself”. If we apply it to organizations it would be “Know thy values”. What is a value? A value is a belief in the …
Over the last week, our Vantage colleagues were asked to provide the most impactful leadership lessons that they had learned over their career, or shared most often with other leaders. The answers were insightful, enriching, and far-reaching, and hopefully will …
Productivity has long been measured in hours spent working. As a result, employees boast about stress levels, sleep lost, and overtime in the office with a sense of pride; those that bemoan working 50 plus hours a week are stigmatized …
