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DEI That Goes Beyond Race and Gender
Moving from Lip Service to Lasting Impact In recent years, many organizations have proudly launched Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Websites feature smiling faces of different backgrounds, HR reports highlight demographic progress, and leaders talk passionately about belonging. Yet, behind the polished messaging, employees often whisper a different story, [...]
New Leader Assimilations: A Critical Team Investment!
The Tale of Two Leaders The only constant in organizations is change. And with every change, whether a restructuring, new initiative, or leadership shift, comes the opportunity to either build alignment or create confusion. I once worked with two teams involved in a senior manufacturing initiative. Both were assigned to [...]
Challenges of the Middle Manager
Leading from the middle The Life of a Middle Manager It’s 7:30 a.m. and Toni’s day was already in motion. She leads five managers, each running their own teams. Her boss just left a senior leadership meeting and wants her to “drive alignment” on a new initiative. The problem? No [...]
The Power of the Team, Versus the Individual Superstars
The Power of the Selfless Team Culture Lessons From the Ryder Cup Golf, the ultimate individual sport. Every two years, the U.S. Ryder Cup team brings together a lineup of elite golfers, world champions, top-ranked professionals, and sports icons. Yet despite their talent, the American squad often stumbled badly in [...]
Leaders Must Coach: From Managing Tasks to Igniting Talent
Coaching Is a Core Leadership Competency The Rise of Coaching Executive Coaching, Organizational Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Life Coaching, the term coach has moved from the sidelines of sports into the mainstream of business, leadership, and personal development. While the concept of coaching has always existed informally for centuries through mentors, [...]
Leading Change: Challenges Leaders Face
5 Essential People Leader Skills For Change “Downsizing,” “Rightsizing,” “Restructuring,” “Workforce Optimization,” “Adapting to Scale.”All very creative terms organizations use to describe change and signal to the workforce that things will be different. I recall landing my first professional role after college in the month of June. The salary was [...]
Unlocking Leadership Potential: The Power of DISC in Building Strong Leaders and Teams GalleryUnlocking Leadership Potential: The Power of DISC in Building Strong Leaders and Teams
Leadership Development, micromanaging leader, organizational trust, Team Effectiveness, Toxic Workplaces, Uncategorized
Unlocking Leadership Potential: The Power of DISC in Building Strong Leaders and Teams
Bridging Differences to Build Trust, Clarity, and Stronger Teams The Challenge of a New Team Large organizations often move at 180 mph. Organizational restructures and changes are implemented, sometimes with little notice, under the banner of improving productivity. When organizations shift, so do the leaders and people within them. Some [...]
Fears of a First-Time Leader: What They Worry About but are afraid to say Out Loud.
Unspoken Anxieties Every New Leader Faces in Silence, its normal I had just returned to work after dropping my son off for his first semester at Morehouse College, it was a great feeling to have my son attend such a prestigious historically black college. The only thing on my mind [...]
Managing Your Micromanager: Protecting Yourself and the Organization
Final Part: Micromanagers, Diagnosing Toxic Leadership Theme: Protecting Yourself and the Organization: Working with a Micromanager During a recent workshop, one of the participants said, “I now understand that I’ve been working for a micromanager, but I need my job, so how do I manage this very toxic work relationship [...]
The Quiet Quitter: Downstream Impact of Micromanagement
Parts 3 & 4 of the Diagnosing Toxic Leadership Series “I do my job, but I’m not going above and beyond anymore, it’s not worth it.” “I used to care deeply about the team and the work we do. But now, I’m just focused on getting through the day.” These [...]
Cracks in the Foundation: Micromanaging Leaders Erode Trust:
Part 2 of the Diagnosing Toxic Leadership Series My father was an unapologetic Chicago Bears fan. When my younger brother and I were old enough to start following football, he gave us a choice: “You can root for the Bears or You can pick any NFL team you want to [...]
Micromanaging Leaders: The Personality Behind the Need for Control
Part 1 of the "Diagnosing Toxic Leadership" Series “Every decision has to go through them—even the small stuff.” “They want to be cc’d on every single email.” “I thought they were on vacation—I still got called every day to check in.” These are real statements made by employees reporting to [...]
The Cost of No Leadership: The Silent Crisis
There’s a saying that resonates more with each year I’ve spent in the workforce: “You never miss good leadership until you don’t have any at all.” Early in my career, I believed leadership was tied to authority—someone in charge, directing every move, giving orders, and monitoring output. Leadership had been [...]
Can High Emotional Intelligence and Toxic Leadership Coexist?
Exploring how emotional intelligence can be misused by toxic leaders—and why organizations must look beyond surface-level EQ when evaluating leadership effectiveness. Emotional intelligence: the new leadership superpower. When we think of leaders with high emotional intelligence (EQ), we usually picture empathetic, self-aware individuals who inspire teams and foster collaboration. Emotional [...]