Some Leaders Can’t Handle the Truth The CEO of my business unit’s parent company called me to his office to tell me he had acquired a cross-town rival. My former …

Five (not so) New Laws of Leadership Where were you five years ago when the world shut down? I was returning to Dallas after speaking to Kansas City Vistage Chair Jeff Hutsell’s groups. Immediately …

Timeless Leadership Lessons We can’t get enough of Abraham Lincoln. It’s not just because Americans celebrate his birthday every year. This year, February 17 is designated as Presidents Day, combining …

What Results Does Your Culture Produce? A version of this blog was posted in October 2015. In October 2024, Georgia and Tom Davis celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and have invited …

Advice I Wish I’d Gotten Sooner I developed my entrepreneurial spirit leading a division of Tracy-Locke and later an office of Edelman Worldwide. These two firms prized outcomes over bureaucracy …

Who Are Your A, B & C Players? As a new football season approaches, coaches are assigning grades to players and finalizing depth charts. Top leaders should do likewise as strategic …

If Ever There Was a Time to Slow Down and Re-Calibrate It’s Now Every summer since 2017 I’ve shared reading recommendations because leaders are readers. Here are my picks for …

80th Anniversary of D-Day Thursday marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day. This post is an excerpt from Greg Bustin’s Decision Time: Inspiration, Insight & Wisdom from History’s Make-or-Break Moments.  That the Allied invasion …

Are You Getting Bad Behavior? Look in the Mirror. Accountability is one of the most important factors in determining the success of an individual, a team or an enterprise. It’s also …

What’s Your Leadership Style? Whether you’re casting a vision, announcing a new initiative, reporting results or addressing a crisis, you’re selling an idea. Selling is part of the art of …

Unleash the Power of Accountability on Five Factors Signs indicate the year ahead will be challenging. Growth has slowed in some industries. Other industries are encountering headwinds. After navigating through …

A Time to Work on Yourself We’re entering the year’s busiest season. As the holidays approach, things seem to speed up. The paradox to be found amid all of the …

The American celebration of Thanksgiving can be traced to Virginia in 1619. But it was the celebration in New England in the autumn of 1621 that established some of the …

In the spirit of Halloween, here are 10 scary questions to ask yourself and then answer to get the most out of life. A version of today’s post first appeared 10 …

To Unlock Success, Get Clarity Around 7 Vital Questions Many companies I work with are now preparing plans and budgets for next year. I’ve led more than 250 strategic planning sessions so …

Laughing with Leaders Football season is here, so I’ve dusted off some classic quotes where coaches deliver profound messages wrapped in a funny package. What does any of this have …

9 Vacation-Related Questions Reveal Hard Truths Early in my career – well before cell phones – I’d step away from my desk to meet with a colleague or client or …

Re-Examine, Re-Imagine and Re-Energize with These Books Every summer since 2017 I’ve shared reading recommendations because leaders are readers. Slow down enough to check out new releases and old favorites …

Countering Fear, Repression & Isolation The New Year had barely begun when Russian military forces launched their bold offensive against the enemy. Russian soldiers barreled across the border in an …

I’ve led more than 250 strategic planning sessions. While each planning session is different, I’ve seen firsthand that companies wrestle with performance issues in similar ways. Exceptional companies succeed by following …