If you’re a middle manager, you know the feeling. It’s like being the filling in a sandwich—essential to holding everything together, but often getting squeezed from both sides. You wake up to emails from your team asking for clarity on the new initiative that leadership just announced. By mid-morning, you’re in a meeting where executives […]
You know what a chameleon does, right? It changes colors to match its surroundings. Smart survival strategy for a lizard. Terrible strategy for a leader. Yet I see it all the time. A manager reads the latest bestseller and suddenly they’re all about radical transparency. Two months later, they attend a conference and pivot to […]
“I’d rather be respected than liked.” How many times have you heard that? How many leadership books preach this gospel? It sounds tough. Principled. Like something a real leader would say. It’s also terrible advice. I learned this lesson the hard way during my banking years. I was leading a team through our third merger […]
You’ve told your team a hundred times: “My door is always open.” You mean it, too. You genuinely want people to come to you with problems, ideas, concerns. You’ve created Slack channels for open communication. You’ve instituted “no stupid questions” as a mantra. You’ve even moved your office closer to the team. And yet… crickets. […]
Understanding and Rewriting the Internal Stories That Drive Your Decisions Have you ever walked out of a meeting and wondered, “Why did I just agree to that impossible deadline?” Or found yourself micromanaging a team member even though you swore you’d give them more space? Maybe you’ve caught yourself apologizing for the third time in […]
You show up every day. You deliver quality work. You solve problems, meet deadlines, and go above and beyond when it matters. And yet… when promotion time rolls around, someone else gets the call. When credit gets handed out in meetings, your name doesn’t come up. When leadership talks about “rising stars” or “high performers,” […]
The Promise Every Acquirer Makes (And Why Teams Don’t Believe It) “We love what you’ve built. We don’t want to change anything too quickly.” If you’ve been through a merger or acquisition, you’ve likely heard this promise. And if you’re like most employees on the receiving end, you probably smiled, nodded, and immediately started updating […]
We’ve all been there. New leadership arrives, consultants sweep in, or someone discovers the latest management trend, and suddenly your successful team is being told everything needs to change. But what if the resistance you feel isn’t stubborn close-mindedness? What if it’s actually wisdom? There’s a powerful formula in change management that can help us […]
As I sit down this Thanksgiving, I’m reminded of a simple truth that’s guided me through 30+ years of leadership: the best leaders eat last. To the thousands of you who’ve joined me on this journey through “Leadership Powered by Common Sense,” who’ve listened to the podcast, shared your stories, and believed in a different […]
Learn how to move beyond basic communication to create meaningful connections at work. Discover practical strategies that build trust, boost morale, and create stronger teams. Picture this: You’re at a family reunion, and there’s that one relative who talks at you for twenty minutes straight about their vacation, never once asking about your life. Now […]
