A Painful Leadership Lesson in Managing Risk

There we were, putting our heart and soul into a bold new startup venture with buckets full of promise. We were all in. The air was electric. And everything was about to come crashing down. Our planned new offering was ambitious and pathbreaking. We knew we had our work cut out for us. The scope … Read more

The Four Types of People in Any Organization (Beware the Fourth)

I was co-captain of the soccer team and we were flailing. Things weren’t all bad. We had good players—some great—and were doing well in league matches. But for some reason this season, several players were rebelling against the coach. Perhaps some of it was resentment about the intense focus on fitness, with brutal sprinting drills … Read more

Communicating with Steel or Velvet–A Critical Leadership Practice

Communicating with Steel or Velvet— A Critical Leadership Practice

Article Summary: Many leaders don’t tailor their communication style to the situation. Effective leaders flex between steel and velvet (hard- and soft-edge) communication, depending on the situation and the people involved. +++ Of the five advanced leadership practices for building an organization that’s excellent, ethical, and enduring (from our book, Triple Crown Leadership), “steel and … Read more

How to Come Back Even Stronger from a Crisis

Article Summary:  Many leaders face a crisis that threatens their organization yet find themselves and their team woefully unprepared to handle it well. In this article, five-time CEO Bob Vanourek outlines ten practices for leading a crisis so that you can emerge even stronger than before. by Bob Vanourek “The signature of the truly great … Read more