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Welcome to the N2Growth blog, a robust knowledge center of articles curated by our team of thought leaders. Our practice areas encompass a full range of knowledge and information that we regularly share with you to enable success and create positive impact in organizations. We invite you to comment, share, and be a part of the growing community of some of the most influential Executive Leaders in the world.

A Leadership Job Description

When was the last time you read a leadership job description? We have job descriptions for every position under the sun, but I’ve yet to see one for leaders. Virtually every job description you’ll read lists “leadership ability” as a quality/characteristic/attribute that is valued, and in fact, most list it as a requirement. So why is it we place so much value in leaders, when we can’t even…

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Leadership & Curiosity

Have you ever noticed how the best leaders also tend to be the most curious leaders? Great leaders simply aren't satisfied with what they know. They possess an insatiable curiosity for discovery and learning - they are in constant pursuit of what they don't know. Real leaders are not nearly as concerned with the status quo (stasis) as they are with betterment (change). Since the dawn of time, the…

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Strategy, Capability & Really Bad Advice

Today’s post is a rather short rant, but one I felt compelled to put forth. I just finished reading an article where the author (a self-professed innovation guru) recommended strategy be aligned with capability, and that to allow ambition to exceed capability is nothing short of a recipe for disaster. If this sounds like rational thinking to you, I’d encourage you to read the text that follows…

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Leadership & Perception

We’ve all heard the saying “perception is reality,” but is it true? Does perception never, rarely, sometimes, or always equal reality? While I long ago reached the conclusion perception does in fact matter, it may not be for the reasons you might think.  I have found the majority of people tend to be myopic with regard to perception - they understand their own perceptions but are quite often…

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Extreme Makeover – Leadership Edition

The fastest transition from inept to adept occurs when leaders turn the topic of change on themselves. When was the last time you changed something about you? Not someone or something else, but your thinking, your philosophy, your vision, your approach, your attitude, or your development. Most leaders are quite skilled at embracing change – except when the focus of the change initiative happens…

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Leadership Is About Breaking Things

There's often a very subtle difference between those who lead and those who lead well - those who lead well are very forward-focused. If you're more interested in protecting what is than you are finding the answer to what if you might be in a leadership role, but your likely not leading well. Order isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, I'd go so far as to say routine is the great enemy of…

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Stop Negotiating – It Doesn’t Work

Negotiation isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, I believe this to be an inherently flawed business practice. Negotiation is not an art to be mastered, rather it's a sloppy approach to be avoided. While many consultants, authors, and trainers have made personal fortunes teaching the finer points of negotiation, it is my belief they have accomplished little more than to create legions of…

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Leadership and Office Politics

This is the time of year when most of us turn our attention to presidential politics, but let us not forget that business is also political - to think otherwise is simply naïve. Office politics exist in every organization without regard for industry, structure, culture, or values. Good leaders will do what they can to align interests/actions on matters more important than individual political…

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Leadership & The Expectation Gap

When it comes to leadership, I can share the issues of creating and delivering on expectations are no small matter. In fact, understanding how to come out on the right side of the expectation curve can often be the difference between being viewed as an average leader and one held in high regard. Let me make this as simple as I can; managing expectations is gamesmanship - aligning them is…

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Great Leaders Are Interesting – Are YOU?

Let's face it - the best leaders have always grabbed our attention and piqued our imagination. They have a way of captivating, fascinating, and intriguing us. It’s the interesting people with whom we want to engage, as they’re the ones who inspire and motivate us to be better and do more. The simple truth is few of us desire to be led by those whom we don’t find interesting. So my question is…

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Leadership and Storytelling

Leadership and storytelling go hand-in-hand. In fact, leaders who lack the ability to leverage the power and influence of storytelling are missing the very essence of what accounts for compelling leadership, to begin with - the story. If you've ever been captivated by a skilled orator whose articulation and eloquence have influenced your thinking, you understand the power of the art of the story.…

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Leadership & The Power of Listening

Great leaders are great listeners, and therefore my message today is a simple one - talk less and listen more. The best leaders are proactive, strategic, and intuitive listeners. They recognize knowledge and wisdom are not gained by talking, but by listening. Take a moment and reflect back on any great leader who comes to mind...you'll find they are very adept at reading between the lines. They…

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Leadership – It’s About The People

If you think leadership is about you, your ego has led you astray. Leadership has little to do with you and everything to do with those you lead. If you think leadership is about the bottom line, think again; it's about the people. Without people, there is no bottom line. Closely examine the core characteristics of great leadership, and you'll find it’s not power, title, authority, or even…

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The Myth of Potential

The Myth of Potential... Here’s the thing – we all have potential, maybe some more than others but we all have it. Potential is easy to recognize, but not so easy to realize. Most of us intrinsically recognize the gift of potential, but many simply choose to do nothing about it, and sadly, it’s the rare few who will maximize their potential. The problem with potential is society has deemed it to…

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Recruiting vs Talent Management

I recently participated in a panel discussion about the future of the recruiting industry, and quite frankly, I was surprised by many of the prevailing attitudes and thoughts surrounding the topic at hand. As is often the case, I was the contrarian on the panel, and while I probably shouldn’t have been shocked, it was the fact most recruiters seemed to believe the status quo was fine, the future…

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Understanding Self Awareness in Leadership

Leader Beware - ignorant bliss, no matter how enjoyable, is still ignorant. If you’re in a position of leadership and don’t feel you have any blind spots, you’re either very naïve or very arrogant. All leaders have blind spots – the question is what are they doing about them? The reality is most leaders invest so much time assessing the cultural and functional dynamics of their organizations they…

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