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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.
Leadership & Perfectionism
This may be difficult for some the get their heads around, but perfectionism is not a leadership trait. Leadership requires attention to detail and a commitment to quality but rarely does it require perfection. While leadership doesn’t require being perfect, it does require doing what is needed and necessary. Perhaps one of the biggest flaws with the concept of perfection is found in who defines…
Who’s In Charge?
"Who the **** is in charge around here?" This question left an absolutely indelible impression on my mind since I first heard it more than 30 years ago. Our unit was experiencing its first inspection by a Sergeant Major whose reputation definitely preceded him...It took him all of about 3 seconds ask "who the **** is in charge around here?" He then proceeded to communicate in no uncertain terms…
Leveraging Down for CEOs
If you desire to become a successful leader at any level, much less a top CEO, it will be essential for you to master the art of leveraging down. The simple truth is that all great leaders are highly skilled in matters of delegation. Think of any top-performing CEO and you'll find that to the one, they possess an uncanny ability to focus on the highest and best use activities. While most…
Leadership Boldness
Are you a bold leader? Have you been told that you have a bit of an edge? If so, you have likely found that it serves you very well. Let me be clear that when I refer to an edge I’m not talking about rough edges or confusing candor with rude or arrogant behavior. What I am referring to is having a direct, no B.S. approach that allows you to get right to the heart of an issue in the shortest…
Why Consensus Kills Team Building
I read an interesting post by Dan Rockwell (@LeadershipFreak) entitled "Six ways to make teams work" and found myself in complete agreement with Dan on 5 out of the 6 points. Where Dan lost me was on point #4 - Teams Decide by Consensus. In recent months I have observed a decent amount of politically correct discourse on the topic of team building, consensus and equality. The gist of the argument…
What If Leadership Was More Than a Buzzword
What if "Leadership" was more than a buzzword? What If...What if leadership was more than just another contentious term bantered around in meaningless conversations? What if leadership was truly understood, modeled, and actually experienced as the rule and not the exception? In the text that follows I'll answer these questions and hopefully encourage you to reevaluate how you view the practice of…
Confidence vs. Arrogance
Confidence vs. Arrogance...is it merely a question of semantics? I think not. While confidence can be mistaken for arrogance, and vice-versa, they are clearly not interchangeable terms. When you think of yourself as a leader do you view yourself as having the quiet confidence of David or the boastful arrogance of Goliath? In today's post I'll describe the power that resides with the truly…
Leadership & Change
First the bad news: If you’re not willing to embrace change you’re not ready to lead. Put simply, leadership is not a static endeavor. In fact, leadership demands fluidity, which requires the willingness to recognize the need for change, and finally the ability to lead change. Now the good news: As much as some people want to create complexity around the topic of leading change for personal gain,…
Leaders: Born or Made?
Leaders: born or made? While there is a very simple answer to this question, most people are so entrenched in their beliefs no amount of reason or logic will alter their opinions. But that's never stopped me before... For my part, I would actually like to make an attempt at putting this useless debate to bed once and for all. So, what's the answer? Both - some people are born with innate…
Great Leaders on Leadership
I read a wonderful blog post by Chad Missildine (@ChadMissildine) in which the meat of the post consisted of a compilation of answers to an open-ended question he posted on Facebook and Twitter. I thought this was such a brilliant idea that I decided to apply it to the topic of leadership. It just made sense to me that if you really want to know what makes a great leader, that the best thing to…
Leadership Interview with John C. Maxwell
For those of you interested in the topic of leadership, John C. Maxwell (@johncmaxwell - www.johnmaxwell.com) likely needs no introduction. John is probably one of the world's best known and most respected authors and speakers on the subject of leadership. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, John has sold more than 18 million books. In fact, three of his…
Leadership Interview – Marshall Goldsmith
I recently had the pleasure of spending about 40 minutes on the phone with Marshall Goldsmith (@coachgoldsmith) whom I consider to be one of the best executive coaches in the business. In fact, I hold Marshall in such high professional regard that he is one of only three other coaches that I'll refer people to if I'm unable to meet their needs. Marshall has authored 30 books (most recently: What…
You Can’t Argue With Crazy
Do your workplace communications ever feel as if you're spending most of your time attempting to assuage the concerns of the irrational? Over the years I've simply come to the conclusion that many otherwise savvy business people have yet to grasp - you can't argue with crazy. We've all heard the saying "pick your battles," and in my experience, one of the most futile battles that can be waged is…
Increasing Productivity
“Finding The Zone” is a concept that most athletes are familiar with, but what about CEOs? We’ve all heard the sportscaster refer to an athlete as being in “the zone,” and so my question is this: “How do you find your performance zone as a CEO?” or better yet, “How do you find and remain in the leadership zone?” What respectable chief executive wouldn’t want to function at their best more often…
What is The Best Definition of Leadership?
What's your definition of Leadership? In thinking about the comments I've received from readers on the topic of leadership I noticed an interesting paradox...while many of you vehemently disagree on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of different leadership styles, most of you are in total agreement on the qualities and attributes possessed by great leaders regardless of style. In further…
Disruptive Business Models
How disruptive is your business model? While much has been written about corporate vision, mission, process, leadership, strategy, branding, and a variety of other business practices, it is the engineering of these practices to be disruptive that maximizes opportunities. Without a disruptive focus, you are merely building your business model on a "me too" platform of mediocrity. Few things are…