Leaders Stop Trying to Be Efficient
Let's cut right to the chase; stop focusing on being efficient - it's a waste of time. Nobody other than perhaps you really cares how efficient you are, but everyone cares how effective you are. Not only do they care how effective you are, but they also care about the effectiveness of those whom you lead. It's important to remember leadership is a people business, and people are messy. Leadership…
Why Leadership Development and Talent Programs Fall Short
Why are so many leadership development and high potential talent programs continuing to fail, or at the very least, not producing what we hope for? The answer is simple, those at the top of the organization are in denial about their own leadership capability. This is not to point fingers at the top leadership, but rather this should be a call to arms for all of us to take a good look in the…
How To Remain a Balanced Leader
Most high-performing leaders concern themselves with that which other people value most and if they do it well those leaders usually climb the corporate ladder fastest. We have created an order, particularly in western societies, which is designed to reward the natural business hierarchies we see across our corporate landscape. Sometimes leaders become disillusioned in the process of climbing the…
Why Best Practices – Aren’t
My thesis is a simple one; Don't copy - create. Don't benchmark against others - benchmark against a unique and better version of you. Don't compete against how others do things, compete against your own thinking. More than 20 years ago I coined the term "next" practices in an effort to focus people forward in their thinking. I've always wondered why any business would want to adopt the same…
6 Defining Values of a Leadership Culture
Twelve years after launching culture change consulting services, I am finally sitting down to write about six defining values of a leadership culture. These are factors I’ve learned that define whether an organization can improve their Culture or not. No surprise that all six values rise and fall on leadership. Before I unpack the six values, let me paint the backdrop of how it all began. In…
Follow The Leader
Does the term “Follow the Leader” still apply in today’s world? We live in an age of “followship”, but does followship imply that a leader is the one being followed? Success on social media is often defined by the number of followers. I get that to a certain extent but look at who is being followed. We have celebrities, professional athletes, and controversial figures with huge…
The Journey of Servant Leadership: Iron Sharpens Iron
Each day I reflecting upon the journey of servant leadership, what I now define as “relational leadership”. Although I certainly do not intend to make this a post with any religious overtones, I've found the bible has an amazing quote that shapes my thinking on this topic. Proverbs 27:17 proclaims: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. This simple statement has been a calling…
Making the Turn: 10 Warning Signs You aren’t Shifting from Founder to Leader
You came up with an awesome idea. Your singular focus has been to make it real. You started the company. You got funding. Maybe you’re looking for Series B or C funding now. Maybe you’re prepping for the IPO. Congratulations! You’re ready to scale or go public. You’ve gotten this far. What could go wrong? Here are 10 warning signs you aren’t shifting from founder to leader. Every founder reaches…
Is Leadership Development the Answer to Low Employee Engagement? (Yes.)
This White Paper is excerpted and adapted from Ultra Leadership: Go Beyond Usual and Ordinary to Engage Others and Lead Real Change (Giuliano, Lioncrest, 2016). Where are we? 90% of leaders think an engagement strategy is important while only 25% of organizations have one (ACCOR). Research by Gallup, as reported in The State of the American Workplace in 2013, discovered that roughly 70% of…
Leadership’s Role in Digital Transformation
Do You Need to Hire a Head of Digital Transformation? News Flash: The #1 thing leaders need to understand is that the Digital Transformation train left the station a few years ago. If you weren't on board back then, you need to stop looking for the next train and rapidly go in search of building a rocket ship. Businesses have run out of time to embark on multi-year transformation projects - that…
High EQ: The Most Desirable Leadership Tenet of Them All
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in an effective and positive way. And, in many organizations around the world, it is on the rise! Contrary to popular belief, The Millennials, Generation Y, and Gen Next (those engrossed by tablets and screens) hold, on average, higher EQ levels than generations before them. In the business environment,…
N2Growth Helps Businesses Combine Strategy & Innovation for a Consumer-First Approach to Digital Transformation
Digital technology continues to transform both retail and consumer experience. To stay competitive, brands must innovate and transform. That transformation requires adopting new digital technologies in every aspect of the business — from product design and operations to customer service and marketing. Some business leaders eager to keep a competitive advantage often invest in new technologies…
Success Depends on You Asking the Right Questions
As a team leader, it may be uncomfortable for you to ask the right questions. After all, the people you lead expect you to have answers. While it may give you pause to develop a list of questions for success, a Harvard Business School study indicates it is a really good idea. Consider the following: Are you asking yourself and your team the right questions? Will those questions propel you to…
For CEOs, Safe Decisions Aren’t Always Safe
News Flash: safe decisions rarely are. The best chief executives possess the courage to not only seek out the right decision, but they also understand the importance of giving others permission to do the same. We need CEOs who want others to do better and be better. What we don’t need is more CEOs who hide in safe harbors. If you sit in the big chair, you don’t get paid to make safe decisions;…
Speeding Change by Slowing Down
I have always believed that the fastest path to the future is found through the increasing velocity of change. I don’t believe I’ll get much push-back on that statement, but I’m rather certain I’ll encounter some resistance with my next one: Increasing velocity of change is best accomplished by slowing down. Most CEOs feel as if they’re in a race to change the future, and they would be correct.…
Thought Leadership – Piercing The Bubble
If you value your own opinion more than others do, you might be suffering from a common form of self-delusion. Referring to yourself as a thought leader makes you a tone-deaf narcissist; not necessarily a great thinker. For my part, I’m in the process of trying to eliminate the term “thought leadership” from my vocabulary. This week, after months of reflection, I’ll be instructing our team to…
English (United States) 
English (Canada) 
English (UK) 
Spanish (Spain) 
Spanish (Mexico) 
Spanish (Chile) 
French 
Portuguese (Brazil) 
Portuguese (Portugal)