This Word Unleashes Change & Innovation

Have you ever worked for a boss who always said no? If you have, my first guess is it was a frustrating experience. My second guess is you don't hold said boss in high regard as a leader. I've always been amazed at the number of well-known axioms espousing the benefits of learning to use the word "no" with greater frequency. In fact, there are some very bright people who believe you simply cannot…

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Care for a white-water ride?

Change seems to occur at an ever-increasing speed, making forecasts – especially those concerning long term scenarios – an extremely risky business. Forecasts often lead to disappointments, both for management – employees – shareholders and other stakeholders. Because of the complexities, we can always find excuses: Organizational developments did not always have the impact as expected, or…

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Investing in Enterprise-wide Security

Does your organization view spending money on information systems security (cybersecurity) as an investment, a financial burden, or an unjustified cost of doing business? Is your security budget directed primarily to the Information Technology (IT) department? Realizing that business operations security is a business issue and not just an IT “thing” has become the new cybersecurity paradigm. This…

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Leadership in Cybersecurity

Defining the position of the lead security person in an enterprise can be a challenging and sometimes confusing task. There are various job titles such as; Chief Security Officer (CSO), Chief Risk Officer, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), V.P., IT Security, V.P., or Director of Information Security. Regardless of titles or functional position, the lead role in a security organization is…

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Digital Transformation Or Digital Free Fall: What Every CEO Must Know

Every organization occupies a unique place on the spectrum of digital transformation. Whether they have an accurate perception or understanding of what that means to their business is the bigger concern. Some see digital as little more than a portfolio of projects or initiatives to be implemented, others as a problem to be solved or an opportunity to be exploited, and yes, there are always those…

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The Teslatisation of the Boardroom

I am taking a break at Grand Cafe Loos in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. My mind is spinning around as I try to defragment and reorganize the many experiences, images, and memories that have made this such a fascinating year. It's easy to pick out the large, juicy chunks, which have captivated most of us around the globe: political upheaval, geopolitical instability, corporate scandals to name but a…

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A Company Health & Wellness Center that Delivers High Value Low Cost Healthcare – Is it Possible?

Each year HR professionals undertake an annual process to determine what benefits will be offered to employees as part of their benefit package – possibly considering what benefit will be taken away or how much premiums will increase to offset growing healthcare benefit plan costs.  The changing landscape created by the Affordable Care Act has made it difficult, but not impossible to assert…

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The Evolution of the Executive, C-Suite, and Boardroom

The evolution of the Executive, C-Suite, and Boardroom is underway. People will undoubtedly say, “there is no way this guy is old enough to have experienced working in the ’80s and ’90s,” and they would be right. However, as part of any sound Executive Search professional’s toolkit, research is a useful addition and in many ways, often goes a long way. So, how did it all look back in the 'good…

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Thinking Ahead: Millennial Leadership Development

Leadership is a hot topic today and will continue to be for a while. I don’t want to tell you the things that you already know, but make you think about the things you don’t. Let’s stop discussing trends, predictions, and statistics, and let’s focus on people. The individuals that will shape the next generation of leaders are not a group of millennials, they are a group of leaders just as the…

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The No. 1 Thing Holding You Back As A Leader

Leadership isn’t nearly as complex as people make it out to be, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard. The big difference between highly effective leaders and those just playing at leadership is often found in their willingness to do what doesn’t come naturally or instinctively. Real leadership begins at the moment you realize leadership has little to do with the leader, and everything to do with…

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A Leadership Manifesto: 10 Keys to Living Courageously

You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor” ~Aristotle The word manifesto can be traced back to the Latin root manifestum, which means clear or conspicuous. A manifesto is defined as a declaration of beliefs, opinions, motives, and intentions. In other words, a document that an organization or person writes that declares what…

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Addicted to Wealth

“Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become.” ~Arthur Schopenhauer, German Philosopher If Schopenhauer’s quote is true, then the mining magnate, Gina Rinehart (one of the richest women in the world who’s worth an estimated $12 billion) is very thirsty indeed. As quoted in several leading magazines, she says, “There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire. If you’re…

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The Outcomes of Strategic Best Practices: Mediocrity and Disappointment

Strategy management processes and the so-called “best practices” most organizations follow have not kept pace with the demands of the marketplace and the performance expectations of shareholders. By definition, best practices are “tried and true,” meaning they have been around for a long time—too long. It is unlikely that you will ever create a competitive advantage following the same practices…

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A Chief What Officer? The Truth About Titles

I have been a Digital Marketer, a Genius, a Business Representative, and a Shift Manager. I have guided through the titles that life has graciously provided me, without a true understanding of what it meant. Now, I find myself in this position again as a Chief Innovation Officer. When people ask me, “what do you do?” I tell them my respective title. When they look at me with a puzzled 'yeah…

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Write Your Leadership Legacy in 6 Words

While having lunch with a number of writers, Ernest Hemingway claimed he could write a short story that was only six words long. When the lofty group of writers scoffed at the notion, he invited each of them to put ten dollars on the table, saying that if he was wrong he’d match it. But if he was right he’d keep the money. He quickly wrote six words down on a napkin and passed it around: "For…

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6 Communication Habits of Extraordinary Leaders (and How They Manage Conflict)

Like him or not, in my view President Obama is the epitome of a master communicator. Next time you see him on television notice his use of communication strategies including body language, voice inflection, gestures, and the intuitive ability to establish and maintain trust. Communication is critically important for personal and professional effectiveness. In my experience as an executive coach…

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