Clarity Is the Beginning of Execution In the first two articles of this series, we focused on strategy—understanding where your business is headed and creating an agile plan to get there. Now it’s time to shift our attention to execution. Over the years, I’ve watched organizations invest tremendous amounts of Read more…
Your Tools aren’t the problem. I’ve been in a number of conversations lately with firm owners trying to get a handle on resource management. Almost all of them are struggling—and for good reason. Project schedules are dynamic. Project management discipline is inconsistent. And let’s be honest, our people aren’t interchangeable Read more…
Making Annual Reviews A Positive Process Download
A surprising number of firms still don’t run any kind of structured employee review process—not annually, not quarterly, not ever. And when you dig into why, the answer is usually some version of this: “Our technical leads are slammed. They don’t have time to review their people.” Fair point. In Read more…
I had coffee with a fellow consultant today, and our conversation drifted into familiar territory—small business frustration. At one point she joked, “Aren’t all small business owners frustrated?” It was tongue-in-cheek, but let’s be honest: it wasn’t far from reality. You’d be hard-pressed to find a small business owner who Read more…
Every leader knows what a bad meeting feels like. The energy drops. People disengage. The conversation wanders. And by the end, nothing is decided, everyone is more confused than when they started, and the only clear outcome is the collective wish that the meeting had been cancelled. This is what Read more…
I came across this idea while reading Radical Candor by Kim Scott: many leaders wear the “flat organization” label as a badge of honor. The thinking goes, We don’t need titles or hierarchy here—we’re all equals. I understand the sentiment. It’s about teamwork, openness, and avoiding the bureaucracy that slows Read more…
We find ourselves in uncertain times. Then again, one could argue we always do—it’s just that sometimes we perceive things to be more stable than they are. Stability is often an illusion; change and disruption are constant. In moments of uncertainty, our natural wiring kicks in: fight, flight, or freeze. Read more…
Vulnerability is often celebrated as a hallmark of great leadership. Countless articles in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and WSJ highlight how leaders who are open, transparent, and willing to admit mistakes build trust, inspire loyalty, and create high-performing teams. And they’re right—up to a point. But let’s talk about the Read more…
Accountability isn’t just a leadership buzzword—it’s the backbone of every successful organization. Yet, as leaders, we often undermine this critical cultural element without even realizing it. Through my experience as a firm leader and consultant, I’ve seen three behaviors that erode accountability faster than you can say, “Who’s responsible for Read more…