Perspectives

Ideas worth sitting with

Reflections on leadership, growth, and the real work of becoming the leader you're capable of being.

an open book with a heart shaped pages

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

There’s a story I used to tell myself. It went something like: "I have to keep it together. I have to be the steady one. The one who doesn’t flinch, doesn’t…

Clear Constraint

Clear Constraint

Every team, every business, every leader has one spot that quietly sets the pace for everything else. It’s the bottleneck we don’t always want to see, the…

the word ai spelled in white letters on a black surface

AI Isn’t Just a Tech Disruption... It’s an Identity Crisis for Leaders

The conversation around AI and leadership has largely focused on tools, automation, and reskilling. It’s been framed as a tactical challenge: learn the new…

Time to think. Space to grow.

Time to think. Space to grow.

In our quest to harness the power of artificial intelligence for productivity, it’s important to remember that our goal isn’t just to speed up work, but to…

black smartphone near person

The Leadership Coaching Challenge

Today, every CHRO aims to optimize human capital strategy to support the organization's overall objectives and competitiveness. In part, to realize a strategic…

woman standing outdoor

Leadership: Professional & Personal

Leadership development is the most important part of personal and professional development.From leadership within teams and organizations, to leadership of…

person standing on brown wooden dock during daytime

When More Tools Aren’t Enough: Why Vertical Development Matters

There’s a moment many leaders reach, when the usual strategies, however well-executed, stop delivering results. They’ve read the books, learned the frameworks,…

a man looking through a camera

Chasing Purpose

For years, I chased purpose like it was a prize. Like if I just looked hard enough, read the right book, had the right insight at the right retreat, I’d find…

chart

What Behavioral Economics Misses About Leadership

I’ve always appreciated behavioral economics for its elegant explanations of human irrationality.The small nudges. The sunk cost traps. The way we anchor to…

leadership thinking and thoughts

Mind the Gap: The Space Between Thoughts

Meditation, for me, has become something far more than a calming practice or clever life hack. It’s not just a technique I deploy when things get overwhelming.…

leadership accountability

When 'Everyone’s Involved' Becomes 'No One’s Accountable'

Ever notice how sometimes the more people you involve, the slower things move? More meetings, more group emails, more shared documents, and somehow, less…

silhouette photography of person on body of water

When Effort Isn’t the Answer

Most days, it’s easy to just move through the motions.The next meeting, the next task, the next decision.I do the thing, check the box, move on.More recently,…

man standing on top of mountain

Moving with Change: The Paradox of Control in Uncertain Times

Change is a constant. We cannot slow it down, stop it, pause it, or speed it up. Nor can we bend it to our liking. It moves whether we resist or not. And yet,…

brown lion lying on green grass

The Primal Powers AI Can’t Replicate

We’ve all seen the headlines: AI is coming for your job, your industry, maybe even your sense of relevance. The conversation often swings between panic and…

What Does High-level  Coaching Sound Like?

What Does High-level Coaching Sound Like?

I’m often asked what high-level coaching looks like. Perhaps the better question is what does the impact look like, or better yet, what does it sound…

A piece of cardboard with a keyboard appearing through it

The Leadership Journey Through an AI-Transformed World

“So, what’s the future of leadership going to look like?”Lately, I’ve been getting that question more and more. Usually right after someone asks me how to use…

closeup photo of yellow paper boat

Addition by Subtraction

The leadership strategy your to-do list doesn’t want you to know about.We tend to think of leadership growth as an additive game. Learn more skills. Add more…

a red and white sign that reads control valve

Control is Not the Same as Competence

Why leaders who hold everything together may be holding their teams back.A few years ago, I worked with a founder whose company was on the verge of something…

text

Emotions in Motion

A Leadership Edge You Can’t Afford to IgnoreThere’s a moment I see often in coaching sessions. The one where someone tries (heroically) to keep the lid on.…

Grief Is Part of Growth

Grief Is Part of Growth

We simply can’t move forward without honoring what’s ending.We love the idea of moving forward: New chapter. Fresh start. Next level.Especially in leadership…

group of people having a meeting

Understanding the Board: a fresh take on power, presence, and purpose

Three conversations recently, one with a CEO reporting to a board, two with leaders serving on boards, left me thinking about the difference between managing…

black pencil on white printerpaper

What If Purpose Has Nothing to Do with What You Do?

We ask each other: “What’s your purpose?”We reflect in quiet moments: “Am I really living my purpose?”We scroll, search, and strive. Feeling the pressure to…

unknown person facing sideways

Professional Coaching: Is it useful for you right now?

Imagine you’re in a labyrinth. Some turns reveal unexpected insights, while others take you in circles. Like navigating that maze, coaching too can be a…

a red and blue hook on a white wall

Rethinking the Leadership Pipeline in the Age of AI-Redefined Roles

If the future of leadership feels less like a steady climb and more like running up a down escalator, you’re not alone.Across the agency and consultancy…

a sign with a question mark and a question mark drawn on it

AI & Illusion of Speed

Conversations with coaching clients increasingly include a mention about AI and its role in their profession, as an initiative, a challenge, or a deeper…

The Hidden Cost of a Frictionless Life

The Hidden Cost of a Frictionless Life

A few years ago, I was airlifted out of the Cascade Mountains with a traumatic brain injury. The physical recovery was relatively fast. The psychological…

conjunction bridge under white sky

Leadership Blind Spot: The Execution Bridge

In most organizations, execution is seen as a process.But in the best organizations, execution is treated as a capability, one that must be led, not just…

pile of brown wooden blocks

Growth vs. Scale: The Difference That Makes All the Difference

Growth and scale are often treated like interchangeable buzzwords. Leaders talk about “growing the business” as if growth itself is the goal. But here’s the…

a man with a beard and blue eyes posing for a picture

How to Scale in Times of Uncertainty

The ups and downs are expected. Change is not a possibility; it’s a guarantee. As team and business leaders, we don’t just operate within change, we live in…

water ripple

Igniting Purpose, Passion, and Performance

There’s a moment in every leader’s journey when they realize they’re meant for something more. More than just checking boxes, meeting quotas, or climbing…

The olympic rings are on top of the eiffel tower

The Hidden Paradox of Progress

One of the greatest privileges of my work is that I get to walk alongside leaders from every corner of life. CEOs, entrepreneurs, military officers, educators,…

A bunch of gold buttons flying in the air

Capitalism 3.0: The Evolution We Can’t Afford to Ignore

There’s an old saying: "What got us here won’t get us there." Nowhere is that more relevant than in how we think about capitalism today. For decades,…

person holding hands of another person

Are You Truly in Integrity with Your Agreements?

We’ve all done it. Agreed to something with the best of intentions but didn’t quite follow through. Maybe it was a deadline that slipped, a promise that faded,…

a couple of leaves sitting next to each other

Leading Change: How Effective Leaders Turn Uncertainty into Opportunity

Change. It’s the one thing we can count on, yet somehow, it always manages to catch us off guard. Some leaders brace for impact, hoping to weather the storm.…

a pair of hands covered in colored powder

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Have you ever caught yourself repeating a phrase in your head, one so familiar it feels like an undeniable truth?“I’m not a natural leader.”“I have to work…

timelapse photography on curved road beside tree

Change is Calling: How Will You Respond?

The tighter we cling to the way things have been, the more we brace ourselves against the unknown of what could be. Yet, deep down, we know this truth: with…

A person placing a block into a pile of wooden blocks

Coaching for Transformation: Elevating Leaders to Thrive Amid Rapid Change

In an era defined by relentless disruption, leadership coaching has emerged as far more than a developmental perk for high-potential executives, it’s a…

A view of a desert with a few hills in the distance

Scarcity and Abundance: The Quiet Forces That Shape Us

Years ago, I found myself in what, from the outside, looked like an abundant life. I was in a high-profile leadership role, with the kind of status,…

a close up of a baby looking at the camera

Creative Leadership: Unlocking Innovation Through Curiosity and a Little Less Control

If you’ve ever led a creative team, you know that balancing productivity with creativity can feel a bit like trying to make a soufflé rise in a hurricane.…

text

The First 100 Days: Landing With Lasting Impact

Moving into an executive role is exciting, challenging, and requires intentional action, especially in public companies or private equity (PE)-backed…

Built for Speed. Made for Feel.

Built for Speed. Made for Feel.

The thought first hit me on a cool autumn day, reminiscing about a recent motorcycle ride on an M1000R. I’ll admit, it’s one of a few bikes I’m fortunate…

a person standing in the middle of a street

The Challenge of Continual Improvement

High-performance simply refers to how some individuals choose to lead their lives.We set ambitious goals and have expectations of ourselves and others that we…

a couple of leaves sitting next to each other

Transformative Leadership Coaching

Transactional leadership focuses on exchanges between leaders and followers, where rewards or penalties are used to motivate performance toward specific goals.…

Creating Your Next Chapter

Creating Your Next Chapter

You feel the time for a new path is near.The 'role change' or 'career change' feels (and often is) life-changing. The significance and challenge of moving from…

A sailboat in the middle of the ocean at night

Embracing the Coaching Journey: How We Move Forward

Embarking on a coaching journey is akin to setting sail into uncharted waters with a trusted co-pilot. It’s a partnership that encourages self-discovery,…

Trust Your Struggle

Trust Your Struggle

Several years ago a Life Flight helicopter airlifted me out of the Cascade mountains with a traumatic brain injury. Physical recovery was relatively quick, but…

an abstract painting of blue, green, yellow and orange

Coaching: A Creative Collaboration

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It’s helping them to learn rather than teaching them.” , Sir John WhitmoreA…

Building a Coaching Culture

Building a Coaching Culture

Building a Coaching Culture… Where Growth Becomes Second Nature (and Actually Fun)Imagine a workplace where growth is everyone’s focus, where feedback isn’t…