When Luis Urzúa Iribarren bowed from the waist at the webcam in the mine, I felt tears welling up. Some of you might have noticed that Luis was the last of the Chilean miners lifted up to safety after the 69 day ordeal. Luis was the shift supervisor of the miners trapped and he took that responsibility very seriously. He was instrumental in helping them stay resilient and organized during their excruciating wait. Luis insisted on being the last one out. He wanted to make sure that all were brought up safely before leaving the mine. Luis models true leadership– inspiring others to be their best, even under dire circumstances; and serving others and the greater whole before helping himself.... read more

By Mary Key ... read more

Organizations invest their time, money and resources in developing leadership skills and competencies. Executive development programs emphasize the importance of being strategic, collaborative, and decisive, among other attributes.  Although developing leadership skills and competencies are important, it’s essential to be intentional.... read more

One of the frustrations that people at all levels in organizations express is the negative impact meetings can have on their ability to get work done. In our last newsletter and blog, we talked about the importance of paring down priorities to create better focus and improve productivity. The same principle applies to attending meetings (in person or virtually).... read more

Here are some of the most frequently expressed complaints we’re hearing from organizations across industries:  “We don’t have time – my team is exhausted.” “I just worked around the clock to complete this project to only receive a quick thank you from my boss – in almost the same breath, he gives me a new ‘important’ assignment.”  “There’s never any downtime anymore – who has time to be strategic?”... read more

In my last newsletter and blog I wrote about courageous leadership. The feedback from many of you was very positive and several of you via email expanded on the topic to discuss what keeps us from acting in tough situations. So what keeps us from acting with courage? Simply put, it’s FEAR – Fear that we’ll make a mistake or worse yet fail, fear that we’ll look bad or fear that we will never recover from the consequences of our actions.... read more