How to create clarity, direction, and momentum through effective one-on-one conversations. This is where strategy meets execution — expectations get aligned, issues surface early, and positive reinforcement encourages people to reach even ambitious goals.
Pre-Meetings Are Where Alignment and Ownership Really Begin Pre-meetings are the unspoken discipline of senior leaders. At senior levels, meetings are not where ideas are formed.They’re where ideas surface. The real work happens beforehand — in a series of intentional conversations that allow leaders to test assumptions, listen for concerns, and refine thinking before anything is discussed in a group setting. I call these discussions pre-meetings. They are an essential part of getting meaningful work done. Key Takeaways Pre-Meetings at…
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Mature leaders use leadership questions to shape thinking rather than to manage behavior. As leaders mature, their leadership questions — and the impact of those questions—begin to change. They don’t ask more questions to stay in control. They ask fewer, better questions to create clarity, ownership, and trust. Early in a leadership career, questioning often looks like interrogation. Leaders probe for details, ask rapid‑fire follow‑ups, and jump quickly from one line of inquiry to another. The intent is usually good—understanding,…
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When the missing skill is leadership mentoring, leaders can stall even if when they and their teams are high performing. Leadership mentoring is an essential leadership skill, one that often gets short shrift in busy organizations when everyone seems to be stretched to their limit. Ironically, even in great organizations, leaders can plateau when they have built something that’s working exceptionally well. In fact, I’ve spoken to several team leaders who have passed up a chance at promotion because they…
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Many leadership challenges that appear strategic or operational actually have their roots in leadership relationships. At senior levels, leadership stops being primarily about execution and starts being about relationships. Not relationships in the social sense.Not networking.Not politics. But the quality of working relationships that determine whether influence flows, trust holds under pressure, and decisions actually move groups forward. Many capable leaders underestimate this layer—not because they don’t value people, but because earlier success rarely depended on it. Key Takeaways: Why…
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With a few small adjustments, you can inspire your team and make meetings more engaging. To make meetings more engaging, remember that you already know what you think. The meeting’s value lies in discovering what others see or know that you don’t. How to Make Meetings More Engaging No one likes boring meetings, and yet, according to research from Harvard, 71% of executives say meetings are unproductive or inefficient. According to their research, most meetings don’t encourage deep thinking on…
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Visibility at work isn’t about self-promotion; it’s about connection. Without visibility at work, even your best work can go unnoticed. Career visibility is how people know what you contribute, how you collaborate, and the value you bring to the team. Visibility at Work I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone to a work event with my husband where no one said a word to me all night except hello and goodbye. His industry is completely separate from mine,…
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