When I bump into my neighbor, who happens to be a CEO, it's the same sad song, the same resentful lament. "I'm so frustrated," he says. Anytime somebody says with feeling... More

At our very first meeting EmmaJean bared her soul—uncharacteristically, I later learned. "Look," she said, emphatically, "If I'm going to get anything out of this, I... More

Too much of a good thing—you've heard that before. Strengths taken to an extreme are weaknesses—that's not news. Chances are, though, you haven't seen that reality... More

"Holy shit! What a revelatory experience," wrote Charlotte Frye, who did not normally swear. A first-time CEO with one year on the job, she had just completed a two-day... More

Does your ego leak, even a little? Mine does. I’m sure I don’t know the half of it. I do notice a tendency to enthuse about something I’ve just experienced—an... More

The industrial revolution changed the world completely and, it seems, irreversibly, yet how it all began is not common knowledge. Most people have only a vague or patchy... More

When leaders are assessed to help them improve or to make staffing decisions, the final product—typically a set of strengths and weaknesses—is a superficial read that... More

Empowerment has turned into a buzzword that’s lost its meaning. We all know what it looks like to be powerful—or, using today’s euphemism, influential—but how clear a... More

Offered the opportunity to work on himself, his first brush with intensive leadership development, Larry Wheeler* told his wife, “I need this like a hole in the head.” In... More