There are few companies on earth that can say the following and have it actually be real. Microsoft is one of these companies.
(more…)We are not charter constrained, we are leadership constrained.
Scaling Leadership Hypothesis
S
Strategy Without the Jargon
S
You finished the third quarter goals and started working on your org strategy with your leadership team. This strategy will help you make progress and achieve your goals for the next fiscal year.
Last year you and the team collectively spent 20+ hours creating the strategy and getting each and every word of your mission statement and vision just right. The year did not go as planned. Not all the team members were aligned, the strategy was clear to some and not clear to others and worst of all, your team took on more projects than it could let go. This year things will be different.
(more…)Why Are You Here on Earth?
W
This week I had a conversation with a colleague that helped me uncover a blind spot I had. I have been studying and thinking about what I have been calling “purpose driven leadership”.
The concept is this. When you do the hard internal and personal work of why you are here on the planet you have discovered your purpose. This is much larger than just one area of your life. It encompasses all that you must contribute to the world.
(more…)Creating Clarity
C
Sometimes when having a conversation with a leader you get a nugget of wisdom that changes the way you think. Charlotte Yarkoni did this for me recently.
I asked Charlotte a question that went like this; the last few years have been full of uncertainty, what have you done to create clarity for your team and organization?
(more…)Levels of Abstraction
L
Several years ago I was in Copenhagen Denmark with my wife, and we were going through a Danish furniture museum. The Dutch (and Scandinavian’s) are famous for their timeless furniture designs. There is a decent chance you have some type of furniture in your home right now that was inspired by designs from these Scandinavian designers.
I was particularly curious about how one could be so consistent in a design and have the design resonate with people for decades to come. There was a plaque that I read that contained an idea that has stuck with me ever since I read it.
(more…)Do Not Alienate Your Colleagues
D
Years ago, I worked with a colleague who was brilliant, creative, and helped me become a better leader. It was not until recently that I learned one of his leadership practices alienated me and others.
(more…)One Part of Changing Behavior
O
Behavior change is hard. This month I read in a book called The Joy of Leadership about a tactic that can help us with the changes we want to make in our lives.
There are moments in each one of our lives where we feel particularly inspired to change something. Several years back, as I have written before my wife and I wanted to have a family motto and incorporated deep meaning for us. That motto became “Nicholls Climb Mountains”. Our kids were quite young at the time, and I wanted this to stick so I created a logo / image / icon to help us all remember our family motto and to act accordingly.
(more…)Courage Requires Work Before it is Needed
C
Last year I shared about our family motto Climb Mountains. Since then, we have worked together to produce family values which are Courage, Faith, and Integrity.
I often get the privilege of speaking with leaders in times of difficulty and I recently witnessed an act of courage that inspired me to stick to my family values.
(more…)Leading Through Complexity and Chaos Requires Places of Refuge
L
It is no surprise that we live in a tumultuous world. Over two years ago COVID-19 changed the world, and ever since then we have been surrounded by a continued deluge of chaos, uncertainty, and complexity.
Consider a few of the world events in the last two years:
(more…)What is the Magic Behind Learning Groups?
W
For the last several years I have been running leadership development programs and a core component of those programs has always been a variation on a “learning group”. A group of learners going through a shared experience and learning from each other while they progress.
Historically about 80% of learning groups that I have looked after have been miserable failures. The leaders do not take the time to meet with each other and when they do, they do not have anything meaningful to say to each other so little value is produced.
(more…)