“How can I prepare myself to be a leader?” That question, in one form or another, is posed to me often by parents, teens and young adults who view leadership as a worthy or even a noble goal. Jasmine, a 17-year-old high school senior who had distinguished herself in and out of the classroom, recently asked that same question. She was the reminder I needed to finally offer some recommendations. I felt that Jasmine deserved a thoughtful answer so I decided to send her the le

The sixth in a monthly series of 11 posts. Karina has two bosses. Most young managers wouldn’t prefer that, but Karina relishes it. She likes that each of her bosses offers her a different perspective. When Karina encounters a knotty problem, she presents it to Boss #1 or Boss #2 depending on which perspective she values most for that particular problem. Not long ago, one of Karina’s top performers, Damian, announced that his wife, a breast cancer survivor, had suffered

The second in a monthly series of 11 posts presenting my thinking and experience on the topic of coaching. This is going to be personal, because I can’t tell you how to best prepare yourself to deliver value as a coach. You’ll likely figure that out for yourself. So I’m going to talk about myself, and my preparation as a coach, based on this idea: If I disclose my own thinking about me, maybe that will stimulate your clarity about you. Specifically I want to share four di

At this time of year, it’s hard not to think about all the individuals who have had a hand in helping me stay above water throughout my lifetime. I bring to Thanksgiving a long list of “buoys.” I got thinking about what has meant the most to me in those key relationships. What became clear is that the people who have had the biggest impact have affected me mostly by their presence. By “presence,” I mean my connection with them was rooted not in expertise, advice or materi

My clients report that they sometimes make bad hiring decisions for key leadership positions. They tell me their selection processes don’t help them make accurate predictions about who is most likely to work out and who is most likely to fall short. This also frequently happens with potential merger partners. Hiring for a particular competence is easy; finding a leader or partner with maturity and poise who fits your culture presents a higher-magnitude challenge. There’s