Essays and Thoughts on Leadership

This essay is part of an ongoing series in The Collective Brief exploring the inner game of leadership. Viktor Frankl, writing from the particular darkness of a Nazi concentration camp, observed that between stimulus and response there is a space, and that in that space lies our freedom. I first read that sentence years ago, in a copy of Man's Search for Meaning that still sits on my shelf, and I have returned to it so many times since that it has stopped feeling like someth

Someone I care about was talking about something that mattered to them. Really mattered. And I agreed with most of it. But something in the conversation hit a nerve. I couldn't even name it in the moment. I just noticed myself shutting down. Going quiet. Nodding but not actually there. I froze. Not because I disagreed. Because something in me felt threatened, and instead of getting curious about their perspective, I went internal. Protective. Gone. The conversation didn't blo

Most organizations treat behavior change as an individual willpower problem. A leader gets feedback. They commit to changing. Things improve temporarily. Then stress hits, and the old patterns return. Why? Because intention without infrastructure is just hope. Sustainable behavior change requires three systems: Role Modeling, Rituals, and Rewards. Without all three, reversion isn't a risk. It's a certainty.

In my years as an executive coach , I've found that the hardest thing for a compassionate leader to do is deliver difficult feedback. If you're a leader who prioritizes human connection, the thought of telling a team member they are underperforming may make your stomach turn. We tell ourselves we are holding back to protect their feelings. We tell ourselves we are keeping the peace to maintain a "great culture." But if we're being honest? Often, we aren't protecting them. W

January is usually the season of "more"—more targets, more KPIs, more output. But true leadership growth isn't linear; it's vertical. Instead of setting resolutions for what you will do, here is a framework for defining who you will become in the year ahead.

======================================================================= How to Choose an Executive Coach: Start With These Questions" When learning how to choose an executive coach , asking the right questions before committing can make all the difference. At the executive level, the wrong fit doesn't just waste time. It wastes opportunity. Before you commit, get clear on what you're buying. These ten questions will help you cut through the noise and find a coach who can actu