While weak leaders blame their followers for a lack of alignment, strong leaders know that it is their responsibility to create it. Alignment doesn’t just happen. It is created. Here are three ways to make it happen with your team.

While weak leaders blame their followers for a lack of alignment, strong leaders know that it is their responsibility to create it. Alignment doesn’t just happen. It is created. Here are three ways to make it happen with your team.

Most leaders have a vision for the future. Perhaps it’s been intentionally and thoughtfully crafted. Maybe it’s also clear, practical, and you’re optimistic it will have its intended impact. But the problem is, the people around you aren’t buying in. When you cast the vision, people are neutral and unmoved at best. You may even receive […]

Years ago, I had an idea for one of my coaching clients. It was a fundamental change to her business model that I knew would grow her business exponentially and provide her with more personal margin. But, almost immediately, she started retreating from the idea. Why? Because she couldn’t see how it could be possible.  […]

Most leaders are good at pushing their organization forward. They’re able to hit their goals, and they might even be decent at profit. But, unfortunately, many leaders don’t prioritize their people. If a leader doesn’t know what to do with their people, morale will be low, people will leave, and the business will suffer. The […]

Many leaders struggle with getting clarity on their vision. With the chaos and clamor of everyday life and business, the bar is often set at just trying to stay afloat. Casting a vision for what you actually want can seem like a far-off luxury. But it comes at a cost. From wasted resources to burnout […]

We all have dreams and goals for our business. Sadly, leadership isn’t a gently sloping road. In between us and our goals, there can be countless mountains to climb. The only reliable way to the top is to start with a vision. It’s what enables you to make a way when none previously existed. But […]

Passion is a key component of a leader. Leaders generally don’t get to where they are without it. The same is true of drive, good ideas, and execution. Even confidence. But none of that is enough to replace vision. Passion and all the rest can fuel the mission, but vision is the North Star to […]

Retaining top talent and reducing turnover is a key component to the growth and success of your company. According to the Corporate Leadership Council, highly engaged employees are 87 percent less likely to leave their companies than their less engaged counterparts. How can you ensure that your best employees don’t leave? Drive employee engagement by […]

As we get ready to wrap up 2020, I encourage you to take the time to reflect on this past year—the challenges, the unforeseen changes to your normal routine, and the clarity that has come from being forced to reevaluate what is most important. It’s safe to say that this year threw us all quite […]

In 2000, I got one of the greatest opportunities in my career. I was appointed publisher over the Nelson Books division of Thomas Nelson Publishers, which was one of the top English language publishers in the world. I knew our team had experienced some financial troubles, but I was thrilled for the chance to lead. […]

Under-communication is a consistent problem in nearly every business. You can solve that by taking ownership of the communication happening around you. I’ve worked with more than my share of poor communicators over the years. One was a boss who rarely shared information and never in a timely way. My office happened to be in […]

If you’ve recently made the switch to remote work, you’re not alone. At least a quarter of U.S. employees worked from home at least part of the time before the Covid-19 crisis. An estimated 16 million U.S. knowledge workers started working remotely due to Covid-19 as of March 2020. That number has likely continued to […]

I recently had lunch with a young entrepreneur. His business had grown quickly, and, as a result, he was facing challenges he’d never encountered before. He said, “I think I need a business coach—someone who can help me navigate the road ahead. Can you recommend someone?” I get asked this question a lot. Running a […]

In early 2002, I was the general manager of Nelson Books, one of Thomas Nelson Publishers’ fourteen divisions. In eighteen months, we had gone from number fourteen—dead last—to number one in terms of revenue growth and profit margin. I felt great. I was proud of myself and my team for the results we’d achieved. That […]

I once worked for a boss who lacked vision. I should say he lacked a single vision because he changed direction frequently. The team never knew what flavor-of-the-month program was coming next. It was frustrating! Ever the activator, I was determined to build momentum in my department even if my division was stuck in neutral. […]

During a crisis, leaders tend to hyperfocus on managing the threat and neglect long-range thinking. That’s a mistake because vision is critical both for evaluating short-term decisions and for creating a better future. The coronavirus pandemic has been a major disruption to the world economy. Some believe it will dwarf the effects of the 2008 […]

You can be successful externally and still deeply dissatisfied. To be satisfied in your work, you must posses three components.

You can be successful externally and still deeply dissatisfied. To be satisfied in your work, you must posses three components.

Vision and strategy are both important. But there is a priority to them. Vision always comes first. Always. If you have a clear vision, you will eventually attract the right strategy.

Sometimes it’s hard to see something, even when you’re looking right at it. That’s partly because of the way our brains work, according to psychology professor Wendy Wood. “Our minds are designed to miss the forest for the trees,” she says in her book, Good Habits, Bad Habits “We are primed by cues [stimuli in our […]

To lead others, you need a compelling vision. But lofty words are not enough. A vision statement must draw a crystal-clear picture of the future that guides action. In 2000, I took over Nelson Books, a major division of Thomas Nelson. I quickly discovered that it was the least profitable of the fourteen units in […]

Leadership is more than influence. It certainly includes influence, but it is more. I believe it includes at least five characteristics. I call these the five marks of authentic leadership.

He stood awkwardly in the front of the room. I remember him shifting on the balls of his feet as he read a script from behind the podium. We were called into the auditorium to hear the vision of the company. Rumors of impending layoffs circulated, increasing the tension in the room. Many years later, […]