The Difference Between Success and Excellence

Most people believe success and excellence are interchangeable terms. After all, if I’m successful I’m excellent, right? Not so fast… Results Versus Potential Success is an absolute term. If you are the highest producing salesperson, win the game, or beat the earnings forecast, you are successful. Success in the performance world is about achieving outcomes […]

Why Aren’t More People Excellent?

The Bell Curve Theory of Life Most of us are familiar with the bell curve. Statistically, on many characteristics (such as height) people fall along a continuum. Most are near the average and very few are exceptional at both ends. There are lots of 5’9″ males and not very many 5’1″ or 7’1″ men in […]

Understanding Process and Outcome

If I had to choose a single concept most important to achieving sustainable excellence, it would be understanding the relationship between process and outcome. This principle is key to professional excellence but also to realizing your full potential in any area of life. Master this concept and life becomes simpler, more productive, and more focused. […]

Three Rookie Leadership Mistakes

You’ve taken your first head coaching job, executive position or perhaps even become a CEO. You are simultaneously excited and overwhelmed. You look forward to the challenge and the opportunity. In order to capitalize on your success, you’ll need to avoid these common pitfalls that frequently occur with the big promotion. Mistake #1: Managing Versus […]

Do You Really Delegate?

Any successful leader must master the art of delegation, yet in realty few do. Why is that? Let’s look at the typical progression of leadership to understand why it is so difficult to delegate effectively when you’ve arrived at the top. How Did I Get Here? You achieved a position of leadership by delivering results. […]

The Right and Wrong Ways to Use Executive Coaching

Executive coaching has become an explosive field.  I’ve seen examples of highly successful coaching and also witnessed extremely poor practice. Making an investment in executive coaching requires significant time and resources for any individual or organization. Given that investment, here are some thoughts that will help maximize your coaching benefits. Start With The Right Assessment […]

Creating a Development Culture

Culture is an often used yet poorly understood concept in the workplace. You can immediately feel the atmosphere culture creates when you walk into an office, meeting or locker room. The factors that define culture are complex, but some of the most important ones are commitment, energy, loyalty, integrity and execution. Culture is established by […]

Can Confidence and Humility Coexist in a Leader?

A Lesson in the Airport The other day I was in an airport lounge preparing for my latest consulting trip. The lounge was filled with the usual business types chatting on their cell phones, having drinks and generally conveying an air of self-importance. An employee came by to clean up my area, collecting glasses and […]

Executive Team Coach and Individual Coach: Mutually Exclusive?

Coaching senior leadership teams is a very challenging and rewarding endeavor.  It’s not for the faint of heart or new consultant. But if you are up to the challenge and have the necessary skills, successful execution creates breakthrough experiences for individuals and teams. In order to achieve these breakthroughs with senior leadership teams, some of […]