Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 6, 2012
Wisdom is about behavior not intelligence. Wisdom is practical not theoretical; skillful not academic. Wisdom gets things done. Fools sit and talk while the wise move out. I’m not suggestion it’s foolish to explore options and discuss plans. I’m saying wise leaders add more value than foolish. On the other hand, foolish leaders don’t talk [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 1, 2012
Talk isn’t always cheap. Words change lives and organizations. However, when it comes to authenticity, talk is nearly meaningless. Authenticity, like trust, feedback, and empowerment are words tossed around in leadership circles likes nuts at a squirrel buffet. Words apart from practice make you feel you know when you don’t. Using the term “authentic” doesn’t make you [.].
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Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 22, 2012
The challenges of leadership are inside leaders. Stop blaming organizations and others for your shortfalls and failures. Take the bull by the horns. You are the bull. The 12 Toughest Challenges of Leadership: Humility during success. Confidence during setbacks. Stepping back so others can step up. Putting plans into action – Follow through. Experience shows [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 31, 2012
I usually sleep the New Year in and watch the ball drop on the news. New Year’s Eve is an imaginary line in the sand but, I must confess, its power is real. New Year’s inspires us to begin again. Step into the future or settle for the past. Three keys to courageously begin again: [.].
Speaker: Chandra McCormack, CPA, MBA, NACD.DC
Technical degrees might open doors—but it’s the soft skills that keep them open. In the face of disruption, evolving workplace dynamics, and rising expectations of leadership, soft skills like communication, emotional intelligence, and presence have become core business essentials—not nice-to-haves. Inspired by stories from her father coupled with her own career journey, seasoned executive Chandra McCormack breaks down how to lead with impact, connect with purpose, and cultivate a workplace cult
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 17, 2012
“The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” William Pollard Organizations fail because leaders fail and leaders fail because they: Stop learning. Don’t build the team. Can’t collaborate. Won’t adapt. Won’t delegate. Assume. Blame. Lack focus. Don’t communicate. Don’t plan. Adapted from contributions on Facebook (10/16/12).
Leadership Freak
NOVEMBER 1, 2012
Mistakes that don’t hurt don’t matter. The worst mistakes are the ones that hurt others. The trouble with leadership is your mistakes always hurt others. The top 5 mistakes of unsuccessful leaders: Not being open to criticism. Trying to hide mistakes. Not making decisions. Failing to explain objectives. Telling people how to do things rather [.].
OrgDev Digest brings together the best content for management professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
Not doing is one side of finding success. Never let the bottom line be the bottom line. Never pretend things are ok when they aren’t. Never let what you’ve never done be the reason not to try. Never get ahead by resenting those who get ahead. Never let those who aren’t doing something prevent you [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 28, 2012
The first thing you need to know is: Success is a result not an end in itself. Five organizational strategies: Always create more harmony than discord. Build up more than you tear down, much more. Long-term views build stability. Short-term views produce quick results. Make life easier for those over you. Three relationship strategies: Friends [.].
Leadership Freak
AUGUST 24, 2012
I asked Professor Henry Mintzberg, author of 140 articles and 13 books, “If you waved a magic wand over businesses, what would you change?” He said, “I’d get rid of all MBA’s.” He explained, “We’d lose some good people but in the whole it would be a positive move.” Mintzberg’s quiet voice disarms but he [.].
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 29, 2012
The past is the future, apart from courage and perseverance. Success is persistently taking the next step. Taking the next step takes courage. “You will never do anything in this world without courage” Aristotle “In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm… in the real world all rests on perseverance.” Goethe The [.].
Speaker: Ann Meyers Piccirillo
From rapidly changing state-level labor laws and evolving workplace protections to new compliance expectations around pay equity and hybrid policies, HR teams are navigating a constant wave of regulatory updates. It’s not just about reacting anymore; it’s about anticipating risk, aligning stakeholders, and taking a smarter, proactive stance. In this session, we’ll cut through the noise and help you focus on what matters.
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 13, 2012
“In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.” Warren Buffett Talking about change is easy, acceptable, even exciting. Talking and executing are two different things. Change becomes real when we have to change our own attitudes and behaviors, not until. The wrong picture: Change movements [.].
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 14, 2012
Questions are the most powerful statements you make. Questions expose. Your questions tell me who you are. Questions invite thought. Answers end thought. Questions enlighten. “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question,” Decouvertes. Questions overcome resistance. People naturally question statements. On the other hand, ask an honest question and people lean in. [.].
Leadership Freak
JUNE 29, 2012
Leaders who lift get further than those who push down. Performace improves when people feel encouraged and declines when they’re discouraged or hopeless. You don’t have to beat up high-performers – they do it to themselves – lift them instead. All successful leaders encourage; they fill people with hope. The added responsibility of encouraging others may [.].
Leadership Freak
JULY 19, 2012
Image source David Lewis, co-author of The Pin Drop Principle, told me he was exposed to poor leadership when he was in his early twenties. “Back then everything was a race and all that mattered was the numbers. In that context customers are statistics.” Lewis explained. It’s been over a month since our conversation and [.].
Speaker: Carolyn Clark and Miriam Connaughton
Forget predictions, let’s focus on priorities for the year and explore how to supercharge your employee experience. Join Miriam Connaughton and Carolyn Clark as they discuss key HR trends for 2025—and how to turn them into actionable strategies for your organization. In this dynamic webinar, our esteemed speakers will share expert insights and practical tips to help your employee experience adapt and thrive.
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 2, 2012
More lying happens in meetings than any other place in your organization. Most lies are lies of silence. In meetings, silence isn’t consent, its cowardice, self-interest, manipulation, or political expediency. Honesty, more than anything else, transforms meetings. Truth-telling ends useless meetings. When there’s more honesty in the “meeting after the meeting,” excellence is a myth.
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 15, 2012
There is no making sense of the tragedy at Sandy Hook or other past, present, and future tragedies. Reasons help but they don’t make sense of something. It helps to say the gunman was on drugs or crazy, but only a little. Job, the oldest book in the Christian Bible, confronts human tragedy. At one [.].
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 5, 2012
12 Behaviors that always hold leaders back: Avoiding. Avoiding is the path to mediocrity. Copying others and loosing you. Copying others is useful when it aligns with your strengths. When it doesn’t align, it creates stress, pressure, frustration, and failure. Over thinking and under acting; stressing preparation over execution. Most organizations plan well and execute poorly. [.].
Leadership Freak
NOVEMBER 26, 2012
Show me a leader who is happy with everything and I’ll show you a loser. The gift of young leaders is unhappiness. The tragedy of old leaders is contentment. Unhappiness and discontent ignite passion for change. Warning: Slime pits of ingratitude lie just beyond unhappiness. Nothing de-motivates like churlish ungratefulness. On the other hand, gratitude [.].
Speaker: Kaitlin Ruby Carroll
Retaining top talent in 2025 means rethinking benefits. In a competitive job market, fertility benefits are more than just offerings - they are a commitment to your team’s well-being. Gain critical insights into the latest fertility benefits strategies that can help position your organization as an industry leader. Our expert will explore the unique advantages and challenges of each model, share success stories from top organizations, and offer practical strategies to make benefits decisions tha
Leadership Freak
NOVEMBER 11, 2012
Image source Every morning I put my fingers on the keyboard not knowing what will come out. An hour or two later, I post 300 word or less on this blog. (Technically its fewer not less.) Writing is thinking and often I think differently when the hour’s over. Yesterday it happened again when I typed, [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 26, 2012
** People who change the world are like everyone else except they do something. They are moms, dads, men, women, young, old, rich, or poor. Some are educated – some not. Race isn’t the issue, either. People who change the world all begin at the same point – the point where you may be today. [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 27, 2012
The former CEO of Southwest Airlines, Jim Parker, told me, “Don’t set artificial goals for yourself.” Begin with noble ends: Leadership is about people. Set people goals. Production and profitability are useful and necessary but never enough. Increasing profits by 6% is important but not noble. Two questions beyond artificial: How do you want to [.].
Leadership Freak
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
Most people I’ve asked say they’ve worked for a micro-manager. Their frustration shows when they talk about the person who drained joy from their career and under-utilized their skills. You’re a micro-manager if you: Over-estimate your skills and under-estimate the skills of the team. Feel misunderstood and unappreciated. Hear too many questions. See yourself as doers [.].
Speaker: Radhika Samant and Todd Wuestenberg
Employee recognition has often been deemed a "feel-good" initiative, tied closely to rewards. While we understand its importance, we tend to associate recognition with intangible outcomes like engagement and sentiment, rather than direct impacts on retention and high performance. In today’s workplace, the true ROI of recognition lies in its ability to regenerate tangible, business-driven results.
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 21, 2012
Only fools plan to fail. Leaders always plan to succeed. Working on plans is working to anticipate and nullify reasons for failure. But, failure happens in spite of plans. There’s more to success than hard work. The uncomfortable truth is sincere, smart, hardworking people fail all the time. Success demands hard work and right thinking. Learning [.].
Leadership Freak
DECEMBER 12, 2012
Talking about stress is stressful. It’s one more problem to solve. But, ignoring it never resolves it. Stress builds up. Disproportionate reactions indicate stress build-up. Mary says, “Would you mind handing me that pencil?” Bob responds in anger, “You’re always asking for something. Get it yourself!” “Sheesh!” Over 50% of the workforce feels: Overwhelmed by [.].
Leadership Freak
MARCH 10, 2012
** You make a difference by inspiring others to make a difference. Here’s how: 1. Stop fixing. If your passion for excellence and success drives you to constantly fix people, stop it. Problem centered fixers invite self-protective restraint in others. 2. Compassion wins. The pursuit of personal gain and glory doesn’t inspire, it threatens. Inspiration occurs when [.].
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 7, 2012
You’ll fail apart from surrounding yourself with talented people. This means: Great leaders identify and develop great leaders. One of my favorite Jack Welch quotes is, “The team with the best players wins.” But, how do you identify the best players? Look for those who are: Already active. Frustrated. They look around and don’t like [.].
Speaker: Ginamarie Wells, PhD MCC
Building a talent pipeline that supports diversity requires more than just intent - it demands strategic action. The landscape of diversity recruiting is continually changing, and staying informed on emerging trends is essential for HR and recruiting professionals. Join us for a forward look into the latest trends and innovations shaping the future of diversity recruiting.
Leadership Freak
NOVEMBER 7, 2012
Image source If you grapple with self-doubt, keep reading. If you don’t grapple with it, you’re dangerous. Experts sing, “Believe in yourself,” However, unquestioned self-belief produces self-serving leaders who won’t adapt. Tom Petty captures the experience of many in, “Saving Grace,” when he sings, “You’re confident but not really sure.” Confident but not sure is [.].
Leadership Freak
FEBRUARY 7, 2012
All the interesting things you say make you uninteresting to others. A rare few enthrall listeners. Don’t think of yourself as one. You know too much and have too much to say. Passion sets your tongue on fire. You can’t wait to create enthusiasm, solve problems, and share transformative insights. In a busy world brevity [.].
Leadership Freak
OCTOBER 10, 2012
The need for fairness prevents people in the middle from reaching the top. Every organization of any size has slackers, drifters, and fence sitters. Top management should deal with them, but sometimes they don’t. It’s not fair that you give 100% while they give 75%, or less. The need for fairness whispers in your ear, [.].
Leadership Freak
JANUARY 27, 2012
** Living with others in mind is healthy, noble, and useful except when insecurity drives you. Insecure leaders: Defend when they should explore. Take things personally. Blame higher ups for tough decisions. Don’t trust others because they don’t trust themselves. Can’t say no. Threaten, intimidate, and coerce. Shut down input from others because feedback is [.].
Speaker: Brian Richardson
With a staggering 92% of CEOs prioritizing skill development, and 84% struggling with transformation, mastering upskilling is now more critical than ever. Drawing on extensive research and collaboration with hundreds of leading organizations, discover key hurdles and innovative best practices in workforce upskilling. You'll walk away with a deep understanding of how to build a culture of continuous learning, expert insights into assessing the current skills of your employees, and a strategic too
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