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David Porter Advisors

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David Porter

Fire Walking

One of the speakers at a recent conference is an icon in the consulting industry. As part of his remarks, he playfully mocked the notion of firewalking as a component of personal development. While highlighting the story of an event at which several participants suffered burns on their feet, he

Values in Use

Most large organizations have a list of values that the leadership team developed in an offsite. These espoused values, the aspirational ones placed on conference room walls, show up in the monthly company newsletter and are designed to guide decision-making for an organization, but often fall short of doing anything

Greener Pastures

The story goes that one early summer day in Iowa, a minister traveling down a country road came upon an expansive farm that took his breath away. As he slowed his car, he noticed the farmer on his John Deere combine working in the field. He stopped his car, walked

Creative Workspaces Still Need Leaders

The cubicle farm of the late 20th century has been replaced in over 60% of businesses by the open architecture, creative workspace. The idea is that this will lead to increased communication and collaboration of team members, which will drive higher productivity, better customer service and improved financial results. With

The Art of Letting Go

One of the most challenging things for leaders of all levels, supervisor to CEO, is the difficulty of letting go of control. Especially for something we do well. Holding on to control gives us several things. It provides us with the certainty of a job done right, or at least

Solving Problems

One of the primary tasks of any leader is to solve problems. No matter what your current experience is with handling issues, it is inevitable you will see something new that tests your capabilities in this area. Many problem-solving tools exist, so go with the one that works for you.