by David Porter | Jan 16, 2018 | Decision-making, Leadership, Leadership Development, Leading through adversity, Team Effectiveness, Teamwork, Work Culture
Situation A CEO focuses his growth strategy on acquisitions. Over time, some deals bear fruit while others fall short of expectations. For a while, he only shares his regret over the low-performing acquisitions with his closest aides. In time, caution subsides and, he...
by David Porter | Jan 11, 2018 | Communication, Leadership, Leadership Development, Leading through adversity, Team Effectiveness, Teamwork, Work Culture
While most of us enjoy the challenge of learning and growth, our need for certainty and stability informs our daily routines. The reason we sit at the same desk in school or the same chair for a weekly meeting is that it allows us to compartmentalize and shift our...
by David Porter | Jan 2, 2018 | Executive Coaching, Leadership, Leadership Development, Leading through adversity, Work Culture
Late one evening, two leaders and the CFO met in the CFO’s office. The CFO was upset about a perceived lack of effort from his team in completing several initiatives he deemed important. His monologue devolved into personal attacks on each team member as he went down...
by David Porter | Nov 14, 2017 | Leadership, Leading through adversity, Performance excellence, Work Culture
The first story. Late one evening, about six months into a company transformation effort, I approached a team member’s empty desk to drop off a document. In the middle of his precisely ordered desktop was a message clip holding a 3×5 index card. I picked up the...
by David Porter | Nov 7, 2017 | Coaching, Communication, Leadership, Leadership Development, Leading through adversity, Organizational Learning
“Is life not a hundred times too short for us to stifle ourselves?” Friedrich Nietzsche When a leader avoids responsibility for his actions, it often shows up as belittling, disingenuous, unsympathetic, incredible, unreliable, and egocentric. This list illustrates the...
by David Porter | Oct 24, 2017 | Coaching, Leadership Development, Leading through adversity, Performance excellence
Some owners and leaders are waking up exhausted today. They spend a few extra minutes in the shower, stare into the mirror with tired eyes, and drink an extra cup of coffee. Once outside, they stare at the wall with both hands on the wheel before starting the car....
