Respect. Straight talk. Results.

David Porter Advisors

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Leadership development

How do successful people answer this question?

How do successful people answer this question?

“I needed to make something of myself.” “You about done?” Jake Perry and Melanie Smooter in the film Sweet Home Alabama We need to make something of ourselves. Continuous and never-ending improvement is a noble trait. But on the way to making ourselves into what’s next, we often lose

How to overcome the fear of rapid decision-making

How to overcome the fear of rapid decision-making

As leaders, we are paid to make decisions and deliver results. When we face a problem, we make decisions, we act, and we succeed or learn. As we look back on a decision, we often find that the decision made and actions taken were available to us early in the

Taking stock of our leadership behaviors

Taking stock of our leadership behaviors

During a recent discussion, I noted that curiosity and straight talk significantly influenced and defined my leadership development. Both behaviors caused my path to curve in compelling ways and determined my opportunities and effectiveness across a broad spectrum of companies and industries. These are my top two, but you can

Let's create companies where people want to stay

According to the Gallup Daily U.S. Employee Engagement tracker (Gallup), U.S. employees engaged in their work stood at about 28% in January 2014 and 32% in August 2017. The inverse, employees less engaged, stood at 72% and 68%, respectively. There are dozens of studies and surveys that demonstrate

Leadership Lessons from Low Tides

It’s true that high tides lift all boats. What about low tides? As leaders, we enjoy the time of rising tides and business fortunes, but experience increased complacency and expectations for the high tides to continue. The low tides provide leaders the opportunity to test their resilience, creativity, and

Building a Personal Leadership Framework

I frame my leadership through a lens of leaving the people and places I work better than I found them. This may seem trite, but its simplicity helps me frame my decisions, actions, and contributions. I break down my approach into two categories — people and processes. Your version will be

There's Power in Being in the Way

I’m not a believer in luck or magical thinking outside of Harry Potter novels. I am, however, a tireless advocate of being in the way. As children, being in the way led to admonishment from our parents or older siblings. As adults, being in the way creates our universe