Building courageous leaders

David Porter Advisors

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Organizational Learning

Real-time lessons for accelerating learning and growth

Real-time lessons for accelerating learning and growth

Hanging around with people who care about and challenge us is a surefire path to success and happiness. In the past two weeks, I’ve been fortunate to spend time with colleagues who are pushing the excellence envelope in consulting and coaching, and a client whose executives are leading an

Knowing where to tap

Knowing where to tap

Once upon a time, a ship’s captain found himself stuck in port due to a broken boiler. He asked around the shipyard for someone who could fix the problem. He was given a name and summoned the repairman who showed up in the form of a 10-year old boy

Five things that make HR work difficult

Five things that make HR work difficult

I’ve spent time as a senior HR leader and more time as an internal client. Unlike other company functions (i.e., accounting), there is significant variation in how HR work is designed (often haphazardly) and deployed across organizations. There is an ongoing question of how HR earns a seat

How we demonstrate courageous leadership

How we demonstrate courageous leadership

I recently wrote about some fears that leaders face. As part of my practice, I work with people to define mission-critical activities and develop courageous leadership habits. This post focuses on demonstrating courageous leadership. First, let’s get past the notion that courageous leadership is fearless. Fears are a useful

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

An Exercise: Requirements vs. Preferences

Sometimes we get fed up with the things happening around us at work and want to run away. We then go home, look at the family, think about eating and paying the mortgage, and get up and go back to work the next day. Often, we feel guilt or shame

Two Exercises to Increase Leadership Effectiveness

Two Exercises to Increase Leadership Effectiveness

As you consider ways to increase leadership effectiveness, two exercises can help uncover and highlight your leadership style and values to share with your team. These practices are especially useful for leaders assuming new responsibilities or adding team members and serve to take personal leadership effectiveness to the next level.