Category Archives: Leadership Development

Beyond Execution: Building Leaders Who Create Value

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From my associate Janice Giannini.

Most leadership development efforts today miss the mark.

They teach how to manage goals, communicate clearly, delegate efficiently, and deliver results; all important, but insufficient!  In a world where strategic threats emerge in real time and opportunities are increasingly transient, delivering outcomes isn’t enough.

Leaders must create value: economic, experiential, and organizational value. And it must be consistent, across levels, and under pressure. The best organizations build value-generating leaders, versus goal-oriented managers.

This shift—from managing to creating is the differentiator between companies that scale intelligently and those that get left behind. Today, we focus on leadership that builds, and not just delivers.

Why is Value Creation Imperative?

In a landmark study, McKinsey identified that more than 50% of private equity investment returns stem from the quality of leadership—what they call “CEO alpha.” Top-quintile CEOs deliver 9% to 16% higher annual returns than their peers. That performance gap isn’t about knowing how to execute a plan. It’s about creating value where others don’t see it.

Companies that embed leadership development around value-creation—not just process execution—see tangible business impacts. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that a company-wide leadership program (a North American retailer) focused on frontline value behavior delivered a 200 basis point increase in market share across 60 global locations. It wasn’t a workshop. It was a redesign of how leaders at all levels think and operate.

Why Redefine the Purpose of Leadership Development?

Traditional leadership development answers this question: “How do we get people to manage more effectively?”

The better question is: “How do we develop leaders who make the business more valuable every day?”

Leadership development must evolve into a strategic mechanism to multiply value, not just prepare someone for a promotion. According to McKinsey, leadership traits that consistently drive value include:

  • Stewardship over short-termism
  • Learning agility in unfamiliar territory
  • Humility and resilience under pressure
  • Positive energy and influence, not positional authority
  • Practical levity—the ability to maintain perspective without detaching from urgency

These traits don’t show up on quarterly dashboards, but their absence eventually will.

Where Does Value Creation Happen?  At All Levels!

‍Many organizations focus their development dollars on the top. But the most significant untapped gains lie below the C-suite.

BCG’s data shows that empowering and developing frontline and mid-level managers can directly drive revenue and retention. In one case, 6,000 team leads participated in a leadership development initiative designed around operational and customer-facing value. The result?

‍Higher productivity, faster decision cycles,and increased customer loyalty.

The key: leadership development is not “training.” It is part of the rhythm of daily work: team huddles, one-on-ones, process design, and cultural expectations. These weren’t better managers. They were new value creators.

Transitioning From Capability Building to Embedded Behavior

Companies can waste millions on leadership development that operates in a vacuum: workshops, e-learning portals, and seminars. These often check boxes but don’t change behavior.

‍What works instead is capability building embedded in the job. Whether you call it “design for adoption”, “scaling the leadership factory”, or “capability at the point of decision”, what these expressions acknowledge and transmit is that if leadership development isn’t tied directly to high-leverage business activities, it won’t stick and it won’t scale.

The winning model builds a development ecosystem that is:

  • Targeted: Focused on 2–3 behaviors that link directly to value drivers (e.g., innovation pace, customer retention, execution flexibility)
  • Embedded: Integrated into performance reviews, team routines, strategic planning, and hiring criteria
  • Measured: Tied to leading indicators and lagging results—business, not just HR metrics
  • Iterative: Reviewed quarterly to adapt based on outcomes and strategy shifts

Leadership Development is not an off-site event. It’s a new operating model for leadership.  

Why Does This Matter In Today’s World?

The velocity of change has never been higher. AI, supply chain disruption, shifting employee expectations, economic ambiguity—every quarter brings a new set of risks and new windows of opportunity.

In this environment, leadership is either a force multiplier or a growth constraint.

Organizations that rely on compliance-driven execution are falling behind. Those that invest in leaders who can adapt, learn, and generate new value; those companies are outpacing their sectors.

McKinsey notes that companies oriented toward long-term value creation out perform their peers by 20–25% on shareholder return over a decade. But it’s not that they have better plans. They have better leaders building better companies every day.

What Does Action Look Like?

If you’re leading an organization, the path forward is simple, but not easy:

  • Redefine your leadership development mandate. It’s not about readiness for roles; it’s about preparedness for value creation. And frequently, these can be very different people and skills.
  • Audit your current investments. Are you teaching leaders how to lead—or how to think, act, and build like value creators?
  • Partner with people who can make it real.  Advisors who understand how to embed behavior, shape ecosystems, and align development to business cycles.

 Leadership development done right is a multiplier. Done poorly, it’s overhead.

Building the Leaders Who Build the Business

Leadership isn’t about polishing executive presence or boosting engagement scores. It addresses who will create the next source of value in your business, and whether you’ve built it yet.

Businesses of any size can’t afford to approach leadership development as an HR function. It is a strategic discipline that deserves CEO attention, board oversight, and operational integration. The companies doing this today are growing faster, attracting better talent, and responding to market shifts with confidence. They are not scrambling in a crisis.

If your leadership pipeline isn’t creating measurable value at every level from frontline leads to C-Suite, the real question isn’t if you need to act. The pivotal question is how soon you will act and what is holding you back.

Bridging the Hidden Gaps: What Managers Don’t Know and What It’s Costing You

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The most dangerous knowledge gap in an organization isn’t likely to be technical. It’s strategic. And it’s hiding in plain sight—within your managers. While technology and markets evolve, one truth remains: organizations stall not from lack of expertise, but from unrecognized leadership gaps.

Whether you’re running a small to mid-sized organization or leading a division in a larger enterprise, chances are high that your managers—especially middle managers—are making mission-critical decisions every day based on incomplete perspectives, untested assumptions, or outdated mental models. It’s not a question of competence. It’s a question of calibration.

The Real Cost of Managerial Knowledge Gaps

Many companies invest heavily in leadership development for senior executives, but middle managers often receive less attention. Yet this group plays a pivotal role—they translate strategic vision into operational reality, serve as the connective tissue across departments, and influence culture more directly than most C-suite leaders.

When they lack the knowledge, tools, or self-awareness to lead effectively, the symptoms may be subtle at first:

  • Projects stall or veer off-course despite technical expertise.
  • Cross-functional friction increases, often chalked up to “personality differences.”
  • Promising staff disengage—or quietly leave.
  • Managers struggle to delegate, coach, or think beyond their vertical.

Over time, the compound effect of these gaps is costly: delayed growth, missed market opportunities, and cultures that fail to scale with the business.

Gaps Often Form in One of Four Ways

  1. Promotions Without Development: Smaller businesses often promote high performers into management roles because they excel at “doing.” However, leading requires different muscles—prioritizing, thinking strategically, coaching others, and recognizing system dynamics. Most managers don’t develop those capabilities simply by doing more of the same.
  2. Siloed Experience: In larger organizations, middle managers may spend years in one function. Without exposure to broader business dynamics, they operate without an enterprise-wide perspective.
  3. Unrecognized Biases: Every leader brings unconscious biases into their decision-making—about people, processes, and priorities. Without structured feedback or assessments, those blind spots remain unchallenged and unexamined.
  4. The “Busyness Trap”: Many managers become consumed by urgent tasks. They confuse motion with progress and never find time to step back, reflect, or grow their leadership capacity. 

Solving the Problem: Don’t Train. Transform.‍

‍At Paradigm Associates LLC, we’ve spent decades helping companies identify, diagnose, and close these gaps. The solution is not more training for training’s sake. It’s a targeted, transformational process—grounded in data and self-awareness and aligned with your business goals.

Here’s what it looks like:

‍1. Start With Clarity—Not Guesswork

‍You can’t close a gap you haven’t defined. Assessments—spanning behavioral profiles, emotional intelligence, acumen (decision-making), and motivators—provide a crystal-clear view of each manager’s natural strengths, developmental needs, and leadership readiness. Seek out objective insight into who’s ready now, who can grow, and what support is needed.

Put simply, a well-designed org structure tells you what’s needed. Assessments help you understand who’s ready, who can grow, and how to get there.

2. Teach Managers to Think Like Owners

‍Most managers operate from a tactical mindset. We help shift that. Through strategic thinking sessions, structured coaching, and real-world simulations, we build their ability to:

  • Understand financial and operational tradeoffs.
  • Make decisions that support enterprise priorities—not just their silo.
  • Navigate ambiguity and lead through change.

This is critical for growing companies where agility and alignment matter more than ever.

3. Build Feedback Loops That Stick

‍Training without reinforcement fades fast. That’s why our approach includes one-on-one coaching, peer accountability groups, and manager toolkits that reinforce learning on the job. Feedback becomes continuous—not annual. Development becomes visible—not abstract.

4. Align Development to the Business Plan

Every leadership investment should move the business forward. We help you connect leadership development to your strategic goals—whether that’s scaling operations, integrating new teams post-acquisition, improving customer experience, or entering new markets.

What’s Next?

If you’re a CEO or executive leader, now’s the time to ask yourself:

  • Where are we assuming competence without testing for it?
  • Which managers have untapped leadership capacity we’re not cultivating?
  • Are we equipping people to lead from where they are—or hoping they’ll figure it out?

At Paradigm Associates LLC, we don’t just help you close the gap. We help you build the bridge—one that turns capable managers into confident, strategic leaders who drive sustainable growth.

Closing Thought

‍Most people assume the most expensive mistake is hiring the wrong person. But what if it’s underdeveloping the right ones? Let’s make sure your managers are equipped not just for today—but for what’s next.

Seeing Clearly: The Hidden Power of Self Leadership

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From my associate Janice Giannini.

Using a lens to see more clearlyIn a world defined by constant change and persistent ambiguity, effective leadership doesn’t begin with strategy; it begins with the individual. The ability to lead others starts with the capacity to lead oneself.

Self-leadership is understanding, managing, and intentionally guiding our thoughts, actions, and emotions. At the heart of this is a simple question: Can you see what is right in front of you? More importantly, do you have the courage to question it?

These capabilities underpin every interaction, decision, and outcome. In what follows, we explore four critical lenses that strengthen self-leadership and hone our ability to perceive, think, act, and adapt with clarity and purpose.

1. The Lens of Perception

‍Key Question: Are you seeing what is right in front of you—and how would you know?

Perception is not passive. It is a deliberate act of observation. Self-leadership begins by training our minds to notice without distortion and to remain curious rather than reactive.

Daniel Kahneman’s work on cognitive biases (“Thinking, Fast and Slow,” 2011) reminds us that humans are not naturally objective. We filter information through personal and cultural beliefs, values, and histories. We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.

Self-leadership is unsustainable without a strong sense of personal values and purpose. It stands on a platform for understanding one’s values, beliefs, and internal motivations and how these qualities influence/ impact behavior and decisions. The heart of self-leadership is “owning” and recognizing how one’s actions (or inactions) influence the outcome. Recognizing this influence is even more pivotal in environments that can feel restrictive.

Potential investigations and actions:

  • Mindfulness and Reflection: These are tools for focused attention and being present in reality. Regular mindfulness increases awareness and reduces cognitive distortion (Brown & Ryan, 2003).
  • Values and Purpose: Anchors to clarify what you stand for without pressure and, notably, when under pressure.
  • Purpose: Know why you do what you do.
  • Feedback Seeking and Journaling: Amplify your insights by inviting honest perspectives from others, countering blind spots, and revealing patterns otherwise missed.
  • Ownership of Choices and Impact: Aligning actions and beliefs.

Perceptual clarity requires slowing down—creating enough space to observe external situations and internal reactions. 

2. The Lens of Inquiry

Key Question: Can you distinguish between reality and opinion in the context of the bigger picture?

Clarity of perception is meaningless without the willingness to question it. Chris Argyris’ concept of the”Ladder of Inference” (1990) illustrates how quickly people move from data to conclusions, often without realizing it. Inquiry requires intellectual humility- the ability to challenge our assumptions and recognize that what feels true may not be true.

Knowing who you are and what you stand for gives you the internal courage to question legacy beliefs.  Furthermore, it spurs you on to further investigation to close the gaps in understanding and action.

Potential investigations and actions:

  • ‍Contextual Discernment: Critically questioning initial interpretations, asking, “What else could be true?” And think through how the parts interconnect within a larger system and context (Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline, 1990).
  • Emotional Regulation: Pausing emotional responses allows a more objective evaluation of what’s actually happening.

Heartfelt inquiry is the willingness to ask, “What am I missing?” and to revise one’s position in the face of new data. 

3. The Lens of Consequence Awareness

Key Question: Do you consider both intended and unintended consequences and the second and third-order effects of one’s actions?

Leaders often face the temptation to move quickly toward resolution. Effective self-leadership means slowing the impulse to react and considering the second—and third-order effects of decisions and actions. Research by Gary Klein on decision-making in high-pressure environments (1999) emphasizes the value of mental simulation: consciously walking through a scenario to uncover downstream effects.

Understanding downstream effects is about much more than an intellectual exercise. It’s about the moral and operational ownership of what happens versus what you intended. In other words, how did my actions influence this result, and what can I learn or change for the future?

Potential investigations and actions:

  • ‍Foresight: Evaluating multiple scenarios, including worst-case scenarios, and considering the moral and ethical impacts of actions for those affected.
  • Accountability/ Responsibility: Owning the choices, decisions, outcomes, and willingness to adjust for future Intentions don’t shield us from the impact. Owning the consequences, whether good or bad, separates responsive leaders from reactive leaders.

4. The Lens of Sustaining Focus, Energy, and Growth‍

Key Question: How do you manage your energy, mindset, and focus to stay effective?

Self-leadership is not a one-time insight. Just as someone must align a compass to stay true North, leaders must regularly adjust their mindset, energy, and actions to remain effective under changing conditions.

That means managing internal states, adapting to context, and learning from experience. Carol Dweck’s “growth mindset” research (2006) shows that those who view challenges as development opportunities consistently outperform those with fixed mindsets.

Potential investigations and actions:‍

  • Energy-Awareness: Regular check-ins on energy, motivation, and emotional state.
  • Feedback Integration: Using feedback loops to improve decision-making over time.
  • Boundaries for Sustainability: Protecting time and energy for strategic thinking, not just reactive doing.

Focused and attentive leaders maintain perspective. They adjust appropriately without defensiveness and prioritize sustainability over urgency (most of the time). 

The Foundational Role of Self-Leadership

The quality of our attention—what we choose to see and how we interpret it—shapes the quality of our decisions and outcomes in our personal and business lives.

In the face of complexity and distraction, self-leadership becomes more than a personal attribute- it becomes a strategic advantage.

When leaders see clearly, question courageously, act consciously, and adapt consistently, they create clarity for themselves and those they lead.

In today’s world, investing in self-leadership isn’t just beneficial, it’s essential.

Is Leadership Dead of Just Asleep at the Wheel

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From my associate, Grant Tate.

My bookcase is full of leadership books. And I’m one of thousands (if not millions) of leadership coaches. How can it be that in a world saturated with leadership advice, so few true leaders seem to stand tall? Something deeper is broken, something we can’t fix with another flashy seminar or motivational speech.

Leadership — true leadership — isn’t dead. But it sure is gasping for breath.

‍We live in a paradox. Never before in history have we had so many people claiming to develop leaders. Consultants, trainers, professors, coaches — all offering books, webinars, TED Talks, retreats atop mountains — all promising to unlock some secret formula. And yet, look around. Our institutions are fragile, trust is at historic lows, and people feel unmoored, craving a steadiness that seems harder to find each year.

‍If leadership development is booming, why is leadership itself struggling? It’s tempting to blame the consultants — to say their methods are wrong, their theories too academic, their workshops too superficial. Some of that critique holds water. We’ve built a cottage industry on models and frameworks, often forgetting that leadership is a profoundly human endeavor, not a checklist to complete.

But it’s bigger than that.

We also have to look inward — at the systems and cultures that shape us long before a consultant ever enters the picture. Education systems teach knowledge, but too rarely teach wisdom. Corporations reward short-term profits over long-term stewardship. Politics prizes winning over governing. Even families, often unintentionally, teach children to seek approval more than purpose. In short, we groom people to manage tasks, not to lead souls.

‍True leadership asks something deeper. It demands courage to stand alone when necessary, humility to listen when uncomfortable, and integrity to stay the course when easier paths beckon. These are not competencies you can bullet-point onto a PowerPoint slide. They are forged in character.

And character — well, character takes time, failure, and sometimes even heartbreak. That’s not a product many leadership developers are prepared to sell. It’s easier to market confidence tricks than to guide someone through the slow, often painful journey of becoming worthy of being followed.

‍So is leadership dead? No. But it’s endangered — because we are trying to microwave a process that was always meant to be slow-cooked.

What can be done?

‍First, we need to stop treating leadership as a set of techniques and start treating it as a way of being. Leaders are not created in a weekend seminar. They are shaped over years, through crucible moments when their values are tested, and they must choose service over self.

‍Second, we need to reimagine education — not just in schools, but in homes and communities. We need to teach young people not just how to win, but how to lose with grace. Not just how to succeed, but how to sacrifice. Not just how to speak, but how to listen with empathy and discipline.

‍Third, consultants and trainers (and I say this with love for many good ones) need to have the courage to tell organizations the truth: you cannot “train” your way out of a leadership vacuum. You have to live your way out of it. You have to embed values, reward authenticity, and model the behaviors you claim to admire.

‍Finally, and maybe most critically, we as individuals have to reclaim our own responsibility. Too often, we say, “Where are the leaders?” as if leadership were someone else’s job. But every day, in every decision, in every conversation, we are either leading — or leaving a vacuum. Leadership isn’t a title bestowed; it’s a choice made, again and again, often in obscurity, without applause.

In Hand on the Shoulder, I wrote about how leadership feels more like a quiet presence than a shouting voice. It’s that gentle hand guiding you when no one else sees. It’s about presence, not performance.

Leadership isn’t dead. It’s waiting — waiting for those willing to do the harder, slower, more human work of building something real.

The question isn’t, “Where are the leaders?”

The question is, “Am I willing to become one?”

‍We don’t need another leadership seminar. We need leaders who will do the slow, quiet, courageous work of earning trust and shaping lives — starting with their own. The world is hungry for hands-on-the-shoulder leadership, the kind that steadies others when the winds howl. If we want a future worth building, it won’t be built by titles or techniques. It will be built by human beings willing to lead when it’s hardest, not when it’s easiest. The question remains: Will we answer that call — or will we leave it for someone else?

Future Proofing Leadership and Sustainable Growth

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From my associate Janice Giannini.

Did you know that organizations investing and excelling at leadership development and engaging their workforce aren’t just better places to work? They report 21% higher profitability and a 17% higher productivity rate. In today’s volatile business environment, leadership resilience isn’t optional—it’s a competitive necessity.

‍The concepts below help companies to tap into more stable long-term growth, increased ROI, and increased reputation in the marketplace.

 

1. Resilience as a competitive edge/advantage 

  • The pandemic demonstrated that organizations with adaptive, well-coached leaders sustained profitability and minimized or avoided operational disruptions, outperforming competitors. For many of these organizations, the kernel of this adaptiveness resulted from prioritizing and developing strong adaptive leaders prepared to navigate crises. These crises come in various ways: market fluctuations, customer changes, competitive changes, and technological advancements.
  • This Resilience and preparation didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of strategic investments in executive coaching and development.

 

2. Cost of leadership gaps

  • For any company, there is an optimal turnover rate to refresh skills/ideas and ensure an effectively staffed pipeline. There is a significant cost when the turnover is unexpectedly high and critical staff leave. Over a third of employees report leaving over lack of connection with leadership. Only about 20% of employees indicate they trust company leadership. That cost frequently looks like costly errors missed deadlines, delays in delivery, lack of engagement, and friction within the team.
  • These risks drive significant cost increases. Organizations with stellar reputations for delivering the right stuff to the right people at the right time actively invest in risk management by investing in leadership development at multiple company levels. They recognize that a company’s financial and reputational success is a function of the company and leadership’s abilities.

 

3. Understanding the needs of a multi-generational workforce 

  • Today’s workforce is multi-generational. The priorities and needs of each generation of the workforce are very different. With such diverse expectations and work styles, equipping the leaders across the organizations with communications, understanding, adaptability, and averting conflict is essential for the entity to thrive and flourish.
  • The cost of failing to prioritize those growth opportunities and coaching drives higher costs, burnout, high turnover, and less-than-expected financials in many cases. When hired, associates, regardless of the level of responsibility in the company, do not always come equipped with these skills. Frequently, they are knowledgeable about the subject matter or experts in their vertical. Integrating across the multi-generational workforce and multiple verticals is not an innate skill. And as additional generations come on board, refreshing skills increase company success.

 

4. Leading in a technology-driven world

  • Making business decisions in a technology-driven world requires rethinking strategic risk-taking, a different level of technology literacy, and an understanding of effectively leveraging technologies for competitive relevance. These may be skill sets that not all leaders possess. It is more effective across the board to invest in development to enable these conversations than to ignore the potential disconnect.
  • Executive coaching equips leaders with the mental agility and strategic foresight to leverage AI and data analytics for competitive advantage.

 

5. Adopting cultural–alignment to drive financial success and long-term growth

  • One of the major responsibilities of all CEOs is to define the culture and constantly reinforce the cultural expectations across the leadership. Culture is a binding force. It creates a common perspective and reference framework for essential operational and strategic risk management. Cultural misalignment across the company leads to increased costs and financial losses, increased risk across the board, missed opportunities, diminished innovation, and diminished associates’ engagement driving high turnover.
  • A strong company culture leads to higher profitability, employee satisfaction and engagement, and customer satisfaction. Constantly re-enforcing cultural expectations is essential and requires consistent and ongoing investment. “Once and done” will not deliver the needed results.

‍

6. Positioning for unknown challenges in the future

  • Continual investment in leadership development encourages continuous learning and growth. Furthermore, it fosters:
  • Out-of-box thinking
  • Increased innovation
  • Mental agility to respond to unknowns with confidence versus relying too heavily on current practices
  • Increased collaboration to address unanticipated future disruptions
  • ROI for companies that invest in leadership development have 20-25% lower turnover rates than those who do not invest

‍

Organizations with well-coached leaders achieve operational stability faster, avoid layoffs, maintain higher levels of employee engagement, and maintain customer trust. Viewing coaching as a growth opportunity rather than a cost transforms leadership into a scalable competitive advantage. Research shows that every dollar invested in leadership development returns up to $6 in improved business performance.

Leadership development isn’t just an investment in individuals; it’s an investment in your company’s future. Start building a resilient, adaptable leadership pipeline today to secure your organization’s success tomorrow.

Leading During Times of Turbulence

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Experiencing natural disasters and personal loss—whether by hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, fires, or health-related causes—brings profound disruption that touches every part of our lives. These moments remind us of our shared vulnerability and capacity to support one another. Such events test our resilience, decision-making, and capacity for empathy, both personally and professionally. In times like these, leadership becomes less about managing tasks and more about courageously guiding people—and ourselves—through uncharted waters. Here’s how we, as leaders, can better support ourselves and our teams during crises and their aftermath, blending practicality with compassion.

 

Acknowledge and Manage Both Physical and Mental Stressors

The chaos of a crisis can lead to overwhelming stress for everyone involved. Leaders must prioritize their well-being, not just for themselves but also to remain present and effective for those who rely on us. Stress management isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. Techniques such as mindfulness, visualization, cyclic sighing, physical activity, and short, focused breaks during high-stress periods can make a significant difference.

‍Equally important is creating space for team members to decompress. Encourage open dialogue about mental health, normalize employee assistance programs (where available), and lead by example. When leaders visibly take care of their stress, we allow others to do the same. Even small gestures, like asking, “How are you holding up today?” can show you care.

 

Adopt a Janus-Headed Perspective

‍Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions, symbolizes looking both forward and backward. In leadership, this means balancing immediate operational demands with long-term strategic vision. Crises often demand quick responses, but they also provide opportunities to reflect on what truly matters for the future.

  • ‍Immediate Focus: Address safety, clear communication, and stabilization first.
  • Future Orientation: Begin assessing the long-term impact on your organization and people. What lessons are emerging? How can these shape our organization’s resilience?

‍By adopting this dual perspective, leaders can navigate the present crisis while laying the groundwork for a stronger, more prepared future.

 

Maintain Perspective and Acuity

‍In extreme change, losing sight of the bigger picture is easy. Leaders must actively work to maintain clarity by regularly asking:‍

  • What’s the immediate priority?
  • Does this align with our core values and mission?
  • What do our people need most right now?

‍Perspective involves stepping back to reassess priorities. Acuity, however, requires a sharp focus on the details that matter. Together, these qualities help leaders remain balanced, responsive, and grounded.

 

Assess Risk—Personally and Organizationally

‍Understanding risks to both people and the organization is critical. Start by evaluating:‍

  • Personal Risk: Are you leading in a way that’s sustainable for your health? Have you surrounded yourself with a trusted team willing to share the load?
  • Organizational Risk: What vulnerabilities has the crisis exposed? Are there systemic issues that need addressing to prevent future crises or mitigate their impact?

‍Risk assessment doesn’t involve eliminating all uncertainty; it involves making informed decisions and preparing for what lies ahead.

 

Make Quick Decisions and Take Decisive Action

‍Crisis leadership demands rapid yet sound decision-making. While it’s tempting to rush, pausing to follow a structured process can make all the difference in building trust and ensuring clarity:‍

  1. Review your big goals and the critical questions you need answered.
  2. Gather relevant information quickly.
  3. Evaluate this information and consider alternative solutions.
  4. Choose the best course of action and secure team buy-in.
  5. Implement decisively and evaluate outcomes, adjusting as needed.

‍‍Making sound decisions builds confidence within the team and strengthens collective resolve.

 

Embrace Resilience as an Antidote to Disruption

‍Resilience is more than bouncing back; it’s about adapting and thriving in new circumstances. Leaders can foster resilience by:‍

  • Letting Go of Old Habits: Focus on tailored, people-centered solutions that reflect current realities.
  • Developing a Flux Mindset: Inspired by April Rinne, this involves embracing change as a constant. Seek to discover opportunities within uncertainty that others often overlook.
  • Sustaining a Healthy Pace: Avoid burnout. We must balance urgency with sustainability to avoid burnout. We just must.
  • Seeing the Invisible: Pay attention to subtle dynamics and unspoken needs that may be crucial for recovery.

‍Resilience often emerges in small, quiet ways—from a shared laugh to a moment of understanding—and these moments matter.

 

Communicate Empathetically and Transparently

‍During crises, clear and compassionate communication is non-negotiable. Keep these principles in mind:

  • ‍Be Honest: Share what you know and what you don’t.
  • Be Frequent: Silence creates anxiety. Provide regular updates, even if there’s little news to report.
  • Be Human: Acknowledge emotions and show empathy. Statements like, “I understand this is hard” or “We’re in this together” can deepen connections and trust.

Recognize and Celebrate Small Wins

‍Even small victories provide hope and momentum amid the chaos. Whether you’re reopening an office, completing a project, or simply supporting one another, take time to acknowledge these moments. Celebrations don’t have to be grand; even verbal recognition can boost morale. Staying human in these moments reinforces trust and camaraderie.

 

Rebuild with Intention

‍While challenging, the aftermath of a crisis holds a unique opportunity to rebuild with greater purpose and connection. Engage your team in post-crisis reflection:‍

  • What worked well, and what didn’t?
  • Where did/do we struggle?
  • How can we be better prepared for the next challenge?
  • What new opportunities have emerged?

‍Intentional rebuilding fosters a culture of learning, growth, and resilience.

 

Lead with Heart

‍Ultimately, leadership during crises is about showing humanity. Lead with vulnerability, courage, and a steady presence. Your authenticity may be your greatest strength. In times of profound change, leaders can turn disruption into an opportunity for growth. By managing stress, maintaining perspective, making incisive decisions, and fostering resilience, you can guide your teams—and yourself—through even the most turbulent times.

‍As you lead, remember that resilience is not built alone. Lean into the phrase there is strength in numbers.

The Power of Alignment in Teams and Organizations

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From my associate, Grant Tate.

Imagine this: A team of five people, each holding onto a rope tied to a big log, aiming to move it forward. But each person’s pulling in a different direction—one’s pulling left, another right, one forward, and so on. It doesn’t take long to see the problem. Despite everyone working hard, the log barely budges. This is misalignment in action. Lots of energy, no progress.

 

‍misalignment of two peopleA Lesson in Forces

Now, let’s break down what’s really going on here. Each person pulling on that log is using force. And force has two key parts: direction and magnitude. Direction is where they’re pulling; magnitude is how hard they’re pulling. When everyone’s pulling in different directions, their forces clash and cancel each other out. It’s the same in organizations: without alignment, you end up with static effort—lots of motion but little movement forward. However, get those forces aligned, and suddenly, you have powerful momentum that propels the team forward.

 

The Leader’s Role in Guiding Alignment

Picture an organization as a living, breathing thing—an amoeba, if you will—shifting and flexing with every new influence. The leader’s role is to guide that shifting entity, establishing a path and helping the team stay on course. That means setting a clear, steady vision and sticking to it long enough for the team to actually make progress.

A leader’s responsibility in alignment comes down to two essential duties:

    1. Set and Keep Direction – Provide a consistent, clear path that everyone can focus on.

    2. Encourage Unified Effort – Inspire the team to apply their energy in the same direction.

This consistent guidance prevents wasted effort and keeps the organization moving forward as one cohesive unit.

 

When Leaders Go Wobbly

But what happens if a leader gets ‘wobbly’—constantly changing course or lacking clarity? Even a fully aligned team struggles because they’re always adjusting to the latest shift in direction. It’s like trying to move that log when someone keeps yanking the rope in a different direction. A leader who frequently changes direction or focus creates instability. Over time, team members feel frustrated, maybe even burned out, because they’ve invested effort that never seems to bring them closer to a meaningful goal.

 

Alignment Across Teams and the Organization

In larger organizations, alignment needs to happen on multiple levels. It’s not enough for each individual to be aligned with the leader’s direction. Imagine each team as another person pulling on the log. If one team is focused on one objective while another pulls toward something different, they start working against each other. And if the leader is wobbly, each team is forced to shift, too—momentum is lost every time they pivot.

So, a leader’s task is more than aligning people. It’s about ensuring each team is on the same page and that teams aren’t working against one another. The ultimate alignment depends on a leader who provides that steady, clear direction.

 

Pulling Together Toward Real Impact

To put it simply, alignment is about making sure everyone’s efforts are focused in the same direction, with steady intensity. Misalignment drains energy, breeds frustration, and keeps teams spinning their wheels. A wobbly leader only magnifies the problem, scattering potential instead of channeling it.

Aligned forces, led by a steady leader, combine to create incredible momentum, bringing the team closer to real, meaningful impact. So as leaders, our job is not just to set a direction but to stay with it long enough for our people to make real strides. When directions are constantly changing, progress falls, and we end up spinning our wheels. But when we stick to a course, we harness the full power of unity and purpose.

Remember, alignment is never a one-time event. It’s an ongoing journey of guiding, encouraging, and sticking to the path we’ve set. When leaders stay the course, they unlock their team’s full potential, turning effort into true progress. So, as you think about your organization, remember: alignment isn’t just about pulling together—it’s about pulling with purpose, in a direction that truly matters. That’s what turns struggle into success.

 

Evolving Leadership: Guiding Your Team Through Growth

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Editor’s Note: Growing a business requires not only robust, scalable systems but also leadership that adapts as well. In the third article of this series, we delve into how leadership roles must evolve as the organization grows. We’ll discuss the shift from hands-on management to strategic oversight and the importance of fostering a culture that supports sustainable growth.

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Leadership plays a pivotal role in any organization’s success, but as companies grow, the demands on leaders can evolve and increase significantly. What worked within your smaller, more entrepreneurial setting may not be effective in the larger, more complex organization. In this third article of our series, we examine how leadership must adapt to guide a growing organization successfully, drawing on principles from Designed to Scale.

 

The Leadership Shift: From Operational to Strategic

In the early growth stages of a business, leaders are often deeply involved in day-to-day operations. They make quick decisions, solve problems directly, and have a hands-on approach to managing their teams. However, as the organization succeeds, this level of involvement becomes unsustainable. The leader’s role must shift from operational management to enterprise-level strategic oversight.

This shift requires a change in mindset. Instead of focusing on the immediate tactical tasks, leaders need to think long-term, anticipate challenges, and position the company for future success. Delegating more operational responsibilities to trusted managers and focusing on the bigger picture—setting the direction for the organization, aligning teams around common goals, and fostering an environment that supports innovation and growth must become the norm. As one of my retired colleagues, Mike Sleppin, often quipped, “If the Generals are in the foxholes with the corporals and privates, who is running the war”?

 

Building a Leadership Team

Building a strong leadership team is crucial as an organization scales because no single leader can manage everything alone. This team should consist of individuals with expertise in their respective functional areas but, equally important, share the company’s core values and vision. Creating a cohesive leadership team is undoubtedly hard work, but it helps ensure that all aspects of the business are aligned and moving in the same direction.

Designed to Scale emphasizes the importance of hiring leaders who are not only skilled but also adaptable. In a growing organization where change is constant, leaders must navigate this change effectively. They should be capable of leading their teams through transitions, whether integrating new technologies, entering new markets, or scaling operations.

 

Fostering a Growth-Oriented Culture

Leadership isn’t just about managing tasks—it’s about consciously shaping the organization’s culture. A growth-oriented culture encourages innovation, embraces change, and rewards those continuously seeking improvement. Leaders play a key role in cultivating this culture by setting the tone and leading by example.

Communication is a critical component of this. As organizations grow, ensuring everyone is on the same page becomes more challenging. Leaders must invest their energy in prioritizing clear, consistent communication to align teams around the company’s goals and ensure everyone understands their role in achieving them.

‍Moreover, leaders should focus on empowering their employees. I recommend that growing organizations move from a hierarchical command-and-control decision-making structure to a flatter, decentralized model. Leaders must develop the confidence and trust in their teams to make sound decisions after providing them with the tools and information they need to succeed.

 

Actionable Steps for Executives

  1. Evaluate Your Leadership Approach: Reflect on how your role has evolved as your company has grown. Are you still too involved in day-to-day operations? Consider how you can shift your focus to more strategic responsibilities.
  2. Build a Strong Leadership Team: Identify the key areas of your business that require strong leadership. Invest in hiring or developing skilled leaders who will easily align with your company’s values and vision.
  3. Foster a Growth-Oriented Culture: Encourage innovation and continuous improvement within your organization. Lead by example, and ensure that your actions reflect the values and behaviors you want to see in your team.
  4. Prioritize Communication: As your organization grows, communication becomes more challenging and critical. Implement systems and practices that ensure clear, consistent communication across all levels of the organization.

 

Only by evolving your leadership style and building a strong leadership team can you better guide your organization through the complexities of growth. Ultimately helping your company scale effectively and remain agile, innovative, and aligned with its core values.

In the final article of our series, we’ll explore the role of organizational culture in scaling. We’ll discuss how to preserve and strengthen your culture as your company grows and why this is vital for long-term success.

Developing Enterprise-Wide Perspective in Senior Leaders: A Coaching Guide for CEOs

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Introduction

I have often observed that upper-middle managers will remain too deeply rooted in their specific departments or functional responsibilities. This results in a limited, vertical perspective. To be viewed as promotable, aspiring executives must develop a horizontal perspective that aligns with the organization’s broader objectives, demonstrating an understanding of enterprise-level dynamics essential for executive roles. This broadened view fosters a deeper understanding of interdependencies, enabling leaders to make balanced, informed decisions and collaborate effectively across functions.

This guide provides a high-level coaching framework for CEOs to use with their teams.

Initiate Cross-Functional Exposure

  • Objective: Encourage managers to interact with peers across departments regularly.
  • Coaching Action: Begin by setting up monthly or quarterly rotations where senior managers spend enough time in other departments to understand cross-functional processes and objectives. I suggest shadowing or project collaboration across departments to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness. For instance, they should focus on gaining insights into operational dependencies, pain points, resource constraints, or opportunities for collaboration that benefit both     departments.
  • Discussion  Points: In follow-up coaching sessions, ask, “What processes or decisions surprised you in this department? How could that influence decisions on your own?”

Facilitate Strategic Alignment

  • Objective: Help managers connect their departmental or divisional team’s objectives to overarching company goals.
  • Coaching Action: Organize brief, regular workshops to align team goals with organizational strategy. CEOs can facilitate these sessions to review company goals and ensure each manager understands how their area supports or complements these aims.
  • Discussion Points: Use questions like, “How does your team’s work influence our strategic priorities? What adjustments could align your outcomes more closely with our enterprise goals?”

Encourage Problem-Solving from a Broader Lens

  • Objective: Shift focus from immediate team or department challenges to enterprise-level solutions.
  • Coaching Action: Encourage managers to look beyond internal problem-solving impacts or dynamics to anticipate the impact on external stakeholders such as customers, partners, and suppliers before they approve solutions.
  • Discussion  Points: Questions like, “Who else in the company and within our customer or supplier base could be impacted by this solution? Have you considered their perspective?” can deepen their awareness of interconnectedness.

Develop KPIs with Cross-Departmental Impact in Mind

  • Objective: Foster a sense of responsibility for outcomes beyond departmental KPIs.
  • Coaching Action: Work with managers to identify one or two KPIs that depend on or affect other departments. Where practical, tie these cross-departmental or cross-divisional KPIs into their annual compensation packages because, as management guru Peter Drucker said, “What gets measured gets managed.” This exercise drives them to understand how their work influences broader performance metrics. Add quarterly review meetings to assess progress on cross-departmental KPIs to your cadence to ensure a continuous focus on organizational impact.
  • Discussion Points: Ask, “How can your team contribute to KPIs that benefit our entire organization? Who else should be involved to ensure success?”

Implement Peer Mentorship and Accountability

  • Objective: Reinforce horizontal perspective through peer mentorship.
  • Coaching Action: Pair managers with counterparts in different departments, encouraging them to meet monthly to discuss challenges and ideas. CEOs can guide these mentorships to ensure they focus on enterprise alignment. To maintain accountability, ask each manager to briefly summarize insights or action items from these mentorship meetings to ensure that alignment is continuously reinforced.
  • Discussion     Points: Questions such as, “What have you learned from your peer about our organization’s needs? How does this change your view on your team’s priorities?” can deepen learning.

Conclusion

Adopting an enterprise-wide perspective is critical for promotability and long-term leadership success. By following this framework, CEOs can regularly coach their senior managers toward a broader understanding of organizational needs. This shift from a siloed to an interconnected approach ultimately strengthens strategic alignment and drives better outcomes for the entire organization. By embedding this framework, CEOs can cultivate a promotable team with the strategic insight to lead at the highest levels.

Critical Keys to Success

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From my associate, Janice Giannini.

Today, businesses face unprecedented shifting sands upon which to build and grow.

‍While I would like to opine that there are a few more significant challenges, and the others are potentially less compelling and volatile – that doesn’t reflect reality. Think for just a moment about a few of these challenges:

  • The advent of quantum computing: while not imminent across all verticals, it is undeniable and will disrupt technology, people, and cyber security.
  • Maintaining a cyber-secure environment: currently a very challenging objective to achieve and becoming more so by the day.
  • Incorporating technology shifts: navigating the turbulent waters of disruptive technologies, robotics, and diverse systems integration across multiple verticals.
  • Impact of Generative AI: Momentum will increase as GAI matures and impacts all aspects of our lives.
  • Globally complex supply chains: impacted by economic stability, foreign  relationships, and politics.

The most significant leadership imperative to build and grow in the above environment is recognizing and incorporating effective strategies to coalesce:

  • Workforce demographics are changing and will continue to do so.
  • Global competition for top-talent recruitment, deployment, and retention of talent.
  • Generational expectations are changing and vary widely.
  • There is a greater need to address purpose and value-driven plans and operations.

‍The 200 words above are enough to scare anybody. Please sit back and ponder where we go from here.

Insufficient trust, understanding, communications, connections, development, and connectedness among the people who matter overwhelmingly contribute to many business issues, challenges, and failures. The people who matter are everyone involved in the success or failure of the enterprise. 

No one can build and grow an enterprise alone. Ideally, everybody needs to row in the same direction at the same speed. The more complex the technology, business environment, and conflicting values become, the more critical the people become.

How is this accomplished? You get what you prioritize and reward. Leaders are not doing this to be friendly people. They must do this to stay relevant and build and grow their businesses. Change and growth start by looking in the mirror and honestly assessing the current state.

It has never been more urgent for leaders at all levels, primarily the executive level, first to improve their communications and connectedness capabilities. Here are a few suggestions for strengthening trust, communications, and connectedness:

  • Listen to hear and learn and not explain and defend, perhaps even asking what questions you should be asking.
  • Prioritize building trust up/down and across the connected enterprise.
  • Reach out to a broader scope of voices, especially the voices with whom you disagree or least understand.
  • Demonstrate the purpose and values of the business and be adept at flowing this message from strategy to execution so the staff can understand how their particular work is directly related and essential.
  • Recognize that continuous learning in today’s world is not just for new employees but everyone.
  • Consider apprenticeships to help develop people as well as effective communication and connectedness.
  • Consider buddy systems and reverse mentoring as a standard practice. The newer people learn about the business and its past growth, and the more     experienced people gain effective cross-generational communications and capabilities.
  • Formal leadership development is essential for business leaders. They may or may not have the title, but they are leaders, nonetheless.

‍Past lessons are an excellent foundation as businesses navigate a rapidly changing business, economic, social, and global environment. However, continued growth is a function of standing in the moment, embracing the future, and helping all of us lift the tide!

‍Helping raise the tide for everyone requires not only developing an attuned sense of what to do but also learning what to stop doing-and then stopping doing it, even if it has been successful in the past.

Demonstrating the honesty and humility to share that we need to change, and we may not have all of the answers right now, can be incredibly motivating if everybody feels like part of the team working together to move forward in a positive growth direction.

Please take a few moments to consider the following two questions.

  • How will you use newly gained insights if you see something useful?
  • If it offended you in some way, why?  How are you going to use that information?