Leadership Perspectives

The Leadership Book we most often recommend

Marie Peeler

Every once in a while a book comes along that packs a lot of value into a quick read. Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box is just such a book and it’s one that we find ourselves recommending to clients frequently. I’m skeptical when reviewers claim that books are “transformative.” Transformation happens more […]

Four reasons you should read

Marie Peeler

  Read Across America day is next week on March 2.  The observance, spearheaded by the National Education Association, is designed to promote reading among children and young adults.  But we wonder – Why should kids have all the fun? The evidence is clear.  Children who are given early access to books, are read to, […]

Overworked and Overwhelmed: The Mindfulness Alternative

Everywhere I go, from coaching sessions to professional meetings, in large corporations and small nonprofits, I encounter people suffering from the pace of modern life. Increased illness, lower productivity, damaged relationships, and waning satisfaction are the prices that we pay. Earlier this month, fellow executive coach and Georgetown Leadership Coaching Program faculty member, Scott Eblin, […]

Leaders need to keep learning

Sometimes, in the attempt to deal with the increasing volume and complexity of everything coming at us, we cope by trying to work harder and do more.  We can become myopic in our attempt to simply manage our environments. How’s that working for you? Probably not great because it’s exhausting and not a great strategy.  […]

Leadership skills can be learned – Just practice differently

Last time, I told you about Daniel Coyle’s newest book Little Book of Talent and I admitted that lately I’ve had a fascination with performance improvement, talent, and habit. Although I concede that some small part of my attraction to the topic is a desire to play the piano better, my main interest is in […]

Little book of talent: 52 tips for improving your skills

I’ve had a fascination lately with the subject of performance improvement and the related topics of talent and habit.  For anyone genuinely desiring to improve their understanding of how to achieve better performance, Daniel Coyle’s newest book is a small gemstone. Building off of the research that he presented in The Talent Code, which I […]

It may be simple, but it’s not easy

When we are trying to build our leadership capacity, the concepts that seem most simple are often not easy to embody. Simple concepts.  Recently a client came to a coaching session ecstatic about a book that I had asked her to read (over her vacation, nonetheless).  After her vacation, when she returned to work and […]

Greatness isn’t born. It’s grown.

Ever dream of being a virtuoso singer, having a zero-handicap golf stroke, or cooking like a world class chef? Not in your cards?  You just don’t have the natural talent, you say? Not so fast.  According to a burgeoning abundance of literature on the topic of talent and performance improvement, talent has, well, little to […]

Leading change? Create a sense of urgency.

So many leaders that I talk to lament how difficult it is to effect change.  The most seemingly minor changes require Herculean efforts to implement as employees kick, balk, and sabotage. One CEO recently complained to me of the ridiculous amount of time he spent listening to complaints and talking to employees about the adoption […]

Are Your Meetings Making You Crazy? Fix them!

Does your organization hold meetings that seem to go on forever, that try to solve world hunger, but in which nothing really seems to get done?   Do you dread going to meetings – even your own – and do you cringe at the thought of wasting another hour of your entire team’s time? You should, […]