Mary Marshall As I watched the horror of Hurricane Harvey unfold on the people of Texas, as well as Irma barreling down the Caribbean towards Florida, I couldn’t help but think about all those people who lost everything and the devastation to their lives as a result. … Read more
When I work with an organization, I look at a lot of things. Over the years, however, I’ve come to believe the fundamental “design” of the organization is the key to its success or failure. This is actually a little different than Organizational Development or “OD” … Read more
What if we valued leadership skills as much as we value a degree in medicine? Think about it. Is there a graduate degree for leadership? Not really. There is an MBA which is often equated with someone being able to lead, but it’s really about … Read more
I had the great privilege this weekend to attend the White Coat Ceremony for the inaugural class of medical students for the new WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine in Spokane. As I listened to the speeches I was struck by Dr. John Tomkowiak’s … Read more
Improv comedy makes great theatre and for anyone who has seen people perform it well, it’s hilarious. Improv also works to help bring people out of their shells and helps them get over stage fright. Improv could also be a great strategy for innovation when … Read more
“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” ~Benjamin Franklin In September of 2016, it was disclosed that Wells Fargo had created 2.1MM fake or fraudulent accounts to meet sales targets. The leaders involved at … Read more
There is a quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt that says, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” We have a “fearless” business culture that encourages bravado and says go for it or else … Read more
Emotional Intelligence can often be underrated when talking about leaders. We tend to value the stronger and more obvious “leader-like” traits such as confidence, decisiveness, and charisma. Emotional Intelligence or “EQ” starts with self-awareness and as Daniel Goleman points out in, “Why Self-Aware Leaders Are … Read more
A great piece in Inc magazine recently reminded me of what leaders do wrong on a regular basis – “drive” for performance instead of “lead.” The author Marcel Schwantes makes a great case for why people don’t want to be driven like cattle. If we … Read more
With the employment market tightening up, especially here in the Seattle market, it’s a good time to see what your pipeline looks like. What? You don’t have a pipeline? That’s the response that I get 99% of the time when I talk with small to … Read more