Leadership

Warning Signs to Watch out

Premise: In the early part of the 20th Century, the CIA (yes, that CIA) created a manual for its operatives to help teach them the art of sabotage. One part of the manual was meant specifically to train them to sabotage organizations. While you may not have someone actively trying to sabotage your organization (or maybe there could be), there might be behaviors that are unintentionally sabotaging your operations. So, it is a good idea to learn about these behaviors and nip them in the bud if we start seeing them playing out in our teams – intentionally or unintentionally. […]

Leadership, Podcast

The Paradox of Modern Leadership

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https://traffic.libsyn.com/pushingbeyondtheobvious/Comfort_the_Disturbed_and_Disturb_the_Comfortable.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Email | RSSPremise: Life and work are never static; they operate on an emotional roller coaster where peaks of success are inevitably followed by valleys of struggle. Far too many leaders view their teams as “resources”—cogs in a machine designed for output—rather than recognizing the complex human beings behind the results. The most effective leaders possess the strategic agility to serve as both a sanctuary and a catalyst – they act like a thermostat (constantly adjusting the culture) and not just as a thermometer. Our core mandate is to build an environment where […]

Leadership

Learning How to Learn Better

Premise In my book Thrive, I wrote about one key meta skill that all of us need to master in order to succeed in a world surrounded by smart machines and intelligent algorithms (AKA, post ChatGPT world) was to get good at Learning or learning how we learn. Learning How to Learn – A Meta Skill I have been following Dr. Justin Sung, a learning coach for some time now and earlier today, he published a video on this topic based on a OECD report. You can watch the video here. He reiterates my point about the meta skill that […]

Leadership, Podcast

How to Be an Inspirational Leader?

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https://traffic.libsyn.com/pushingbeyondtheobvious/How_to_Become_an_Inspirational_Leader.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Email | RSSPremise We have been conditioned to believe that inspiration is a mantle we must put on, a performance we must give to drive our teams toward excellence. We treat “being inspirational” as a line item on a professional development plan. But here lies the paradox – the moment we set out with the ego-driven goal of becoming an inspirational leader, we have already failed. To seek to be inspirational as a personal badge of honor is a self-centered pursuit. True inspiration is never the starting point; it is the quiet, powerful […]

Leadership, Podcast

The Play Advantage – Why Fun is the New Frontier of High Performance Leadership

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https://traffic.libsyn.com/pushingbeyondtheobvious/The_Play_Advantage_-_Why_Fun_is_the_New_Frontier_of_High_Performance_Leadership.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Email | RSSPremise For decades, the standard leadership playbook has been built upon an ironclad, yet increasingly fragile, triad: vision, strategy, and execution. While these pillars are foundational, they are no longer sufficient to navigate the complexities of the modern knowledge economy. A significant, transformative chapter is missing from the manual—one that addresses the human engine of performance. We have been conditioned to believe that leadership is exclusively “serious work” and that joy is a frivolous activity, which is at best emerges as after work activities and at worst considered a liability to […]