Category: General Leadership

Live Through Action, Or Die By Perception. The Choice Is Yours

April 20, 2020By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on Live Through Action, Or Die By Perception. The Choice Is Yours

Leadership Lesson: We should all understand what the differences in consequence are between what happens when we let things happen to us – sitting, waiting, and perceiving – versus when we plan, act, and execute.

Recently, due to our new reality in the era of COVID-19 and the resulting need for so many of us to work from home, I began attending an online group series called #CreateWhatsNeeded launched by Fathom, a future design firm in West Hartford, CT.

The series, made up of ongoing sessions hosted by various professionals from across different fields and backgrounds, provides a broad spectrum of topics and a wide field of attendees/discussion partners. The series topics run the gamut from…

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Here Are The Parallel Lessons Between A Great Leader And The Musical Conductor

April 13, 2020By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on Here Are The Parallel Lessons Between A Great Leader And The Musical Conductor

Leader Lesson: From the responsibility to the stakeholders, to understanding what’s needed in the immediate environment and harnessing everyone’s talents, here are the common behaviors underpinning both the leader and the musical conductor.

This week, on LinkedIn, I came across a repost by the official Ted Conferences account (an account of the Ted organization) of an article from 2016 titled What great leadership and music have in common.

The article jumped out at me for two reasons. Well, specifically, two reasons I’m obsessed with. Two reasons I’m a junkie over. Two things that course their way through my life every day.

Absolutely. Every. Day.

Music and leadership.

In general, music is powerful. It can be…

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What They Teach Us: Andrew Cuomo And Leadership In A Time Of Crisis

March 23, 2020By CiOIn CiO Briefs, General Leadership, To The BossesComments Off on What They Teach Us: Andrew Cuomo And Leadership In A Time Of Crisis

Leadership Lesson: It’s important to take away what we can from the best examples of leadership, even in a crisis, when the leadership can either shine or not.

Where do you get your leadership fix?

Who do you look to who you, if not follow, at least consider dependable, knowing they’re taking care of your environmental, organizational, or, hell, even psychological needs?

Like, who do you look to and think Shit, okay. I know this person is on top of things?

COVID-19 has hit the U.S. (I pray to God there’s no need to include a hyperlink to any background on the virus because you’re well aware and informed of what’s going on.)

(…You know what’s going on, right?)

In any…

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The Litmus Test Of Your Greatest Transformational Leaders: What Did You Take Forward?

February 24, 2020By CiOIn General Leadership, To The BossesComments Off on The Litmus Test Of Your Greatest Transformational Leaders: What Did You Take Forward?

Leadership Lesson: It’s important for each of us to keep in mind our greatest leaders – the standouts — in order to consider what it was that made them so and how they can inspire us to find, develop, and live our best form of leadership for those around us.

This past week, on LinkedIn, I posted a few pictures of and commentary on the leadership book Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times, which chronicles the best leadership examples and stories of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Taking a lesson from the book,…

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Open Your Eyes To What’s Textbook Today, Or Get An Abrupt Wake-Up Call Tomorrow.

February 10, 2020By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on Open Your Eyes To What’s Textbook Today, Or Get An Abrupt Wake-Up Call Tomorrow.

Leadership Lessons: Although leadership development, like personal development, can (and should) be a life-long, deep, rich process, there are basic, common sense lessons you should seek out for whatever you’re getting into.

It’s amazing how many times, when I hear about leaders lacking in how they influence their environment, or not demonstrating even the most basic leadership qualities in their leadership role at all, I think to myself But how? That’s so textbook!

Whether we’re an official leader or not, there are basic building blocks we need to understand for whatever we want to take on. But recognizing, understanding, and building off those blocks can’t begin if we don’t first patiently look at ourselves and seek out the basic tools around us we can…

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Leave Your Insanity In 2019 And Get Your Plan Right To Have A Happy New Year!

January 10, 2020By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on Leave Your Insanity In 2019 And Get Your Plan Right To Have A Happy New Year!

Leadership Lesson: Instead of hard-charging at their goal(s), anyone who is working on getting better and improving themselves should tackle them tactically in a focused manner by considering all their resources.

Here we are in a new year — again!

Is it my advanced age, or do the years just seem to pass us by faster? It feels like it was just a few weeks ago — and not a full year — since our last new year routine, where we left 2018 in the rear view mirror and began working on our new year’s resolutions for 2019.

Speaking of…New Year’s Resolutions. Remember those? Where did yours stand at the end of 2019? How did you do? Oh, you don’t want to talk about…

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#SessionConfessions: What Makes You Feel Different Keeps You Aware And Sets You Apart!

November 29, 2019By CiOIn General Leadership, Personal DevelopmentComments Off on #SessionConfessions: What Makes You Feel Different Keeps You Aware And Sets You Apart!

Leadership Lesson: Our differences – even the ones we believe set us apart in an adverse way – can be harnessed into great self-awareness about where we stand and how we can get better moving forward. 

We’re all so different. And most of us know it, feel it, and sense it. 

But do we appreciate it? Do we understand its value? Have we harnessed its uniqueness? Do we realize differences are pieces of us that set us apart – and that that can be the game-changer? 

This Inc. magazine article talks about those differences, how different we all are, and, most importantly, who (surprisingly) might feel that way – in the article it’s people we admire as those at the top of their game. Look at some…

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What Comedy And Leadership Have In Common That Makes Them Effective – Part 2

November 15, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on What Comedy And Leadership Have In Common That Makes Them Effective – Part 2

Covered In Part 1

Comedy is Setting People at EaseComedy is Having a StyleComedy Can Be a Defense MechanismComedy is Paying Attention to DetailComedy is Knowing Your Audience

Comedy is Gauging Your Audience

Aside from considering in advance what the audience needs or would like to see and hear, comedians need to understand how their material is working out in the moment as they deliver it. Based on how an audience is reacting, it works against their own self-interest if a they wait until the end of the act to make adjustments or pick up their energy. In each moment, they need to keep in mind what the audience is taking away from their act, reading the laughs and energy, in order to…

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What Comedy And Leadership Have In Common That Makes Them Effective – Part 1

November 8, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on What Comedy And Leadership Have In Common That Makes Them Effective – Part 1

Leadership Lesson: Connecting the dots across areas of life can help provide perspective on how we can further develop ourselves and enhance our performance. Here are the connections between comedy and leadership.

I love a good laugh. To me, it can be refreshing and satisfying, knocking you out of what might be the monotony of a bland environment or the energy drain of stress-inducing circumstances. It can also hit you with a natural high boost while having an already-positive experience.

In any situation, the right laugh can make for a familiar and comforting feeling.

And the only thing better than a good laugh is sharing it – sharing those refreshing, satisfying sensations and moments simultaneously with others. It can help build connection and reinforce camaraderie by…

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Track And Assess Your Developmental Stages, Or Lose Out On Who You Can Be

October 18, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on Track And Assess Your Developmental Stages, Or Lose Out On Who You Can Be


Leadership Lesson: Acknowledging the separation between who you’ve been and what you’ve done in the past, and how you plan to build upon that going forward, allows you to track, assess, and strengthen your development and growth.

The dog days of summer are a distant memory. The Halloween season is upon us, with the holiday season around the corner, and the new year not too far behind.

At this point, no matter their level of education and experience, students have settled into the routines and classes of the new school year. The novelty and anxiety of the early school year has (hopefully) worn off, coinciding with a ramp-up in the work, responsibility, and accountability of their curriculum. There’s no more talk of “back-to-school” anything – those nagging…

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Leaders Protecting Followers: How Many Forms Do You Think That Takes?

September 6, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on Leaders Protecting Followers: How Many Forms Do You Think That Takes?

Leadership Lesson: Aside from protecting followers from outside forces, intrusions, and obstacles, leaders should also protect followers from the many ways they may limit, do in, and derail themselves.

I recently came across a graphic on Instagram that simply stated Leadership = Protection. In the caption below the illustration, the account asked Are you protecting your followers? Are you protecting your leaders? and then subsequently concluded A true leader protects all people around them.

Generally speaking, this is true. But many people might see this graphic, read the brief commentary, and believe that the “protections” mentioned are those traditionally thought of as automatically provided by leaders against outside forces. They may think such protections are against other team members and workers, superiors up the chain of command,…

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What You Put Up With: What Does Your Toleration Threshold Lead To?

August 16, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on What You Put Up With: What Does Your Toleration Threshold Lead To?

Leadership Lesson: There can be no growth or development forward if you’re tolerating too much, unwisely using your precious resources, including energy and reputation, to hold things together or keep appearances.

There’s just too much that can go sideways then drag you down if you put up with too much BS in your life and work.

In so many words that’s how I’ve responded to high school students when they’ve asked me what my tip from The Self 60, Monitor Your Tolerations, means.

The Self 60 is a list of 60 brief tips, originally created for students to keep in mind as they make their way through the next phases of their lives. High…

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Negligent Leaders Must Learn: Lead Or Get Out Of The Way!

August 9, 2019By CiOIn CiO Briefs, General LeadershipComments Off on Negligent Leaders Must Learn: Lead Or Get Out Of The Way!

Leadership Lesson: We should all become aware of how and to what extent we are the obstacle in the path of progress of our mission, group, or organization.

“Lead, or get out of the way,” was a recent rallying cry used at a gathering of political figures at the national level. I won’t go into who said it or under what circumstances because it would only lead to a different conversation about which politics are wrong and which are right — and that would only take away from what my leadership development message is here.

The statement itself is a powerful demand — when someone calls to their leader that if they’re not going to take action that they should step aside. (Yes, you don’t hear…

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#SessionConfessions: You Need To Think About What Is Holding You Back From What You Need?

August 2, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on #SessionConfessions: You Need To Think About What Is Holding You Back From What You Need?

Leadership Lesson: You can’t be the best version of yourself while doing the same things you’ve always done and expecting a different result. Don’t be insane.

In talking to clients in coaching sessions, when it comes to development and improvement of any kind, there are so many reasons we (yes, “we”) don’t do what we should do — even more, why we don’t stop doing what we shouldn’t.

Whether by conscious or subconscious choice, we tend to err on the side of caution, not going beyond the bounds of what we know and where we exist, playing things relatively safe in our lives and work.

And regardless of the environment in which each of us finds ourselves — no matter the organization, group, industry, and…

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In Order To Get Better And Move Forward, We Should Eulogize More People

July 26, 2019By CiOIn General LeadershipComments Off on In Order To Get Better And Move Forward, We Should Eulogize More People

Leadership Lesson: Getting in the habit of telling others what you think about them (before it’s too late) can provide a sense of fulfillment in yourself, along with both confirmation and encouragement in them about the value of what they’re doing, who they are, and how they impact you.

No, this isn’t some veiled attempt at convincing you to take out the competition in order to get ahead.

And no, it’s not some kind of morbid wish for you and your friends, family, and colleagues.

If anything, it’s a request that you do more for each other and make each other stronger – by acknowledging each other.

Related: Your Leadership Wake: As A

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