Do you recall that time when you asked yourself why you were here on earth and what you were living for? Or the time you stood in your office wondering why you had taken on your current responsibility? Or the time you had made a choice and stepped into faith to feel like you have lost your way? I do… Throughout my life and career, I have found myself checking in on my purpose time and time again. Take this one time as an example: It was a crisp fall evening I left my executive office admiring the art on…

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The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) was once again held in Davos, Switzerland. A majority of us have the perception that the WEF is some kind of a billionaires’ club. In some ways, it is, though I discovered during last year’s attendance that it is not exactly true. It is an event many executives of highly prestigious companies gather in, dining and wining separately from the rest of the crowd – some throwing lush parties at their very own venues; yet, there is also a community of leaders, subject matter experts, and activists invited, who have undoubtedly devoted their lives…

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Earlier I published the first piece in a series regarding the transformative power of love in leadership and why it matters in the 21st-century leadership. As children, most of us experience a deep sense of connection, as if we are a part of something bigger, a broader existence causing us to lead from a place of love, having the peace and comfort of belonging in our hearts. As we grow older, however, with our conscious and all the information is taken in, we find ourselves slowly separate from this sense of belonging and pride. We see a human being behave in a…

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Leaders are a key element of any workplace: they play a big role in any people process, from selection to talent management and training. In every workforce, employer branding or employee experience survey, leadership comes up as a key category and every kitchen conversation has leader influence as a topic when discussing employee satisfaction, commitment, performance, or even turn over. AND, Leaders can help employees deliver work at the best level possible. To achieve this, however, they need to motivate folks to perform. In what exactly can people leaders make a difference? Research across 87 studies found that [effective] managers…

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  “There exists a form of power and intelligence that represents the highest point of human potential,” says Robert Greene in his book, Mastery. Arguably, it may be the ultimate source of greatest achievements, discoveries, influences in human history. It is the kind of power and intelligence that’s not necessarily taught and can be hardly found in our scholarly curriculums; and one that supports us in our life journeys towards leadership. The problem with this form of power and intelligence is that because it’s rare to experience in time, it requires life-long work to grasp and calls on the courageous heart…

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I have been wanting to write about integrity for a while now because I observe too many of our clients struggle with the concept. There is a sincere lack of congruence inside our organizations leading to loss of trust and de-formation of positive relationships. Some common examples we observe in our work are mission statements that are not lived; doctrines of respect resulting in disgrace (in action); customer-oriented slogans unsupported by routine business practices; promises during hiring betrayed by individual preferences, etc. Especially in roles that embody direct human influence, the issue of personal integrity has increased importance. Why? Because…

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  The world of work is changing and changing fast. It’s becoming more human. Leadership is also shifting fast and in many places, leaders are falling behind. But it doesn’t have to be that way. I am delighted to join the series of #HumansFirst conversations Kevin Monroe is hosting on the Higher Purpose Podcast and share what we’re learning through our work and research.   Some key takeaways from our conversation include: Leaders sit in all chairs but lead self-first, Leaders connect head, heart, and hands, 8 core human attributes that serve leaders in the development of individual capacity and…

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Researchers recently discovered a rare and unknown microbe called “hemimastigote” in a piece of Nova Scotian soil. Their subsequent analysis of its DNA revealed that it was a kind of tree that fell outside of any known large category. This reminded me of the times in the early part of this century when we came across that rare structure of life, a newfound context of an organization that’s now famously becoming the “21st century business.” As the world of work is evolving, shaped by global trends of globalization, digitalization and democratization, business needs to continue adapting to the changing context…

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“Learning is not mandatory; neither is survival!” Edwards Deming’s assertion many years ago is most relevant in today’s context. The rapid mortality rate of companies in the digital age is ultimately a leadership issue. The success of the digital transformation for organizations depends on how well leaders transform themselves first. Along with a healthy dose of optimism, leaders need to demonstrate unprecedented levels of learning agility. This is crucial because the very survival of their organizations is at stake. Then, how does a leader develop clarity in the age of digital? Perhaps by doing what Alvin Toffler once said: “by…

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People leads are a key element of our workplaces: they play a big role in people processes and impact experience creation. They can help employees deliver work at the best level possible and they can become a big blocker, too. For sure, their influence comes up when we speak about employee satisfaction, commitment, performance, or even turn over. Yet, we asked ourselves do we actually know whether people leads can actually make a difference when it comes to specific outcomes? For example, according to the Center for Creative Leadership, about %60 of people become leaders of others without getting any proper training. A…

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