You can’t train someone to be a leader. You can provide a context in which they can learn to be leaders. That’s everywhere, every day. People learn to lead when their butt is on the line. They learn to lead when they clarify a vision with others and then, through trial and error, make it…
Let’s face it, if you’re trying to do anything complex or difficult (which we all are), you’re going to screw up. You’re going to leave out a basic step in a simple process and look like an idiot. You’re going to send a “benign” email that pisses people off. You’re going to waste time on…
The worst kind of goal setting is no goal setting. Processes get detached from objectives. No one knows why they’re doing what they’re doing. No one knows if they’re making progress. No one feels inspired. Over time, a descent into lethargy and failure ensues. No goals = no meaningful direction. Only slightly better than no…
Thank you Steven and Liz Edersheim for hosting an extraordinary book party for me Feb 21st in New York City. The feeling of love and support from everyone in attendance was wonderful. It’s something I’ll never forget. One of my favorite shots of the night was renowned leadership expert Frances Hesselbein embracing the book with a…
Originally published February 27, 2013 on Harvard Business Review by Doug Sundheim One week before delivering the final manuscript of my book, Taking Smart Risks, I came to a disturbing realization. There were 38 stories in the book, but only seven were about women. Jill Logan, an employee helping me get the final product out the…
I don’t know your boss, but I know exactly what he/she wants from you—to make his/her life easier. There’s nothing a boss hates more than to feel as though an employee is one more thing that she has to manage. One of the simplest ways to get “out in front” of your boss is to…
Six months after finishing my book I’m finally done cleaning up the piles of clutter that the process left behind. It was a flashback-triggering exercise that reminded me of just how many ideas I had wrestled with, many of which never made it into the book. At the bottom of the last pile, I found…
I recently published my first blog post for Harvard Business Review – To Increase Innovation, Take the Sting Out of Failure. It was nice to see it resonated with readers. One of the clear themes I noticed in the comments was – I’m a believer! But I’m not the problem. The rest of my organization is. How do I get the rest of my organization to support smart failures?
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