How Organizations Build Trust That Lasts
Whenever I work with organizations going through a leadership transition, the first activity in my change management and internal stakeholder engagement is what I call a listening tour, and one of the most reliable starting points for building organizational trust. It entails one thing: the new leader listens. Before announcing anything publicly, my recommendation is […]
Reputation Management: What Actually Lasts After the Applause
Every now and then, a client asks a question that sounds perfectly reasonable: “How do we make this go viral?” It usually comes at the end of a strategy session, after hours of discussing reputation, purpose, audiences, and long-term goals. The sectors differ. The question is remarkably consistent. Visibility matters. A viral moment can introduce […]
The Question Behind Every Keynote I Give
A few years ago, I sat with a senior official the night before a moment that mattered more than most. The next morning, they would stand in front of cameras, cabinet colleagues, and a public that had been watching them closely for months, waiting to see whether they still deserved the authority of their office. […]
The 80/8 Rule: A Useful Question for Organizations
I have been thinking about the 80/8 rule recently. The idea comes from research by Bain & Company, which found that while 80 percent of companies believed they delivered superior customer experience, only 8 percent of their customers agreed. What stayed with me was not the size of the gap itself, but what it says […]
Leadership Communication: Why Great Leaders Know When to Stay Silent
One of the most surprising pieces of leadership communication advice I find myself giving leaders has very little to do with communication at all. It is this: Don’t speak just yet. That advice can feel counterintuitive, especially in rooms where everyone is waiting for the person at the head of the table to set the […]
Personal Branding: Build a Leadership Brand That Earns Trust
Your personal brand is not what you write about yourself. It is what others understand, remember, and say about you when you are not in the room.