Insights: Leadership Team Development

Seven Strategies for Leading a Large Organization: Part 3
In Part 2 of this series, I wrote about two strategies for leading a large organization: ensuring excellence in every part of your organization and adapting to leading a complex senior team. Today’s post continues with more strategies for leading at scale. Get out of the bubble you are now in. As a senior executive, […]

Seven Strategies for Leading a Large Organization: Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, I wrote about three strategies for leading a large organization: being intentional in your communication, expecting constant scrutiny, and leading with a clear, inspiring vision. Today’s post continues with more strategies for leading at scale. Ensure excellence in every part of your organization. One of the biggest mistakes when […]

Seven Strategies for Leading a Large Organization: Part 1
One of the proudest days of Jing’s professional life was when she was promoted from VP to the C-suite of a large global technology company. In her prior role, Jing led a team of 600 people and oversaw a single function. Now her team includes 8,000 employees spread across several business units. Jing is a […]

The Magic That’s Missing From Your Leadership Team? Psychological Safety
As CEO, some of your proudest and most frustrating moments are tied to your leadership team. You genuinely care about them. And you know—as research shows—that the success of your company depends largely on their performance. Yet you sense that your team is not firing on all cylinders. Why? Perhaps you’re missing a critical ingredient: […]

To Ease Conflict, See to Everyone’s Needs
Sometimes when people don’t get what they need, they fight. Take Monique and Anil, cross functional peers in a global technology company. When Anil was hired, Monique thought he would report to her. But a month later Anil ended up working for her boss. This created a rift, partly because Monique was hoping for a […]

To Ease Conflict, Give and Receive Honest Feedback
Conflict is a norm in corporate life–whether it’s a peer, a boss or a direct report. It can also be painful and time consuming. But many leaders dread conflict so much they will do almost anything to avoid it. As trust erodes, people in conflict tend to pull back from communicating. Usually that hurts everyone. […]

How to be a Collaborative Member of the C-Suite
One of the biggest challenges for C-level leaders is collaborating with peers. A driving factor is that for most organizations, senior leaders’ interests are not fully aligned. They may be competing for resources, the CEO’s attention, or opportunities. Also, senior executives are extremely busy, making constant tradeoffs with their time. This makes it hard to […]

Senior Leadership Teams Book Review: Strategies for Leading Senior Teams
This blog is the second in a two-part series summarizing the book: Senior Leadership Teams: What It Takes to Make Them Great. It focuses on the specific characteristics of leaders in supporting senior leadership teams. My observation is that the team leader exerts an enormous impact on how a team functions. While a variety of […]

Senior Leadership Teams Book Review: Conditions for Thriving Teams
The Senior Leadership Team, more than any other group, has the power to drive the success of an enterprise. The CEOs and executive team members we know are incredibly hard working, intelligent, mission-driven people who commit an enormous amount of time and energy to their organizations. And yet, even with all their extraordinary capabilities, these […]