Solutions 21 Blog
Check out our latest insights in leadership
Hidden yardage
This past weekend, I was watching some football with some friends and family. Truth be told, I didn't actually watch the game. Allow me to break it down. Being involved in the innerworkings of the game of football since the age of three has created a...
Leaders: are you a mechanic or gardener?
For those who lead teams, developing direct reports should be a top priority. Read that sentence again. But how do you navigate development when your emerging leaders need a different, customized style of leadership applied to their learning and...
Strategic planning and execution – don’t hallucinate
I recently came across an article published by Forbes entitled, “Strategy Without Execution Is Hallucination!” Although this article was published in 2012, the true meaning still hits home with organizational strategy development. If you played a sport growing up, you...
Kill the sarcasm
We live in the golden age of sarcasm. Trolls, digs, and burns are some of our most potent modern communication currencies, wielded by everyone from senior government officials to frustrated customer service representatives. Confession time, and with apologies to a...
Learning organizations
I have been privileged to be a part of some excellent “learning organizations” throughout my professional career. By learning organization, I’m referring to a group focused on a common vision or goal who are empowered to make decisions, innovate, and create without...
Assessing leadership potential: A leader’s essential task
Many organizations have tools in place to measure employee performance. Because of this, leaders find it straightforward and uncomplicated to assess their direct reports. The more challenging task, however, is determining how to assess potential in current or future...
Curse of the HiPo-potamus
It’s relatively early in your career and you’re working hard, showing the world what you can do. Maybe you’ve gotten a promotion or had a significant work success, or maybe you have just consistently exceeded the goals others have set for you. Somewhere along the...
I’m not a mechanic
I like to tell myself I’m mechanically inclined. After all, my undergraduate degree is in Mechanical Engineering, so I fancy myself a mechanic. But I’m not… This past year, my wife’s car needed new brakes. Having the mechanic mentality, I thought I would tackle the...
I think I know
If you were king for a day, what would be the one change you would make to your organization? If you’re like most folks, you identified a people issue. Maybe you’d want your leaders to communicate more effectively, or you want more feedback from your boss, or you’d...
Termites and woodpeckers: assessing the internal & external challenges of leadership
As a leader, one of my favorite ways to rejuvenate is getting out in nature and experiencing God’s creation. A few years ago, I took my three sons camping in Redwood National Forest. An opportunity for “man time” with my boys, we took a tent and camping supplies, left...