The Board Reads the Room Before You Do
March 2026
On how boards form opinions about a CEO long before any formal review process.
Board dynamics operate differently from the dynamics within a leadership team. A board doesn't move at the pace of ordinary conversation. Opinions form quietly, over dinner conversations and side conversations during breaks. The best boards read the room constantly. They notice what a CEO says and what they don't say. They notice patterns. And they form conclusions that are remarkably stable by the time a formal review cycle even begins.
Read the full essay →
Why the Hardest Year Often Comes After the Good One
February 2026
On the leadership traps that follow sustained success.
Success has a way of changing how you lead. When things are working, confidence builds. That confidence is usually earned. But earned confidence can become overconfidence. And overconfidence is where the real risks begin. The CEO who had a great year is the one most likely to be blindsided by what comes next. Not because they're incompetent. But because they've started trusting patterns that were contextual, not fundamental.
Read the full essay →
On Giving Feedback to People Who Don't Think They Need It
January 2026
The conversation most coaches avoid and every senior leader eventually needs to have.
The person most in need of feedback is usually the person least open to receiving it. They've gotten to where they are by being good at what they do. Their instincts have served them. So when a coach or a peer tries to offer a different perspective, it lands as criticism, not insight. The challenge is finding a way in. A way to have the conversation that's honest without being harsh, specific without being personal.
Read the full essay →
What Succession Planning Is Actually About
December 2025
It's not about the chart. It's about the relationships.
Most organizations approach succession planning as a structural problem. They focus on the chart, the roles, the competencies needed in the next leader. But the real succession planning work is relational. It's about whether the board trusts the CEO. Whether the senior team trusts the direction. Whether the organization is ready for what comes next. Get those relationships right, and succession planning is straightforward. Get them wrong, and no amount of structural planning fixes it.
Read the full essay →
The Myth of the Decisive Leader
November 2025
On why decisiveness is a symptom, not a strategy.
Decisiveness is prized in leaders. The ability to move fast, to make the call. But decisiveness without good input is just speed with risk. The best decisions don't come from the fastest thinker. They come from the leader who knows how to get honest input before deciding, who understands which decisions need consensus and which ones need clarity, and who isn't confusing decisive with hasty.
Read the full essay →
When the Room Goes Quiet
October 2025
Reading the silence in executive teams.
The best executives get very quiet when they disagree with the direction but can't quite say it. The conversation keeps moving, and you think you have alignment. But the quiet tells a different story. It says: I'm not on board. I'm not going to say it in this forum, but I'm not on board. The silence is data. It's the most important data in the room, and most leaders miss it completely.
Read the full essay →