From the CEO’s Perspective
My Secret Sauce to Masterful Networking
Recently, we hosted brunch, and someone asked how, after living in Austin for only six months, were we able to throw our first annual ‘Naughty or Nice’ holiday party and have 40 curated guests show up. It comes down to masterful networking. I arrived in Austin, with two goals: To become part of the business community and to make friends. Before Austin, we’d…
The Changemakers are Men for Women in the C-Suite
You’ve seen me clench my jaw when I say it: Research says, women will be on parity with men in the c-suite by 2085. That’s 68 years. Who’s got that kind of time! So what needs to happen? It is so unbelievably simple it makes my head hurt. There are male CEOs who think differently. They are working alongside us to show the value…
Leadership Lab 19: Invite-Only for Rockstar Executives
If CEOs had three wishes, what would they be? Having coached and interviewed hundreds of them, I know one wish would be that the whole executive team see through the CEO’s lens into the inner-workings of the company and how each decision affects the interconnections. This is a common theme echoed throughout my coaching chambers. But having a CEO’s perspective isn’t something taught in…
SEPT 14: Women, Men & Leadership
When I feel a little helpless in the world, I do what I do best, which is to gather the great thinkers and ask hard questions. So that’s what I’m doing on Thursday, September 14th. We are talking about women, men and leadership, and it will be an important discussion for both men and women to attend. Even though research shows companies perform better…
Expedia President’s Leadership Mantra
I was talking with Aman Bhutani, President of the Brand Expedia Group. By the way, he'll be on the roster for the 2018 "From the CEO's Perspective" forum series, so stay tuned for those details. In the meantime...He's a leader with a mantra: Be Better Every Day. How does he do it? He threw down with two of my new favorite questions, the ones…
Leadership Insight: Alaska Airlines CFO
Don't be ridiculous... I met with the other CFO, Brandon Pedersen. We sit on the Board of Governors at the World Trade Center together and we had a cool conversation about his insight, advice and what he thinks it takes to think from the CEO’s perspective. The reason I asked is because on October 19th, I’m convening a highly curated, exclusive peer community of emerging…
How CEOs Lead Fast, Build Culture on May 2
Company culture isn’t an afterthought. It happens whether leaders choose to design it deliberately, or because they didn’t. Either way, culture is – and it can be directly measured by how much time, energy, communication and resources, a CEO is willing to give it. Someone I think is an amazing culture builder is Raj Singh, CEO of Accolade. I asked him something along the lines…
Leadership Insights: SAP CEO
Photo credit to Fast Company's Co.Exist I am absolutely mind-crushing on Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP and author of "Winners Dream: A Journey from Corner Store to Corner Office." I just listened to his interview on Fortune Unfiltered with Aaron Task. I’m looking forward to hearing Steve Singh’s perspective on Bill, having sold his company (Concur) to SAP a few years ago. Steve’s on the…
March CEO Forum: Leading Through Change
Leaders juggle. It’s what they do. So imagine what occurs when you go from juggling a few red rubber balls to juggling hundreds of tiny puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together according to the picture on the box. How does this happen? Merge with another company or take one over as its new CEO...that’s how. That’s how I imagine Steve Singh, CEO of Concur…
Uncomplicated Leadership
Brad Smith is an "un-complicator." Every day, he faces the quicksand of complexity that emanates from being the President and Chief Legal Officer of the small country called Microsoft. From championing a Digital Geneva Convention to conveying his personal conviction and Microsoft’s stance on immigration, what I found most startling about Brad is that he deals daily with hard, thorny issues, yet he does…
A CEO Feeds Hungry Americans With Chocolate
The sound you just heard was me rolling my eyes. No, she’s not feeding chocolate to the homeless. That doesn’t even make sense. Right now, a lot of Americans are looking for some way to do something to make a difference or at least feel better about the shit show we’ve entered into. Well here you go…and it doesn’t even matter who you voted…
CEOs Advise on Diversity From a Personal Perspective
Benjamin Franklin said “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” I took creative license and revised his sentiment:Workforce Diversity will not be achieved until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are. #TRUTH Diversity is awkward. Right after the last “From the CEO’s Perspective” leadership forum, I had a conversation with…
What Kind of Leader Are You?
I was meeting with a young leader interested in executive coaching. Halfway through the conversation, he told me I reminded him of the performance coach on Billions, the Showtime drama starring Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis and Maggie Siff. I hadn’t heard of the show, so the comment meant nothing until I watched it. When I did, I wasn’t sure if I should feel flattered…
October CEO Forum: What Leaders Need to Know About Diversity
Much of the coaching work I do focuses on the ways in which executives are standing in their own way, and how we can implement behavioral changes to make them more successful. In fact, I’d go further to say, any of the work we do, typically starts there, because it’s that damaging stuff that limits success, creativity and growth. Now consider trying to change…
CEO Perspective: Chris Gregoire, Head of Challenge Seattle
I’m a student of the question and I have a new favorite. I’m asking all the CEOs I interview or who are guests on my CEO Leadership Forum ‘Are you a leader who loves to win or hates to lose?’ It’s interesting because often the question gets equated with failure. I’m not sure if they hear something I’m not asking or if it’s the…
CEOs Discuss Strategies for Leading a Multi-Gen Workforce
In another sold out CEO Forum, three, amazing CEOs–Ken Alterman, SAVERS/Value Village, Kimberly Harris, Puget Sound Energy and Kevin Klock, Talking Rain–shed light on their biggest challenges, mistakes and takeaways from leading a multi-generational workforce. One of the reasons I chose this topic is because a former colleague of mine said that all this talk about Millennials and their influence is making her feel…
8 Game-Changing Tips for Rising Leaders
I’m still marinating on the discussion I had with Rebecca and Sachi for the #WomenWhoLead event last week at WeWork. Here’s a list of takeaways, tips and habits I gleaned for rising leaders who want to be at the top of their game. Thanks again to fellow panelists Sachi Shenoy, Chief Innovation Officer of Upaya Social Ventures, and Rebecca Lovell, Director of Entrepreneurship &…
Actionable Advice for Men and Women Leaders
The tables were turned Wednesday evening, and instead of being the moderator, I was a panelist for the #WomenWhoLead event, hosted by WeWork. Alongside me were two, rockstar leaders: Sachi Shenoy, Chief Innovation Officer of Upaya Social Ventures, and Rebecca Lovell, Director of Entrepreneurship & Industry, City of Seattle. Our moderator was Gina Phillips, the PNW Lead for WeWork. We spoke to a room…
Experts Advise on the Power of Purpose-Driven Leadership
If you missed our conversation yesterday, I am so so sorry for you. It was unbelievable. Yesterday, three amazing purpose-driven leaders: Jim Weber, CEO, Brooks Running, Darrell Cavens, CEO, zuiliy and Darryl Rawlings, CEO, Trupanion shared their insights on how they discovered their true purpose - and how that transcends their leadership and impacts everything they do. Here are their summary points and the…
The Power of Purpose Driven Leadership
Jim Weber, CEO of Brooks Running, is one of the coolest and smartest leaders in Seattle. He has some amazing stories and I can’t wait for you all to hear them. I left our meeting at Brooks headquarters earlier this week feeling even more excited about the conversation Jim and I are going to have (along with two other exceptional leaders: Darrell Cavens, CEO of…
CEO Perspective: Rajeev Singh, CEO of Accolade
When I speak about leadership, I am often asked who my favorite leaders are. The smart people would skirt the question, but I don’t. The reality is, I have several favorite leaders for different reasons. Currently, I’m leadership-crushing on Raj Singh, because he truly is one of the most authentic people I know. So it was no surprise that when I posed the question…
CEO Perspective: Daryl Campbell, CEO of Goodwill
When I talked to Daryl, a lot stood out. Something that stuck with me was the creative logic that came about when he and his friends were naming their boy band. One day, they were down at the marina and they saw a boat. “There were four guys, and the name of a boat was Forvus.” And that became their name. #MoreCleverThanOneDirection Daryl Campbell joined…
Hey, CEO! It IS About YOU
Can I get a dollar for every time a CEO tells me “It’s not about me”? It’s annoying and untrue. Frankly, it makes me trust you less. You set the standards and the pace. You set the vision. You set expectations. You motivate and engage your team and their teams. You do the things only a CEO can do. So, explain to me how…
The Book That Changed Everything: Profiles of Female Genius
No, not mine. Profiles of Female Genius is a book that appeared in my life many years ago. It was a gift from a very shady character. And because I have cat-like curiosity and believe it’s ‘better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t,’ I held onto it with cautious interest. About 10 years ago, I finally read it. It changed my…
CEO Perspective: Darryl Rawlings, CEO of Trupanion
When combined, my cat’s collective name is Satan. I didn’t plan it that way. I named them Matan and Sinclair, and a college kid I mentored coined the name. I tell you this because, today’s post is about a guy who started a company to help cats like Satan (and dogs). Darryl Rawlings has a passion for pets, (get the tissue before you read…
The 8 Seuss-isms of Great Leadership
I can’t remember a time when a Dr. Seuss book wasn’t sitting in the center of my bookshelf, whether I was 8 or…38. I mean, who didn’t receive “Oh the Places You’ll Go” as a graduation gift? The sing-songy words made for a great read when I was a kid; and the nuanced meanings, even more so as an adult. His books are great…
How to use Intimidation as a Leadership Strategy
To be clear, I’m not talking about the full on fear, Trump-like strategy where employees work for a successful leader who wins at all costs. This a someone who feels empowered by bullying, has a volatile personality and most importantly, has an exceedingly delicate ego. I’ve been there, done that. Can you tell? (At least the CEO I worked for was smart but that’s…
Are you a Superboss?
The latest HBR has a great article by Sydney Finkelstein on what makes a boss a Superboss. I can’t tell you how many times this article has landed in my inbox – because it’s a great one! Thank you to all who have forwarded it to me. This article reminds me of a book I read a trillion years ago called, Profiles of Female Genius. If…
CEO Perspective: David Niu, CEO of TINYpulse
I’ve been mind-crushing on David Niu ever since I met him. He told me the story of how, a few years back, he was feeling burned out so he quit life. He bought one-way tickets for himself, his wife and their 11 month old, and off they flew to explore the world. On their round-the-world trip, David interviewed entrepreneurs and learned all kinds of…
Why Successful Leaders Have Decision Anchors
Many of my clients are successful leaders who want to continue that success in a different, more deliberate way. It’s awesome! We work together to define their true purpose and what brings them serious joy. Serious joy is my way of saying – "I help them figure out the very few things that matter most." At the highest level of leadership, a lot matters…
4 Patterns of Great Executives
If you read nothing else this week, understand this: Among the high failure rate of transitioning executives, failed relationships account for a disproportionately higher percentage of all executive failure. Read it again, just in case. This was referred to in the recent release of A 10-Year Study Reveals What Great Executives Know and Do. The study tells us what great executives do that other executives…
Experts Advise on Employee Engagement Trends
The house was packed on February 4th during a rapid fire discussion on why more companies don’t view employee engagement as a strategic initiative. Despite the research (not to mention common sense) showing that engaged employees provide higher service, which leads to higher customer satisfaction results in increased sales and causes high profit and ultimately higher returns for shareholders, it's still difficult subject matter…
When a Funding Round is About More than Money
On Thursday, February 4, David is one of three CEOs that will discuss "Engaging Employees in 2016." You'll also be able to learn about his personal leadership and recommendations for measuring success of employee engagement. Read more about the event and buy tickets here. David has proven his success with TINYPulse, as you'll read in my latest PSBJ feature regarding his most recent funding…
How to Engage Employees in 2016
“Well-being” rolls my mind back to the sidebar headlines on the covers of my mom’s Redbook or Better Homes and Gardens magazines circa 1979. In yellow font, they screamed “3 Easy Steps to Improving Your Well-Being.” And like most things, ‘well-being’ became so passé that it’s hip and cool, especially as it relates to employee engagement. An employee’s well-being has to do with how…
3 Tips to Inspire and Engage Your Employees
In my trimestral email, I described my theory on what inspired the great navigators, Da Gama, Magellan and Columbus, to secure a boat, rally a crew and sail off into the sunset to see if, at the very least, they’d stumble upon some sort of discoverable land before falling off the edge of the world. I asked the leaders who received the email: How…
CEO Perspective: Ron Sevart, CEO of the Space Needle
When I moved to Seattle, my first job was publicist for the Space Needle. Besides knowing random trivia like the Space Needle is as high as Elliot Bay is deep, it was around the same time that the Sonics were playing the Bulls for the national championship. We painted the player’s jerseys on the roof only to realize Shawn Kemp’s number was wrong. #Fail.…
From the CEO’s Perspective Forums: Announcing the 2016 Line Up
For those of you that have been wondering and inquiring, I'm so pleased to finally share the big news! Here’s the 2016 line up for my “From the CEO’s Perspective” forums at the World Trade Center, Seattle. If you were lucky enough to attend our last forum in 2015, you heard the amazing stories from culture creators: Scott Svenson, CEO of MOD Pizza; Raj…
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