Leadership Articles

Insights, tips and more from David & the world's top leaders.

Elevate Your Leadership by Asking These Three Questions

Here’s how smart leaders harness the power of curiosity to build trust and solve problems I have a question for you! Do you ask a lot of questions? Statistically speaking, most of us don’t. In fact, the number one complaint people have after a conversation is something along the lines of, “I can’t believe they […]

Dealing with imposter syndrome or a big setback?

Self-doubt is an inevitable aspect of leadership. This powerful idea can help you overcome it. It’s not a question of if you experience self-doubt as a leader. It’s a question of when. No matter what job you hold or how high you’ve climbed the ladder, there will be times when imposter syndrome strikes and you […]

What you’re getting wrong about leadership development

Five reasons organizations don’t maximize their leadership capabilities—and what you can do about it You know leadership development is important—both for yourself and for your team. But do you know HOW important? For starters, companies that invest in leadership development consistently outperform those that don’t. One study found that every dollar invested in leadership development […]

Five leadership lessons every golf fan will love

Keep your leadership skills up to par with these lessons, straight from the course. I won’t lie. I love golf. It’s my favorite sport and a lifelong passion. And if you listen to my weekly leadership podcast, How Leaders Lead, then you know that golf comes up quite a bit! I’ve gotten to have incredible […]

The 10-minute Exercise Every Effective Leader Must Do

To be a great leader, you must know who you are and where you’ve been. That may sound simple, but leadership requires a tremendous sense of self-awareness, one that typically takes time and experience to develop. For years, I’ve used a tool I call the lifeline exercise to help me hone my self-awareness. The lifeline […]

Want to outrun the Great Resignation? Build true change in service of your employees.

Much of the conversation around the Great Resignation has focused around compensation. And while it’s true that compensation must be part of every good employee retention and satisfaction strategy, money alone won’t cut it. When I think back on my own Great Resignation moment, even though I was early in my career, money didn’t really […]

Are you too comfortable with the status quo at work?

Three practical ways you can fight complacency and keep pushing for progress. As a leader, it’s your job to always keep your organization progressing forward. That means you can never be satisfied with the status quo. But how often do senior leaders actually challenge the status quo? The numbers aren’t great, to be honest. The Harvard Business […]

Are you struggling to motivate your team?

Three ways to help your people find more drive, fulfillment, and success By now, I’m sure you’ve heard about so-called “quiet quitting.” According to a recent Gallup study, at least 50% of the U.S. workforce isn’t engaged with their work. [source] They show up and do the minimum requirements, but they’re not emotionally connected with their […]

The Kind Way to Give Critical Feedback

Most of us don’t enjoy giving critical feedback to people on our teams—and many of us flat out dread it. We worry that our words will wound the other person—or be misconstrued—resulting in embarrassment, awkwardness, hostility, or resentment. The more empathetic we are as leaders, the more it pains us to feel like the bearers […]