Recently, I was with a group of senior leaders discussing how to develop more impactful leadership within their organization. A common camp in these conversations believes that value is best derived from leaders with strong technical expertise. Another camp champions the idea that impactful leaders can work collaboratively across the organization. Shorthand for this conversation is what I call T-Shaped leadership (short for Transformational Leadership). Technical or functional leaders (the vertical part of the T) have these capabilities:  Deep technical or domain [...]

In preparing for an engagement this week, I was reminded of this quote by George Bernard Shaw: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

I’m currently preparing to help a group of leaders define their personal leadership purpose—their leadership philosophy or identity. Exercises like these generate both excitement and pushback. Some resonate; others resist.

Why is it that even when we know what to change, we still struggle making the change? Volumes have been written about that subject, and we’re still learning. Change is hard! It’s hard to close the knowing versus doing gap.