spotlight effect

Not all leaders are the same. Discover the 5 leadership personalities and how each fits different stages of company growth. Which one are you?

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spotlight effect

Empowering employee decision-making can transform company culture and lead towards massive success. It’s time to learn a little from how Toyota bucked the trend. Read more

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spotlight effect

Small changes are so easy to make that people often ignore them. But small changes are how big changes happen. Just ask our ancestors from 25,000 years ago.

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spotlight effect

When your comfort zone has turned into a prison cell, it’s time to reevaluate your life. It might be time to start running away. Read more

spotlight effect

Expecting perfection is a damaging perspective. If you want to create a strong culture and a stronger team, there’s a better way to look at it. Read more

spotlight effect

The history of women in leadership will shock you. But if we don’t learn anything from history then we don’t learn anything at all.
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spotlight effect

Angry leaders are hard to work for. But anger is a mask. As it turns out, it’s often masking a fear of conflict. Here’s how you can try to remove the mask. Read more

spotlight effect

Changing a company culture takes time. But here’s a secret: there is a wormhole. It allows you to improve your company culture immediately. You just have to see it when it appears. Read more

spotlight effect

Managing people isn’t easy. But it’s a required activity on the path to leadership. Maybe we should rethink leadership. Just ask Dharmesh. Read more

spotlight effect

Conflict is as inevitable in a team as it is in marriage. The important thing is how those conflicts are resolved. It’s time to learn the four types of team conflict. Read more

spotlight effect

Most leaders talk about their team like they understand what it means to be a team. But all they’re talking about is a group of people. Do you know the difference? Read more

spotlight effect

Have you ever struggled with the fear of public speaking or sharing ideas at work? Sounds like you’re caught under The Spotlight Effect. Read more

the best leadership newsletter - bowling setting boundaries

Leadership is all about setting boundaries and expectations. As it turns out, there are some mighty important lessons you can learn from the bowling alley. Read more

the best leadership newsletter ever - consistent communication

Words matter more than you think they do. Companies that scale recognize the importance of clear and consistent communication… do you? Read more

Poor Communication - the best leadership newsletter ever

Getting criticism can sometimes feel like a great big wave barreling over you and sending you into a tizzy. There’s a simple way out of it. Read more

criticism the best leadership newsletter ever team leader surfing

Poor communication is the answer, I forgot the question. But seriously folks, if you’re having problems at work, just look at some street signs for guidance. Read more

Failed to Change - The best leadership newsletter ever - fear of change

The US government intended to adopt the metric system but they failed to change. As it turns out, this is one of the worst and most common leadership behaviors. Read more

waffle house crisis leadership dominos

Crisis readiness isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. To learn how to lead effectively during chaos, it starts with the Waffle House. Nobody is better than them. Read more

280. Work-Life balance - scale

Work-life balance is a terrible idea. You think it’s a good idea, but you’re wrong. It is impossible to balance the two. The good news is that there’s a better way. Read more

279. Unproductive Team - accountability -

Not all leaders recognize when they have an unproductive team. As it turns out there is a proven solution to catapult growth: implement the 4 Secrets of Accountability. Read more

procrastination time crunch

99% of Americans claim that they procrastinate at least some things in their life. There’s only one problem: procrastination isn’t a real thing. You’ve got bigger problems. Read more

working mothers who are pregnant

Compared to the rest of the world, the US is horrendous when it comes to caring for working mothers. Maybe it’s time to be ashamed. Read more

traffic light of your life green go

Everybody can be defined by the traffic light. Want to live life at full speed? It’s important you understand the traffic light of your life. Read more

loyalty at work - bad employee

There’s a huge misconception about loyalty that is played out again and again in almost every company. It’s your duty to fix it. And it starts with your puppy. Read more

the best leadership podcast - being right

We like to always be right. We are drawn to people who are always right. But there’s a big problem with always being right: It’s completely wrong. Read more

273. you're wrong - goldfish

It’s hard to be the person you want to be when the world is forcing you to be different. It’s hard to live your dreams. But what if you’re wrong? Read more

272. accountability what's important who me?

Struggling with accountability? You’re not alone. 85% of leaders can’t confront what’s important. Time to address the emotional barriers! Read more

271. Taylor Swift - Successful woman

There is a problem with Taylor Swift. The problem isn’t her music. The problem is her success. Read more

inspirational leader - ari mapuola

In the middle of the ocean, in the most undeveloped country in the world, there is a fishing guide who embodies all that an inspirational leader should be. You can learn 4 important things from her. Read more

micromanagement - female power leadership

There are two types of micromanagers. One you know about, the other you don’t. The question is, are you a micromanager and don’t recognize it? Your employees do. Read more

the right to disconnect not available

Six countries have already enacted the right to disconnect law. The US isn’t one of them. It’s up to you to bring some balance back into life. No pressure. Read more

stability at work natasha walstra

Are you stable? Before you answer that, you need to read this article about stability at work. Not to be overly dramatic, but your life depends on it. Read more

accountability at work decisions

Accountability is the biggest problem in the workplace. There are four non-negotiable requirements to hold people accountable. That’s where the problem begins. Read more

265. Motivations - CIA spy

It turns out that the CIA knows a thing or two about motivations. It’s about time to apply the spy-inspired motivational model to your leadership style. Read more

women apologize too much

Women apologize at work. Men apologize at work. That’s good news. It shows empathy. Unfortunately, women leaders are too good at their job. Women apologize too much. Read more

caught in a trap - scorpion and the frog

There is no trap worse than the trap you set yourself. It’s usually done unconsciously. And it’s holding you back. Let’s fix that, shall we? Read more

262. customer's balloons growth

There are two important lessons that are critical for every single and company to understand. And they involve your customer’s balloons. Don’t pop them. Read more

261. embracing growth pointing

There are 4 types of leaders who do a crap job embracing growth. You’re going to want to pay attention so you can check yourself before you wreck your career. Read more

260. successful leader secrets

Being a successful leader takes commitment, discipline, consistency and a whole lot of other things. Fortunately, you can get it all done by 8am. Read more

ineffective leader yelling

Understanding how to be a successful leader involves knowledge of what it means to be an ineffective leader. So buckle up, buckaroo. Here are the ten habits to avoid. Read more

meetings useless unproductive coffee

$37 billion is lost every year from unproductive meetings. It’s time to learn the Ten Commandments to make meetings productive again. Read more

257. leadership orange juice

I don’t trust leaders who like pulp in their orange juice. Why? Because if your leadership style is pulpy… well… you’ve got big problems. Read more

256 innovation insights sliced bread

Innovation is the difference between leaders and followers. It’s not just up to companies to innovate. It’s up to you. Your future depends on it. Read more

strategic leadership lesson - wombat

Combine a wombat with Xerox and Kodak, and what you get is an important strategic leadership lesson on how to fit a square peg in a round hole. Read more

leadership lessons - santa happy

You may think of him as just a fat guy with a flare for bright-colored clothing, but Santa Claus is a paragon of leadership lessons for successful leaders. Read more

true job hamburger

Your job description and job title are not your true job. The most successful leaders are the ones who understand their true job. Let’s start with McDonald’s. Read more

calculated risks secrets

A life with no risk is no life at all. The best company cultures are the ones that embrace calculated risks. Time to break out your calculator. Let’s risk it. Read more

customer's problems five whys

There are 5 ways to figure out your customer’s problems without your customer even knowing. And it starts with watching TV and a broken heel. Read more

extraordinary fly

Being the most extraordinary version of yourself is easy. You just have to ignore the force of gravity. Sure it’ll be difficult but nobody said it’d be easy. Read more

support network mafia

Sure they do bad things, but the Mafia has one heckuva leadership support network that we all can learn from. Read more

Movement Progress progress

The difference between success and failure is making sure your movement leads to progress. You’d be surprised how often it doesn’t. Read more

The Secret to Success spider 1

I hate spiders. So it makes me cringe to say that they provide an invaluable lesson about the secret to success. But there it is, I said it. Read more

Take for granted workers

In which we discuss car parts, pyramids, pop stars, pedestals and how your boss will take for granted the things you do. Frankly, it’s a little bit surprising. Read more

Goldilocks Principle successful leadership

To understand successful leadership, you need to first understand why Goldilocks is such a high-maintenance pain in the butt. Here’s the Goldilocks Principle in effect. Read more

Decisions of Successful Leaders two roads diverged

Having choices makes us feel like we are in control. It makes us feel empowered. As leaders we often have too many choices. That’s when the trouble begins.. Read more

pet peeve - unhappy

We all have a pet peeve or two. As it turns out, mine will help you advance your career in 5 minutes or less. Read more

good leader like struggle support leader's job

You don’t need to like me, that’s ok. Because a good leader doesn’t need to be liked. Read more

customer feedback loop

The product isn’t going to improve itself. It requires you to get feedback that you’re not going to like. Learn the 5 steps of a powerful feedback loop. Read more

chicken little leadership storytelling

Storytelling plays an important role in humanity as it does in the workplace. But sometimes it’s just plain toxic. Successful leadership knows the difference. Read more

fault responsibility

In the workplace, there is fault and there is responsibility. To be a successful leader that can fix problems effectively, it’s critical that you know the difference.Read more

trees in challenging times

The true test of a company is how unified employees are in challenging times. Is there calm or chaos? There are 4 secrets to a culture of calm. Read more

ampersand leadership

Your job as a leader is to treat people like an ampersand, regardless of what the other 26 letters think. Here are the 5 leadership lessons from the alphabet. Read more

hidden in plain sight

Sometimes you don’t know you’re looking for something until you’re ready to find it. Read more

complacent leadership

Achieving your goal is awesome. It’s what happens next that is most important. Read more

S-Curve growth

Life doesn’t happen in a straight line. Read more

leadership hero

There’s a difference between heroism and adulation. The real hero is inside of you. Read more

radical empathy at work

Empathy is important for any leader to succeed. Radical empathy takes it to the next level. Read more

milestones in life

Life is filled with milestones. Don’t mistake them for the finish line. Read more

the power of perspective

We each have a different perspective on life. And sometimes that perspective gets in your own way. Read more

set up to fail

Your goal, as a great leader, is to set your employees up to succeed. Yet so many times leaders set them up to fail. Read more

productivity and leadership

There’s a problem with organizational greatness in this country. It turns out that mothers have a lot to teach us about leadership and productivity. Read more

successful company

There are four behaviors followed by every successful company. If you want to be successful, have I got a story for you. Read more

leadership empower ikea effect

Amidst the cheap shelving and wobbly tables, IKEA gives us an important lesson in leadership and empowerment Read more

transformational change

Transformational change doesn’t happen by just telling people to change. You have to eat the radish. Read more

actual competence

If you think you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in big trouble. Read more

An artist failed to create a statue out of a bad piece of marble and the world has never been the same since. Read more

leaders getting in their own way

There’s a difference between a leader doing it their own way and getting in their own way. And it’s super frustrating for the rest of us. Read more

faith and fear

Faith can be scary. But that’s missing the entire point. Read more

gratitude at work

Don’t pat my back. You’ll thank me later. Read more

thought leader

These days you don’t have to think to be a thought leader. Read more

hawthorne effect - employee productivity

Productivity increased when leadership sat in the bullpen with other workers. So now what? Read more

how to avoid bad hiring

The secrets to hiring the right people all the time. Read more

The secret to creating an inspirational brand comes down to a simple 7 word rule. Read more

A company’s growth potential is directly proportional to the strength of their decision making. Read more

leadership failure

The leader that starts a company is not the leader that can grow it, despite what they try to tell you. Read more

leadership heroes

There are two types of heroes, and one of them is a complete jerk. Read more

There are normal leaders and there are great leaders, but I’m just not sure how they differ. Read more

The signs of stagnation are there. Look for them before they bash you in the face. Read more

Tell me about your day. Read more

by title only with jeff matlow

Because your business isn’t growing as quickly, it doesn’t mean you’re still moving forward. Read more

by title only with jeff matlow

There’s a tectonic shift happening, and I’m not talkin’ about earthquakes. Read more

artificial intelligence by title only with jeff matlow

The AI revolution is now, it’s time to choose sides. Read more

AI ChatGPT By Title Only with Jeff Matlow

Because you’re talking with a human, it doesn’t mean they’re alive. Read more

by title only with jeff matlow

Too often we treat life like a horse race when it’s really just a merry-go-round. Read more

by title only with Jeff Matlow

The end isn’t always the end. It depends on the meaning. Read more

Twas the day before bonus and all through the Zoom, Not a person was smiling, no one in the room. Read more

If you take away the killing and all the bad stuff, it’s a pretty good company. Read more

How your musical leaning defines your leadership style. Oobla-di, oobla-dah. Read more

Accidental Success

Life doesn’t always go as expected, and that’s the good news. Read more

impatient leadership

Because you’re impatient doesn’t mean you’re a jerk. But it doesn’t mean you’re not. Read more

I’ve worked with hundreds of leaders, and there’s a common mistake I see done time and again by leaders of all ages. There’s a good chance you may be making the same mistake as well. Read more

creating a cult-like community

Brand marketing is all about building a cult-like following. Read more

company leaves unsaid

You can learn a lot about a company by way they conduct an interview. Because the way a company does one thing, is the way they usually do everything. Read more

salary negotiations

I’m not saying that racial and gender bias are always done consciously. It’s not. I’m just saying that the facts prove it is widespread – regardless of whether you want to believe it or not. Read more

purpose and motivation

A doctor committed malpractice and mistakenly came up with the secret clue to inspiring employee motivation and productivity with purpose. Read more

Of all his innovative accomplishments, perhaps the most awe-inspiring feat Steve Jobs accomplished was… Read more

equality and hiring

I ran into an uncomfortable situation recently. The most uncomfortable part of the situation was that I was seemingly the only person who was uncomfortable with the situation. Read more

law of leadership

If Newton had a third law of leadership, it would say that for every good personality trait, there’s an equal and opposite bad one. It turns out it’s true. Read more

How to be a leader

There’s a common misconception about how to be a leader. The belief is that leaders need to make every decision and they always need to be right. Turns out that’s wrong. Read more

iceberg of ignorance the best leadership podcast ever

There are three sides to every company: the leadership perspective, the employee perspective and the truth. And no one is lying. Read more

imposter syndrome

Imposter Syndrome is a real thing. It’s a stressful journey when you believe everybody is better and smarter than you. Read more

increase productivity

There are four simple ways to increase productivity every day and it has nothing to do with working harder. In fact, this is how you work smarter. Read more

When I ask people to tell me about their job or their company, more times than not I get a description of WHAT they do. “Whats” do not inspire people. Read more

There are six things a brand must consider to help maximize its cult-like following. You don’t have to master all six of these, but the best cult-like brands master at least two of them. Read more

When I interview potential employees, one of the most important personality traits I am attentive to is whether they are inherently a positive or negative person. Because here is the thing… Read more

Every great slogan is focused on harnessing the feeling one gets while engaging with the product. If you come here, you will be happy. If you eat this, you will feel like a champion. Read more

Outstanding. Stimulating. Powerful. [Jeff] prompts us to rethink the little things we do every day.”

DAVE M. (CEO/Entrepreneur)

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