In the numerous lists I read conveying the qualities of effective leadership, I rarely if ever find “acceptance” mentioned.

I believe that unless and until you are truly able to accept a situation or person any other leadership quality you engage in will be considerably less...

One of the characteristics that I repeatedly experience as I interview guest leaders on The IrRelevant Leader podcast is their ability to remain humble.

From C- level executives to high-ranking government officials each of these amazing leaders maintains an unpresuming way about them.

Their...

There are essentially five pillars of Emotional intelligence (EQ) and today we will explore what I believe to be the primary pillar… Self-Awareness.

One aspect of EQ is the capacity to understand and manage your own emotions in positive ways. EQ is an important factor in...

I have noticed over the last several years how aware many people have become regarding the negative impacts of acting in a controlling or domineering manner.

Although it has not been the case for many years, there was a time when a domineering leadership style was acceptable and even normal....

This week I have been thinking about resilience as it relates to effective leadership and extraordinary leaders.

What is resilience? Merriam Webster defines resilience as “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.”

I am sure you have heard it...

Because we know that self-awareness is the foundation of EQ and effective leadership, today I would like to review another aspect of self-awareness.

I have had the pleasure of an ongoing friendly and respectful debate with a leader regarding choice. A comment she frequently makes when referring...

This week I had the pleasure of meeting with a leader who I deeply respect and admire.

She has recently accepted an executive leadership role with a new company and was sharing what that experience has been like for her.

As she described some of what had been happening over the past few weeks I...

I was recently engaged in an interesting leadership conversation with the CEO of a healthcare technology company. During our exchange, he used the word “passionate” a number of times as he outlined his commitment to the mission of the company.

Reflecting on that discussion, the word...

I have wanted to share thoughts about Diversity for a while now and have been reluctant to do so. I have great admiration for those who are well versed and dedicated to this topic. I do not consider myself to be an expert and yet still hope that I am able to add value to the conversation.

I chose...

I was engaged in an interesting and inspiring discussion earlier this week with a CEO that I admire and have known for many years. We talked about the importance of establishing a foundation of trust in building high performing functional teams.

I have continued to reflect on this concept of...

A characteristic that is extremely important for leaders to develop and cultivate is the ability to apply critical thinking.

Webster defines critical thinking as "careful analysis and judgment, an attempt at objective judgment so as to determine both merits and faults."

Another definition...

One of the re-occurring discussions that I have when coaching leaders (especially new leaders) is what I call the “what if” conversation.

The “What If” dialog goes something like this…

• What if I make the wrong decision?
• What if others will be disappointed by my...