First of all, let’s get one thing straight. You’re not a terrible person. I know this because I’ve been in your shoes. I once had to spend a day laying off 27 people one at a time from a magazine that I created, and that had failed. It was an awful day. I had nightmares about it for weeks, and even now, more than a decade later, despite the fact that each of those 27 people landed somewhere else, I feel the burden of it. More than half of the people and clients I talk to thes

There was the initial frenzy of terrible, painful decisions, crisis management and figuring out new ways of working. And, then there were discoveries of the small delights. The dog has never been happier. More time with the family. It’s nice to see more of the kids. Movie nights, fun and games. Getting up to speed on the whole home-schooling thing. Evening Zoom cocktail hour. And of course… sour dough baking. It was all new. And new is better than not new. Or as Voltaire put

I’m writing this post during the COVID-19 crisis, but the truth is, active and conscious support of team members is essential to great leadership, even when we’re not fighting a global pandemic. So, no matter what crisis you may be facing at this moment, be it big or small, remember: this just might be the making of you. The thing about crises, is they often prove to be a crucible. You will walk through a fire and emerge transformed. The nature of that transformation is up to