Insights
Field notes from the arena
Short reads on the pressure, politics and hard calls of leading at scale, drawn from years inside Fortune 100 leadership teams.
Featured · Under pressure
The Blame List Is a Symptom
I sat with a client I’ve worked with for years while he went through his version of that list. When he finished, I said: “You know the next name on that list is going to be mine.”
Blame is what pressure does when it has nowhere left to go.
All pieces
Bring this thinking into the room
Every piece here grew out of work with real leadership teams. A keynote, workshop or consulting partnership takes it further.
Start a conversation →“What’s Wrong With Me?” Is the Wrong Question
That’s the blind spot. Not burnout itself—but the reflex to read a capacity problem as a personal failing.
The Flak Jacket
When you’re leading through sustained pressure, you can’t expect people to hold their breath until the big finish.
When Your Strength Becomes Your Stranglehold
Pressure doesn’t reveal just character. It reveals—and amplifies—your default patterns.
Is It Actually in Your Control?
How much of what you’re spending cycles on is actually in your control?
How My Pace Burned Out My Team
Unintentionally, I made it unsafe for anyone to admit they couldn’t keep up or had other priorities.