The Practice of Leadership · Sep 9, 2026 · 4 min read

The Meeting You’re Called Into After Vacation

A staff member asks for a meeting, and you don't know which way it's going to go. Neither did I.

A staff member asked me for a meeting soon after vacation. I didn't know which way it was going to go. That feeling is universal for anyone who leads people. Here's what it taught me about paying attention before you're surprised, not after.

Read →

The Practice of Leadership · Sep 2, 2026 · 5 min read

Down Is the Easy One

A room full of executive leaders, and no direction on how we were to work out who got to decide.

Many of the meetings that matter in the NFP sector have a team in charge rather than a person. Everyone around the table is somebody's leader, everyone has a good idea, and by the end either nothing has been decided or the person who talked longest has decided it for you. Almost everything written about leadership assumes you have the authority to settle it. Here is what's left when you don't.

Read →

The Practice of Leadership · Mar 3, 2026 · 2 min read

The Conversation You’re Avoiding

Kindness matters. But small talk does not equal kindness.

When you need to address a performance issue, don't open with "Hey, I just wanted to check in." It seems friendly. It isn't. The desire to reduce anxiety is often the very thing that increases it.

Read →

The Practice of Leadership · Feb 24, 2026 · 5 min read

Four Global Leadership Emerging Trends

The leaders who will thrive won’t use AI as an email editor — they’ll integrate it as a team member. Four global trends reshaping how we lead, and what each one asks of you.

Read →

The Practice of Leadership · Jan 15, 2026 · 2 min read

The Three-Legged Stool

Titles can't make a leader. But at certain moments, titles protect them.

A colleague of mine was being asked to deliver results without the formal authority to require them. It's a common kind of leadership strain, and it has a structure. Remove one leg and things start to wobble.

Read →