"Political leadership" is an oxymoron in Washington by any fair measures: enduring and woeful congressional job approval ratings, the enormous national debt and deficit, absence of a credible federal budget, and foundering unemployment, just to name a few hot issues.

Yet there are things we can do to deal with...

That addicts run Washington shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. In the 1980s the drug of choice was deregulation. In the '90s it was deregulation plus tech boom money, and in the early '00s it was the housing boom, bailout money and deficit spending. Now there's a new drug in...

I'm not a "futurist" -- although I've always thought that would be a great job. Even so, as I work to develop many different leaders among different organizations and industries simultaneously, I can't help but notice three under-invested areas in how we develop our emerging leaders.

Sustainability, virtualization, and crisis...

Who in your organization knows the most about how to make it better?

Generally, it's not the managers or leaders -- it's the people doing the actual work.

So as a manager or leader, if you're the one doing a lot of "telling" or "talking" when you're with them,...

If you've realized -- or received feedback -- that you need to develop your "executive presence," you're certainly not alone. For most people promoted to senior positions, it's not standard equipment. It takes a bit of concerted effort to learn.

I've coached many leaders to upgrade their executive presence. My...

Many, if not most, of our current private sector leaders are baby-boomers. While not too long ago these CEOs were the hipsters, time seems to have taken its toll. These days, most operate as minders of the status quo -- old-school capitalists, equal parts American Dream, ever-higher profits, low or...

When you buy a vacuum cleaner, airline ticket, or a car, you can compare prices before making a selection, and pick the one that fits your budget.

Not so when life hangs in the balance. You're sick. You go to the hospital, doctor, or clinic, get help, and, if...

Calling all corporate people, politicians, pundits, and public speaking pros: Please strike the following 30 phrases from your vocabulary. The world will be grateful, and your communication will improve by several orders of magnitude.

1. "At the end of the day"
2. "It is what it is"
3. "It's all good"
4. "Win /...

Whether you're a CEO, manager, or individual worker, a key ingredient to getting great results is asking great questions.

So I have to admit that when I hear my coaching clients ask people "why" on a regular basis, or extoll the virtues of the "17 whys," I cringe.

"Why"...

How you respond to stress, relate with colleagues and listen to your feelings are all keys to leading others well, and to doing your best work. Such emotional intelligence, or "EQ" is not fad or psychobabble; it's grounded in experience and data.

EQ has become hyper-relevant to recruiters, executives, and...

It's time to work, and you fire up your email with a sense of foreboding. If you're like any of my executive coaching clients, you've received between 200 and 2,000 new emails... since the previous day. Arggh!

As if managing an overcrowded Emergency Room, you triage the new messages as...

Urgent, pushy people get results -- for a while. "Just get it done!" is the 'efficient' manager's battle cry. When that's their day-to-day approach, rather than the rare exception, it becomes ineffective. The toll is simply too high on coworkers and (ultimately) results.

In contrast, effectively balancing tasks and...

Do people really change?

Whether you're on a board giving a CEO their 2012 performance summary, or a manager working with someone who needs coaching, you wonder the same thing: "Will they get it? Can they change?" You're not alone -- as an executive coach I'm often asked by wary...

Let's face it -- unless you're a U.S. Supreme Court Justice or tenured professor, "job security" is an oxymoron these days.

As a result, in my coaching practice, I see significantly higher ambient workplace stress and fear than ever before. To say, "you should just deal with...

Far too many leaders and managers inadvertently do things every day that send the message they distrust even their best people.

Sapping people's trust is unmotivating, and unmotivated people simply don't do their best work. I'm not suggesting your role is to motivate your people -- research shows that's not...

Congress continues its trend of dysfunction and paralysis even as many CEOs are making unprecedented money for delivering poor results. It's a paradox: why do we let failed leaders stick around well beyond their expiration dates?

You can argue it's due to the media, "low-information," apathy, being overwhelmed or a...

Being personable is a leadership strength, while being unapproachable, prickly or guarded shuts people up and shuts them down, cutting off information flow and collaboration vital for a team to do its best work.

Whether awkward, dictatorial or lacking responsiveness to the human side of things, managers who fall...

It's a fact of work life that mean or even abusive people often end up in positions of authority over others. Because they get results, it's not uncommon for their own boss or board to look the other way.

Because such managers rule through fear, whether intentionally or not, their...

American organizational culture is one of too many meetings, with actual work time sandwiched in between them.

We know it. In my work with most executives and managers, I hear, "It's ridiculous how much time we spend in meetings." Despite those complaints, they organize and/or attend them with tremendous regularity....

Start of a new year -- and a great time to think about your career.

One of the most helpful things I've learned over 27 years of working, from the mail room to management consultant, senior exec and now executive coach: I do my best work and am happiest on...