Resources

Tools • Downloads • Helpful Articles

Tools for Individuals

Leadership Dimensions

Eight dimensions of reality that require relentless diligence to be successful as a leader.

Individual Jump-Start

A three-month plan to start strong in a new role or turn over a new leaf in an established one (formerly "90-Day Plan).

Career Strategy

Understand why you're where you are and what it will take to navigate to your next move.

Tools for Teams

Helpful Book Clubs

Helpful is the perfect book to be read and studied in lock-step with friends and colleagues.

Team Dimensions

Nine areas of focus that help a cohesive, collaborative team coalesce and thrive.

Team Jump Start

How a team that wants to work together can learn how to do so more effectively.

Strategic Planning

Demystifying strategic planning. It's really not that hard and it couldn't be more important.

Top Free Downloads

Jump Start Worksheet (PDF)

The free version of the Three Month Jump-Start Worksheet. (Not editable.)

Helpful — Sample Chapters

The Table of Contents, the Preface, and the first three chapters of Helpful: A Guide to Life, Careers, and the Art of Networking

Book Review Template

A handy questionnaire and template for writing thoughtful book reviews for Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever book reviews are posted.

See all free downloads

Top Paid Downloads

Jump Start Worksheet (MS Word)

An editable, type-anywhere-you-want version of the Three Month Jump-Start Worksheet.

The Workbook of Helpful Exercises

The workbook companion to Helpful: A Guide to Life, Careers, and the Art of Networking.

See all paid downloads

Got a Job Offer? Your Start Date May Be Earlier Than You Think

Let’s say that you just got a job offer for a position at a new company – and you accepted. Your first day is scheduled three weeks hence. When is your start date? From your perspective you have a few weeks to wrap up your old job, maybe buy some...

Good Boss / Bad Boss

At one point in my career I went from having the worst boss I ever had … to the best boss I ever had. It was the early ’00s and I had just landed at one of the “great places to work” in Silicon Valley. Bad Boss was not all...

Engaged Employees: Rowing? Or Drilling Holes?

Are your employees all rowing in the same direction? Or are some drilling holes in the boat? Are you one of the few who looks forward to Monday mornings? How about your employees? Are you creating a place where your team is looking forward to bringing their all for another...

Group Of Business People With Their Hands Together

Diversity in Counsel … Unity in Command

Alfred Sloan, when he ran General Motors in the 1920s and 1930s, would refuse to make a decision at a meeting if no one could argue a strong case against what was being proposed. He felt that if no one had any objections to what was being decided, it was...

The question "What is Culture?" written in chalk on a blackboard.

What is Culture Anyway?

When it comes to building great organizations, just about everyone would agree: culture is important. Culture is the heart and soul of an organization. When we hire people, we hire for “fit” into our culture. There are even companies who have Chief Culture Officers. And, of course, there’s the ever-popular...

An introverted man on the left and an extraverted man on the right

Where Do You Think? A Key Difference Between Introverts & Extroverts

There are many contrasting and complimentary differences between introverts and extraverts: where we get our energy, what stimulates us, how we feel about small or big groups, to name but a few. The contrasts are rich and numerous. However, as a long-time Myers-Briggs practitioner, I find that the most defining...

Sonar rings radiating out in the upper right quadrant

A Quick Guide to Informational Interviews

How do you decide what direction to head next in your career? Would you like to be more visible inside your company? Or is there another company you really want to work for? Over the course of my speaking and client engagements I frequently find myself recommending informational interviews. Informational interviews...

Three Reasons You Should Keep Your LinkedIn Profile Up To Date

While LinkedIn has become the database of record for our careers, it is so much more than that. It is the one place on the Internet where we make our professional declaration of who we are and what we do. As such, it is extremely useful in building and maintaining...

Four Questions For Your Direct Reports

As you grow as a leader you find yourself spending more time developing people and less time knee-deep in the weeds. Here are four questions to ask your direct reports on a regular basis. If you do so, they will evolve in their ability to deliver results and you will...

Cartoonish line drawing of a male eagerly raising his hand.

Five Questions To Ask Your Boss

Want a better relationship with your boss? It’s easier than you think to create a great working relationship. The secret is effective communications and a mutual understanding of what you expect from each other. Some time ago I wrote a short article on Four Questions For Your Direct Reports. Today I...