Forward Thinking
Welcome to Forward Thinking, where we explore the ideas, insights, and strategies shaping the future of leadership, organizational change, and culture. This is where we share what we’re learning in the field—what’s working, what’s shifting, and what leaders need to be paying attention to. Grounded in practice and informed by research, our posts are designed to help you think more critically, act more intentionally, and lead more effectively in times of change.
Is This a Season, or a New Normal? A Leader's Guide to What's Next
The holiday season is a familiar metaphor for a temporary "season." But what are you enduring in your work as a season that might actually be a permanent shift? This post offers a powerful decision-making framework to help leaders distinguish between a season and a new normal, and what proactive steps must be taken based on the answer.
From Wonder to Tenacity: Leading Change Through the Lens of Working Genius
Every leader has blind spots in how they lead change. This post uses the Working Genius framework to reveal where you thrive and where you may unintentionally stall the change process. Learn to put your genius to work to lead with less friction and more impact.
Don’t Just Send the Survey: Rethinking Stakeholder Engagement
Surveys are fast and scalable, but they're only one piece of the puzzle. This post explores how organizations can move beyond transactional data collection to create intentional engagement strategies - leveraging dialogue and nuance to build trust and foster shared ownership.
Culture Isn’t Only Vibes
Many leaders have a brilliant vision for their culture but struggle with the chaotic day-to-day reality. This post introduces the TENs Process (Traditions, Expectations, Norms)—a blueprint for moving beyond abstract cultural "vibes" to a set of living, breathing practices rooted in operational clarity.
Using the Leadership Versatility Index (LVI) to Enhance Your Leadership Brand
That gap between intention and impact is where your leadership brand actually lives. This post introduces the Leadership Versatility Index (LVI)—a powerful tool that helps leaders reconcile what they mean with what others hear, enabling them to make informed adjustments rooted in alignment, not performance.
AI for Doers: Automate the Busywork, Not the Thinking
AI isn't just for the tech team or the C-suite. This post is for the "doers" - the professionals who need to automate the busywork without outsourcing their thinking. Learn how to use AI as a strategic sidekick to reclaim your focus and drive your best work.
Designing Intentional Offsites
An offsite isn't just a meeting with better snacks. It's a powerful opportunity for your team to step out of the day-to-day rhythm and reset, reconnect, and realign. This post offers a glimpse into our framework for creating a truly purposeful team gathering.
Rethinking ReOrgs
The call usually starts the same way: "We need a new org chart." But a reorg is rarely about structure alone. This post explores why a people-driven approach to organizational effectiveness is a better path to clarity and long-term impact than simply redrawing lines on a chart.
Reconciling Numbers and Narratives: Making Meaning from a Mismatch
The numbers say one thing. The stories say another. What do you do when the data doesn’t match the story you’ve been hearing? This post unpacks why this mismatch is an opportunity, not a flaw, and how to make meaning from the tension.
Leading a Meeting Revolution: Cultivating a Healthy Meeting Culture in Your Organization
Bad meetings drain energy and time. Good meetings drive success. But why is the gap between the two so wide? This post introduces the "3 C’s" framework for leading a Meeting Revolution, offering practical insights on Cadence, Content, and Culture to transform how your organization collaborates.
Why “Change Starts Here” Is More Than a Tagline
Most transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It starts with someone willing to say, “This could be better.” Our founder shares the story behind our tagline, "Change Starts Here," and explains why every meaningful shift requires intentionality—not a cookie-cutter approach.
Working Across Time Zones Without Losing Your Momentum
Working on a distributed team means mastering the mental gymnastics of scheduling and the art of asynchronous collaboration. This post offers a guide to navigating the challenges of time zones with the right mindset, a few good tools, and a healthy dose of humor.
Fun at Work is Serious Business
I take fun very seriously. This post argues that authentic fun isn't frivolous; it’s an essential, intentional practice that fosters a healthy, resilient, and connected workplace. We explore different types of fun and how to cultivate them as a strategic leader.
Thinking Out Loud with AI (Using AI as a Thought Partner)
Leadership demands decisive yet evolving thought, but where do you go with raw, incomplete ideas? Discover how leaders are making a quiet shift: treating AI as a nonjudgmental thought partner to prototype strategy, test communication, clarify complexity, and accelerate their thinking process.
What Even Is a Research Associate? (And Why We Love Ours)
Titles can be tricky, but our "Research & Insights Associate" role is anything but vague. This post dives into what these vital team members really do: from detective work and data analysis to storytelling and translating complexity into clarity, powering our human-centered strategies.
Leveraging CliftonStrengths as a Manager
What if your team's perceived weaknesses are actually hidden strengths? This post shares a personal journey of skepticism to belief in CliftonStrengths, revealing how understanding individual talents can transform management, delegation, and team dynamics for greater empathy and productivity.
You Don’t Need a Vendor. You Need a Co-Conspirator
The best projects don't start with a deliverable; they start with a question and a deep partnership. This post explores why true organizational change demands more than a vendor - it needs a "co-conspirator" who's invested in your outcome, your people, and telling you the truth.
Rethinking Team Dynamics with Personality Insights
Personality assessments are more than just a fun exercise - they're a powerful tool to overcome the fundamental attribution error, our tendency to misinterpret others' behaviors. Learn how these insights foster empathy, reduce friction, and build stronger, more understanding teams.
“No Surprises” Isn’t a Strategy: How Leaders Can Be More Clear Without Micromanaging
The phrase "I don’t like surprises" is common in leadership, but it often creates more problems than it solves. This post explores why vague expectations lead to stress and miscommunication, offering actionable strategies for leaders to create clear communication pathways that empower teams and build trust.
What Is Consulting, Really?
Ever wondered what a consultant actually does? We're pulling back the curtain to explain why organizations hire us. From strategic planning and leadership development to neutral facilitation and building capacity, discover how consulting helps solve problems and drive meaningful progress.