Top of Mind
Lori's Latest Articles
"What you said was so powerful, I wish I’d written it down…!"
How many times have you said that to someone?
Here Lori shares an excerpt from the latest thoughts she doesn’t want you to lose.
Return to Work Policy through the Lens of Vertical Development
Mandate a return to work? Continue to allow people to work from home? In the wake of COVID, the Chief People Officer I was coaching knew that she and her Head of HR had to resolve this contentious issue, but they didn’t know how. Unilaterally imposing a one-size-fits-all policy covering...
Teams In the Squeeze
All of the leaders I work with believe in “the power of the team”—at least in principle. However, in practice, they often find it difficult to access and leverage that power when their teams are under intense pressure. One such team, formed by a client I worked with recently, is...
A Transformative Decision-Making Practice for Business Leaders
As a business leader, decision making and problem solving are in your DNA. These skills are, rightly, lauded and developed in the corporate world. But what do you do about those intractable problems and unresolvable dilemmas that keep you awake at night? Perhaps it is no surprise that mindfulness—the capacity...
If the world would dance together…
I just finished a leadership development event in Washington DC that turned out to be one of the coolest examples of cross-cultural diversity and global citizenship I’ve ever experienced. At this multinational gathering, I was one of the very few native English speakers. The participants, members of my client’s entire...
5 Characteristics of Globally Resilient Leaders: Global Outlook
Leaders with a global outlook feel “at home” wherever they are. They aim to understand and function effectively in the whole world, rather than a few select parts of it. They think of themselves as a “citizen of the world”, rather than as a citizen of a particular country or...
5 Characteristics of Globally Resilient Leaders: Nimble Ease
In previous articles in this series, we have looked at relentless curiosity, pragmatic fearlessness and suspended judgment. All three characteristics help leaders get their bearings when they move into another culture or region of the world. “Nimble ease” is what helps them navigate the complexity and uncertainty they encounter with...
5 Characteristics of Globally Resilient Leaders: Suspended Judgment
Globally resilient leaders temper their pragmatic fearlessness with a mix of relentless curiosity and the ability to suspend judgment. They are fully aware of their country-of-origin predilections, yet detached from it as a default position of “rightness.” They understand that what’s “true” and what’s “acceptable” varies by culture. Rather than...
5 Characteristics of Globally Resilient Leaders: Pragmatic Fearlessness
There is the “fearless leader”. The brave one who stands apart from others. The one made of steel who appears to be totally without fear in the middle of chaos. The leader who, when things could blow up in their face at any moment, confidently tries new approaches or solutions...
5 Characteristics of Globally Resilient Leaders: Relentless Curiosity
It’s probably a safe bet to say most effective global leaders share a passion for learning. In my work with executives, I find that pretty much all are usually enthusiastic and keenly interested in discovering what’s “true,” what’s “acceptable,” and what’s “known” for each country in which they’ll operate. They...
Overview–The 5 Characteristics of Globally Resilient Leaders
Leaders today must carry the mantle of global responsibilities. In spite of (or perhaps because of) growing nationalism, economic survival is now a matter of transnational interdependence. Meanwhile, we are running short of leaders who have lived and worked in multiple countries, mastered a second (or third) language, and worked...
Executive Conundrum #3: Untapped Potential
This article is the last in a three-part series. “The red convertible and the island getaway were nice when I turned 40. But the shine has worn off. As I look toward the next few decades, there has to be more. I’ve accomplished a lot in my career. My international...
Executive Conundrum #2: Influence & Impact
This article is the second in a three-part series. “The company where I work is going through so much disruption these days. Not only that, but the players keep changing. Decisions get made and then they’re unmade. There seems to be no clear center to how to adhere to agreed...
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