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How Volunteering & Community Service Benefit Your Business

It’s National Volunteer Week, and while the recent years have brought unique challenges to community service and how we can help one another, Americans have shown there’s never been a […]

From Chaos to Clarity: A 4-Step Leadership Strategy to Gain Consensus

Tired of the chaos that ensues when you face uncertainty and change? Follow this four-step leadership strategy to gain consensus. You will align your team, clarify goals, and take disciplined […]

What A Classic Baseball Movie Can Teach Us About Talent Development

Talent development in baseball parallels talent development at work. Whether on the field or in the office, honing skills is the ultimate game-changer. ******* One of the most prominent symbols […]

Effective Decision-Making: The 3 Key Questions Every Leader Should Ask

Mastering decision-making is key to business growth! Learn how to make quick, well-informed decisions and seize opportunities with confidence with these three questions.  ******* As I consult with organizations, leaders […]

Bridging the Generational Gap by Defining “Good”

Learn how to redefine “good” for productivity and quality in the workplace. This article provides actionable steps for leaders to bridge generational gaps and elevate team performance by answering the […]

Charting Your Course: A Guide to Living Intentionally in 2024

Step into 2024 with purpose. This article explores how to Live Intentionally – where every choice, from career and geographic moves to daily habits, is a conscious decision. ***** Stepping […]

3 Techniques That Can Make a Big Impact on Your Performance

As we wrap up 2023, reflect on the changes you’ve made so far personally and professionally. You may have resolved to take on some big goals, as well as focused […]

TRANSFORM YOUR YEAR: A PROVEN TECHNIQUE FOR ACHIEVING NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS AT WORK AND HOME

Increase your New Year’s resolution success with my “Dear Me” letter technique. December is the time to write your “Dear Me” letter for 2024—reflect, prepare, and confidently step into the […]

Gratitude is Good for You

The simple act of expressing gratitude can have a big impact on your well-being. ***** Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. But it’s more than the sharing of delicious food that […]

Three Criteria for Assessing Initiatives & Adapting in a Fast Changing World

In a world marked by rapid and unpredictable change, leadership teams face the challenge of adapting their multi-year strategic plans without abandoning their vision. This article outlines three essential criteria—strategic […]

Leadership Lessons from Santorini: Balancing Resiliency and Innovation

Discover the powerful synergy between resilience and innovation in business leadership, inspired by a beautiful island’s survival amidst water scarcity. Learn three key steps to strike this balance effectively in […]

Navigating the Burnout Epidemic: Insights and Strategies for Leaders

The Leader’s Intent Podcast Featuring Guest Bill Fournet In this episode of the “Leaders Intent Podcast,” I joined host Ronnie Stevens to talk about navigating burnout and share insights and […]

Improve Your Organization’s Performance Through Three Types of Measurable Goals

“Measure twice, cut once” isn’t just for carpenters! Discover the power of measurable goals in boosting your organization’s performance and learn how to stay on track with three goal categories […]

Balancing Leadership: Knowing When to Push and When to Set Back for Optimal Team Performance

Leading a team  at work is like hiking a challenging trail with a team. You’ve got to know when to push forward and when to let your team catch their […]

Master Time Management to Beat Burnout

The Leader’s Intent Podcast Featuring Guest Bill Fournet In episode four of the Leaders Intent Podcast, Ronnie Stevens and I discuss the crucial relationship between time management and burnout. We […]

Developing a Culture of Innovation and Purpose

In times of disruption and economic uncertainty, a culture of innovation and purpose can help organizations build their resilience and grow faster than their competitors. This article reflects on “the […]

SITREP Technique: A Game-Changer for Effective Business Communication

The SITREP  technique (Situation Report) provides a powerful communication tool that allows leaders to make faster, well-informed decisions with purpose-driven status reporting. Leaders often share with me that one of […]

Taking Action for Success: Harness the Power of After Action Reviews

Tired of unproductive ‘Lessons Learned’ sessions? Discover how After Action Reviews can revolutionize organizational performance. How many Lessons Learned sessions have you sat through? How many of them went beyond […]

Navigating the Uncertainty: 5 Points to Assess Your Business Performance

What is the rest of 2023 going to look like for your organization? Does that seem like an impossible question? After all, no one could have predicted the disruption that […]

3 Ways to Lead a Generationally Diverse Organization

When you embrace the changing workforce, your organization can thrive. Combine energy, experience, and knowledge across the generations for a winning combination! As an organizational leader, you have no doubt […]

Using Intersection Points to Improve Remote Work

As more organizations adopt hybrid or fully-virtual work environments, it’s becoming increasingly important to find ways to maintain interpersonal interactions. In particular, younger employees who may be new to the […]

What I Learned About Legacy from the Man I Never Met

This time of year always stirs deep feelings of great pride and respect and also of loss and sadness. As we recognize Memorial Day, we honor those who gave the […]

Is Virtual Work Hurting Younger Employees?

While remote work has brought many benefits, including greater flexibility and increased productivity for some employees, there is growing concern about the impact of virtual work on the younger generation. […]

Leadership Strategies: How to Manage Top Performers

When star employees are assigned to top-priority projects, you empower them to drive meaningful and impactful results. Reflect on your team. Do you have your best people working on your […]

Change Leadership: Finding the Tipping Point

Most organizations encounter resistance to change. For successful change management, leaders need to be aware of the resistance chart and find the tipping point.   One of my favorite sayings […]

Leadership Lessons from the Backpacking Trail: Five Key Roles You Need at Work

Backpacking is one of my favorite hobbies. I’ve backpacked for nearly 40 years, and it has created some of the most remarkable and inspiring experiences in my life. For the […]

The Myth and Reality of Employee Productivity

Even as someone who studies disruption, I never could have anticipated the tremendous chaos that descended upon the world these last few years. What has been the effect on our […]

The Five Rocks: An Exercise to Reduce Burnout

With all that has been brought upon us the last few years, it’s not surprising that most people are feeling overwhelmed. Worker burnout is even worse than at the peak […]

Coach or Mentor: What’s the Difference?

The Leader’s Intent Podcast Featuring Guest Bill Fournet Zig Ziglar once said, “A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could. […]

Are Leaders Born or Made?

The Leaders Intent Podcast Featuring Guest Bill Fournet Is leadership learned… or are you born with it? This is one of the most often asked leadership questions that I hear […]

3 Things Leaders Should Do Now to Create a Chaos-Resistant Team

Change is constant. Chaos is a choice. I delved into that topic on the last blog post. As we continue to face disruption, the question is: How will you and […]

Chaos is a Choice

If we’ve learned anything from the last few years, it’s that disruption and change will happen, whether we like it or not. But the question for leaders is: Are you […]

Read Anything Good Lately? My Top 5 List of Favorite Books

Reading has always been a favorite pastime of mine, for both business and pleasure. Each year, I typically make a list of the books that impacted me the most. But […]

3 Compelling Qualities of Effective Leaders

The chaos brought upon us over the last few years has put a spotlight on leaders.  We judge them based on the timeliness of their decision-making, their vision and agility […]

How to Lead Your Team through Uncertainty

We’ve all been through a lot these last few years, and the stress is adding up. According to Gartner, 45% of HR executives say their employees are fatigued from all […]

They’re Baaaack! The Spooky Return of Inefficient Meetings

If there is one thing that has been frightening me lately, it is the return of the ghost of inefficient meetings: the meetings where, on average, only 5 to 10 […]

Sharpen Your Saw: 4 Leadership Strategies to Give Your Team Think Time

When will we get back to the normalcy of a crisis-free day? To the days when we had time to “think” and communicate with coworkers outside our immediate team? Many […]

A Lesson in Discovery: Find Your Vibe

Contrary to popular belief, opposites do not always attract. Evidence suggests we’re actually drawn to people who are like-minded. The good news is that in the past 20 years, the […]

Then & Now: Important Lessons Learned from 2 European Journeys

In the summer of 1990, my brother and I headed out on a life-impacting journey. We backpacked Europe for six weeks, at a pivotal time in history. The Berlin Wall […]

How Purpose-Driven Leadership Helps You Navigate Disruption & Beat Burnout

The Corporate Purpose Podcast featuring guest Bill Fournet Purpose is good for business. Today, 94% of global consumers expect a brand to have a clear purpose, and 85% of CEOs […]

3 Questions to Help Create the Future You Want

In a time of constant change and disruption, it’s important to not only disconnect, but to self-reflect. When you do these two together, the results may surprise you. My most […]

How to Create Guiding Principles for Your Organization’s Success

Every organization and every team within each organization has a culture, although it may not necessarily be one that was created intentionally. As a leader, is yours the type of […]

Four Ways You Can Fight Burnout Today

Burnout doesn’t happen overnight—it is a slow creep that eats away at you. To combat it, we need sustainable defenses, not “quick fixes.” This week, I want to share four […]

What Is Corporate Culture and Why It Really Matters

No doubt you’ve heard this Peter Drucker quote, but have you asked yourself, what does it mean for you and your organization? How do you define corporate culture and align […]

Create an Outcome-Driven Plan to Achieve Better Team Performance

Now is the time to take action to make the second half of 2023 a success. As you develop your strategy, try a shift in approach to focus on the […]

For the Moms: We Celebrate You

This month, we celebrate Mothers: Our own, our wives, the ones we work with, and the ones who manage the family. Perhaps you are a Mother yourself. You may be […]

How to Manage Someone Who Thinks Everything Is Urgent

The sky is NOT falling. Yet chances are, you may have a Chicken Little on your team who thinks it is. This is the person who catastrophizes, for whom everything […]

How to Transform Your Organization to Increase Agility and Performance

Organizational survival relies upon our ability to respond quickly to new challenges and opportunities that emerge. Does your organization operate with the agility necessary to succeed? Imagine… you’re in a […]

HOW TO CELEBRATE SUCCESS AT WORK

It’s more important than ever to celebrate workplace victories. Recognition for individuals and teams helps to retain top talent, increase employee engagement, and encourage high performance. An employee who has […]

The Map Versus the Terrain

As an avid backpacker and Scout leader, I have led many groups through the backcountry. Those experiences are rich with lessons that I learn and apply in my work to […]

Mission-Based Teams: The Crucial New Approach You Need to Implement

As we embark upon what I believe will be one of the most pivotal years in our modern history, we are faced with new challenges to navigate. We realize that […]

The Great Realization

As we reflect on 2021 and look forward to 2022, I hope you and your family are safe and well. As part of my reflection, I focus on what I […]

Enable Your Team to Achieve Success with the Leader’s Intent Strategy

Leader’s Intent is one of the most popular strategies with my clients because it’s a powerful way to enable your team to understand their goals and objectives– and then empower […]

Problem Statement Identification Technique: What’s Your Problem?

Unleash your team’s potential by pinpointing the root cause of challenges with my Problem Statement Identification PowerPlay™. Don’t settle for surface-level fixes; delve deep to enhance performance and align with […]

What the Europeans Have Taught Me About Learning and Development

Grüetzi! This week’s newsletter is coming to you from Europe. Currently, I’m in Switzerland with a client. Last week I co-facilitated with Persimmon’s President Sara Gallagher in Germany, on how to […]

Leadership Lessons from the Field: 3 Key Lessons from a Stunning NFL Defeat

Opening day of the NFL season is one of my favorite days of the year. As a lifelong New Orleans Saints fan, I have been through the years of tremendous […]

BLUF: A Military Technique for Concise and Effective Business Communication

Are you overwhelmed by your inbox? The average person receives more than 100 emails each day. But we’re not burdened just by the quantity of messages; the lack of clarity […]

How to Align Expectations, Preparations & Outcomes for Increased Meeting Productivity

A recent study revealed that 51% of professionals say spending too much time in meetings and on calls is distracting them from making an impact at work. Are you among […]

3 Ways to Create a Positive Impact in the Great Resignation

The “Great Resignation” is upon us with millions leaving their jobs in search of more money, flexibility, and happiness. It’s likely your organization is experiencing a change in the workforce. […]

No Surprises Hiring: A 90-Day Tip for Onboarding New Employees

“That is not the person I thought I was hiring.” Sound familiar? Nobody likes “surprises” when it comes to hiring. The investment of time, money and energy that goes into […]

The #1 Interview Question You Should Ask to Find High-Performing Employees

If you’re one of the many leaders in the process of replacing staff in a highly competitive environment, you know it’s more important than ever to bring in employees who […]

Flatter & Faster: How to Transform Your Organization for Post-Covid Success

You’re in a meeting or on a Zoom. You raise an issue regarding another department. How many levels must that issue go up and then down before a solution is […]

Achieve Greater Stability and Better Performance Through Quality Planning

Sometimes the shortest path between two points isn’t a direct line. When we embark on projects, we often assume we will start at point A and proceed directly to Z. […]

Why You Should Celebrate Workplace Victories and Goal Achievement

Ask yourself: How well do you recognize and celebrate workplace victories? As a military buff, I am always looking for ways to incorporate successful processes and efficiencies from the Armed […]

Leadership Strategy: Quickly Identify and Manage Assumptions

If you want to be a better leader, stop making assumptions. The Known Knowns PowerPlay™ looks at four categories of information and it quickly answers three basic questions to help […]

A Guide to Returning to the Office After Covid

After nearly 15 months of working virtually, our team at The Persimmon Group will soon begin the transition back to the office.  Like many of you, we had to adapt, […]

FROM TRANSACTION TO TRANSFORMATION: HOW TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS

The Wealthy Speaker Podcast featuring guest Bill Fournet Are you’re looking for ways to create new revenue streams after the constant change and disruption we’ve experienced? Scaling your business can […]

Leadership Gap: How to Identify and Develop Your Future Business Leaders

Take a look at your leadership team. Do you notice a leadership gap in any of these areas:  deficiency of needed leadership skill sets, shortage of leadership candidates, lack of […]

How to Create Your Winning Playbook for Better Team Agility in 6 Steps

Football has returned, and regardless of whether you’re a sports fan, there seems to be a universal feeling of excitement at this time of year. Perhaps even more so now, […]

Leading for Tomorrow: Why You Need a Playbook, Not a Cookbook

“How do I lead my team with confidence when everything is constantly changing?” Leaders today face greater uncertainty and disruption than ever before. To adapt to this rapidly changing pace, […]

How To Lead In The Age Of Disruption

As we work through what has undoubtedly been one of the most disruptive times in recent history, it’s easy to feel a loss of control. We’ve seen all the memes […]

Excelling through the Chaos: A Guide for Leaders (Part 3)

In my first two articles of this three-part series, I introduced you to a practice called Thought Streams, which are designed to help you lead, especially in uncertain times. The […]

Excelling through the Chaos: A Guide for Leaders (Part 2)

In my first article of this three-part series, I introduced you to a practice called Thought Streams, which are designed to help you lead, especially in uncertain times. The first […]

Excelling through the Chaos: A Guide for Leaders (Part 1)

As a consultant and executive coach for leaders, my passion is helping individuals and organizations thrive through the chaos. From workforce trends to changing technology to generational shifts, the Age […]

Reimagining The Iron Triangle For Bold Projects

From providing clean drinking water around the world to curbing climate change, there are hundreds of bold projects in development that seek to address some of the most daunting challenges […]

Building The Vision For Bold Projects

Can bold projects cure what ails our world? At the beginning of this year, the editors of MIT Technology Review published a list of 10 Big Global Challenges Technology Could […]

5 Bold Challenges For The New Decade

The past decade has seen no shortage of global challenges. What will we face in the next decade, and how will we rise to the challenge of meeting them? From […]