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In today’s world of relentless demands, the leaders who thrive aren’t those who simply push harder—they’re those who intentionally regulate their inner world. The C.O.R.E. Framework is part of the Leading Self domain of the Leadership Navigation System™ and focuses on building resilience and stress management tools. C.O.R.E. stands for: C – Centered O – Optimize R – Regulate E – Engage At first glance, it seems simple. In practice, C.O.R.E. becomes a powerful system for leaders to strengthen resilience, sharpen focus, and build cultures where people do their best thinking. C: Centered – Start from Stability Being centered isn’t about calm perfection—it’s about returning to equilibrium quickly. Leaders who operate from a centered state demonstrate better judgment, foster psychological safety, and avoid reactive patterns that erode trust. Research Insight: McKinsey’s Centered Leadership model emphasizes self-awareness and intentional choice as critical for resilience and influence. Leaders who practice mindfulness and grounding techniques show improved emotional…

Most advice about leadership confidence focuses on hype: “be bold,” “believe in yourself,” or “fake it till you make it.” But leaders don’t need mantras — they need methods. Confidence isn’t a personality trait; it’s a capability that can be learned, practiced, and strengthened. That’s why I built the RISE™ Confidence Framework — a practical, evidence-based system that helps leaders turn uncertainty into forward motion, especially in high-stakes moments. The RISE™ Confidence Framework RISE™ integrates leading research on self-efficacy, mindset, cognitive reframing, habits, self-other agreement, and performance psychology into four repeatable steps. R — Reset the Narrative Confidence begins with how we interpret setbacks, risk, and our own capabilities. Many leaders struggle not because they lack skill, but because their internal narrative reduces their willingness to try. Grounded In: Cognitive Behavioral Theory (Beck), Self-Compassion Research (Dr. Kristin Neff). These fields show that self-talk rooted in fear amplifies avoidance, while reframing thoughts into true, specific, and…

“I just don’t have enough time.” I hear this from the majority of my Executive Coaching clients and the results are real: burnout, low motivation and feeling overwhelmed. In today’s disruptive, always-on world, leaders don’t need more tools—they need a framework shift. The Uncomfortable Numbers A compelling meta-analysis of time management studies supports this: it shows that while time management can relate moderately to job performance and wellbeing, the effect is not magical—and it’s highly contingent on context and individual behavior. In short: the tools are limited not because they’re bad—they’re incomplete. And here is more data to underscore this: Nearly 82% of people report they don’t have a dedicated time management system. In a productivity benchmark, nearly 49% of the typical workday is spent on low-value tasks or busywork. Leaders* often can’t even attend leadership development programs—over 90% say they lack the time. U.S. companies lose $37 billion annually to unproductive, poorly run meetings….

Leaders face complexity, rapid change, and constant pressure to perform. As an Executive Coach for twenty years, I have seen that leaders want two things: clarity and solutions. To provide these solutions, the answer is not to overload clients with different models and theories. In fact, the challenge isn’t a lack of leadership models — it’s that most frameworks are either: Too jargon-heavy, making them hard to use in practice, or Too fragmented, leaving leaders to mix-and-match tools without a clear path. That’s why I developed the Leadership Navigation System. What Is It? The Leadership Navigation System is a unified framework built around three essential pillars. Each pillar includes evidence-based, ready to apply skills. Leading Self. Includes building leadership awareness, confidence,resilience, managing time and critical thinking skills. Leading Others: Includes skill for building trust, giving effective feedback, building team accountability, managing conflict, adapting management styles and developing impactful communication. Leading Strategy: Includes skills for leading…

360 Feedback Assessments are a highly effective way to invest in your organization’s leadership development—if done correctly. Having facilitated hundreds of 360 Feedback Interviews over the past 20 years, I have found that certain best practices will ensure the best results. Define the goals of the 360. In the early stages of discussion, I like to help the client define their goals for implementing a 360 Assessment process. Is this for individual leadership development, to assist in supporting bonuses, raises and promotions, or to improve performance management? Clarifying this up front is key to defining which 360 tool to use, how to administer it effectively and manage its results. Pick the right 360 tool. It is important for stakeholders to understand the benefits of live 360 Feedback Assessments versus digital 360 assessments. Live 360s involve actual interviews facilitated by an Executive Coach with the participants. There are numerous 360 digital platforms (e.g. Culture Amp, SurveySparrow,…

I am often asked by clients which strategic planning framework they should use. In general, strategic planning frameworks provide a structured approach for organizations to define and execute their long-term strategies. While there are numerous frameworks available, I will compare the following: SWOT Analysis, Balanced Scorecard, OKRs, Porter’s Five Forces, and McKinsey’s Three Horizons. SWOT Analysis: Pros: Easy way to assesses internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats. Cons: Lacks prioritization and doesn’t provide a clear path for action. Your team  must be careful about categorizing and prioritizing the action items. See my previous article on ways to optimize your SWOT analysis. Recommended for: A SWOT is a great for getting a snapshot of the current state of your organization and identifying key areas of focus. Balanced Scorecard: Pros: Offers a balanced view of an organization’s performance and helps align different organizational initiatives. Cons: Can be complex to implement and measure accurately. Recommended…

Having facilitated countless SWOTs over the past 15 years, I have found certain best practices to keep in mind.  SWOTS are like a 360 process for your business and to do them effectively, you must get buy-in, get a wide range of feedback and translate it into action. Define your objective: First, clearly identify the purpose for conducting the SWOT analysis. Is this to help clarify annual strategic objectives for the entire organization, a specific department, etc. ? Gather feedback: A common misstep I see organizations make is not collecting feedback (“inputs”) about your company, service or products. This feedback be gathered through multiple sources: via customers, channel partners, employees, volunteers, Board members and other stakeholders. This pre-SWOT work is time consuming however provides more comprehensive objectivity. Prioritize and categorize: When working through each of the SWOT domains, categorize any themes and begin to prioritize them. Don’t forget PESTLE: PESTLE is an acronym for looking…

Understanding the stages and steps of each stage of the strategic planning process is critical to its success. Below is a three stage model with corresponding goals that your team will want to consider. By-passing any of these steps can stall or undermine the process entirely. For example, when a team does not adequately collect employee feedback (stage 1),  then it cannot objectively formulate strategic initiatives to, for example, improve the culture.   In this Stage 1, organizational readiness must be assessed up front to help anticipate any obstacles, whether cultural, financial, etc. Organizations know they need a Strategic Plan but often don’t have the time, budget or staff allocated to devote to the process.  Is this a total reset of an existing Strategic Plan necessary or does it need to be refreshed?   Designating a small team to lead the Strat Planning process is also critical at the beginning to keep the entire process on…

Selecting the right personality tool to aid leadership and professional development is daunting. There are at least 14 different instruments (and probably more) on the market. And each of these products which has its advantages disadvantages, cost, administration requirement, and applications. First it is important to know why you want to incorporate a personality tool (e.g. for hiring, leadership development, general team building, etc.). Secondly, it is important to understand the different products and their specific applications. I see organizations frequently make the mistake of implementing the wrong tool for the wrong reason. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Big Five Personality Traits DISC Assessment Enneagram Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) StrengthsFinder California Psychological Inventory (CPI) 16PF Questionnaire NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) Emotional Intelligence (EQ) assessments (e.g., EQ-i 2.0) Belbin Team Roles Social Styles Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS) CliftonStrengths (formerly known as StrengthsQuest) Below I offer some insight into three of the most popular personality tools. Myers-Briggs Type…

In a previous article “The Focus Factor”, I outline a framework for different styles of focus. In a nutshell: to thrive in the workplace (and life) we need to flex between the different styles of focus, leverage their strengths and be mindful of their pitfalls. One of these styles of focus is “Flow” or what I refer to as “Immersed Focus”. Flow is the experience of completing losing oneself in an activity such that time and self-consciousness disappears.  Flow is seen by many high performers, whether athletes, executives or chess players, as the promise land of focus. Yet, why is the entry to flow so difficult? Why do so few people experience flow in any consistent way? Flow researchers would argue that you must employ certain practices to create the conditions for flow which I return to below. However the role of personality has a huge impact in either enabling or derailing the flow experience….