Editor's Note

If you need to perfect at something, practice is mandatory. Leadership is no different. Only if you continuously hone your skills as a leader, you can become a master. We have a great article that talks about vital leadership practices in this issue of Leadership Excellence.

Six Leadership Practices: Spiritual boot camp for leaders

Leadership is a set of practices. The notion of practice is simple: To master anything, you need to practice; to become more effective in our leadership, we must continually practice and improve both our outer game and inner game. Here we describe six essential leadership practices that, if approached as ongoing disciplines, reliably mature the inner game and develop outer-game capabilities. These practices, taken together, are a spiritual boot camp for leaders.

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The Culture Of Company Culture: 5 reasons it’s essential to have a great company culture

A company’s culture is an important aspect of a person’s work life. One important question people ask in interviews is, “What’s the company culture like?” The moment a potential employee walks into an office or work sight, they immediately start assessing the atmosphere, the people and how they might fit in.

Leadership Presence: What it is, what it isn't, and how to increase it

Leadership presence, that illusive but “we know it when we see it” quality, is a blending of personal and interpersonal skills that when combined, send all the right signals. It’s how you show up, how you make others feel, and how effectively you communicate both verbally and non-verbally. It's the "wow" factor that sets you up for the next promotion and gives your career that extra boost.

Self-Renewal: The wind beneath leaders’ wings

We all start every new path in our life, whether professional or personal, full of zest and great intentions. We are filled with ideas and insights and feel eager to bring these to fruition. However, as time progresses, we cannot help but become more complacent and are faced with the challenge of becoming less dynamic in our actions. The daily routine can become so demanding that inertia may even enter our path.

Good Leaders Ask Dumb Questions: 6 leadership traits in defense of asking the obvious

Paul and Trudy work in a medium size company. Trudy was having lunch with Paul after a particularly grueling meeting. “Paul, I can’t believe what just happened in the budget meeting. None of the supervisors had the guts to point out an error the manager kept repeating. Everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke up. I wanted to say something but I was afraid if I was wrong, I would look stupid. As we were leaving, I asked Jim (her supervisor) privately if I was wrong and he said no, the manager was."

Who Is In Charge Of Culture?: A proven path to a better workplace

Helping your team or company’s culture evolve into a validating, consistently high performing and values-aligned work environment is a lot of work. Culture change or, if you prefer, culture refinement is not something to be taken casually. It must be seen as vital work that needs time, energy, and intention to help craft consistent workplace inspiration. So, who must lead your team or company’s culture shift?

How To Get Your Coaching Program To Carnegie Hall: "Practice, practice, practice!"

There’s an old joke that goes like this: a pedestrian in Manhattan stopped Jascha Heifetz, a famous and incredibly talented violinist and, in the mid-1950’s, a household name. “Excuse me,” the pedestrian inquired. "Could you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" "Yes," said Heifetz. "Practice, practice, practice!" I think everyone would agree with the premise that if you practice something you will get better at it. Seems simple enough, but there are a few challenges in the execution of practice that deserve more exploration.

Uncovering Unconscious Bias In The Workplace: Three crucial questions

Diversity and inclusion have definitely grown up over the past 20 years. Studies have shown that diversity management tops the list of priorities that businesses will have in the coming years. And, within the last 10 years, there has been an explosion of senior-level diversity officer roles in corporations, higher education, and law firms. With all of these resources being put toward increasing diversity, why have most organizations not achieved the change they seek?