Most people assume a university’s first impression comes from a polished tour guide, a friendly admissions rep, or maybe the president with a firm handshake and practiced smile. At Seton Hall, it came from Mo, the security guard at the front gate. I was on campus to speak to their
In my prior post, I covered what Plot Twists are and why they work. Quick recap: a Plot Twist is a small, unexpected disruption designed to snap your most disengaged team members out of autopilot. Done right, it causes a pattern interrupt, opens a learning window, and creates a memory
Seeing their manager as a baby gave the group more energy than a double espresso shot. Not literally, of course. But instead of her usual bookshelf Zoom background, she had swapped in an old baby photo of herself with a bald head, gummy smile, and all the things that make
The scariest sentence in management is “Sarah seems off lately.” Sarah’s quieter in standups. Sarah’s energy is down. Sarah forgot to send the report on Friday. So the manager pulls Sarah into a 1:1, takes a deep breath, and says some version of, “Hey, wanted to check in. Is everything
In Part 1 of this Engagement Assessment series, you picked your person, you answered all 20 questions, and now you’ve got a column of numbers staring back at you. In Part 2, I’m going to show you where someone lands on the journey from Neutral to Level 5. Scoring Your
Every leader dreams of building a high-performing, connected team of 3s, 4s, and 5s, where people show up not just because they have to, but because they want to. It’s like imagining a world where everyone actually reads your weekly newsletter. Wild, I know, but a leader can dream. Figuring
Almost 9 out of 10 employers say they’d rather hire a freelancer, a retired former employee, or even a robot than bring on a recent college grad. Let that sink in for a second. You’ve spent four years pulling all-nighters, memorizing theories you’ll probably never use again, and perfecting the
The last person who quit your team probably smiled on the way out. I walked into an accounting firm last year to lead a leadership training, and before I even opened my mouth, the room told me everything I needed to know. One person had their arms crossed so tightly
This is the sixth and final post in my series on the Engagement Pyramid, a framework I developed to help leaders see the different levels of engagement on their teams and understand what drives each one. If you missed any of the previous posts, start here with Neutrals. We’ve worked
This is the fifth post in my series on the Engagement Pyramid, a framework I developed to help leaders see the different levels of engagement on their teams and understand what drives each one. If you missed any of those, start here with Neutrals. Every leader has someone on their
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