Grace was good at her job. Not loud-good. Not showy-good. The kind of good that makes teams run smoother. She delivered. She followed through. She kept people aligned when work got messy. If something slipped, she caught it early. If
How to Stay Relevant in the Age of AI (Without Chasing Every Trend) Read More »
When development means “another workshop,” leaders disengage and results stall. In this article, Jef Menguin offers a simple framework based on the 70-20-10 model to help you design leadership growth around experience, relationships, and focused learning. Read it and share
A performance improvement plan fails when it becomes a checklist and a threat—because unclear expectations create anxiety, blame-shifting, and zero real change. In this article, Jef Menguin reframes the PIP as a clarity contract and walks leaders through what “fair” looks like: measurable gaps, tight targets, support, rhythm, and a simple scoreboard. Use it and teach it at work so you protect people and results at the same time.
Performance Improvement Plan is a Leadership Test Read More »
Your managers are missing deadlines. Supervisors spend too much time chasing people for updates. Employees wait for instructions instead of acting. Meetings keep returning to the same problems. Someone says, “We need POLC training.” It sounds reasonable. POLC has been
Why POLC Training Often Fails — and What Organizations Can Do Instead Read More »
Monday morning hits, and your beautiful handouts suddenly feel like they belong to another life. The team goes straight to urgent fires, and the workbook stays unopened. If learning keeps dying on Day 2, what are you supposed to design so it survives real work?
Why Your Best Handouts Don’t Survive Real Work Read More »
Questioning skills can either unlock creative thinking—or trap your team in polite confusion—because the wrong question produces the wrong work and wastes real time. In this article, Jef Menguin shows why questions aren’t neutral, how hidden assumptions shape meetings, and how to challenge the question before you chase answers. Use this shift in your next discussion, then share it with your team so you stop making lists and start making decisions.
Questions About Questions Read More »
A company says speed is part of its strategy, but an unusual customer request still waits two days for approval. A hotel promises personal service, but only its most experienced staff know what to do when a guest problem becomes
Must-Have Capabilities: What Your Strategy Requires You to Do Reliably Read More »
Stop planning theater. Learn how the “Not This” List helps CEOs clarify a winning aspiration, cut priorities fast, and focus strategy with real examples from resorts, colleges, and coffee shops.
The “Not This” List: The Fastest Way to Clarify Your Winning Aspiration Read More »
Sketch this when your strategy meeting ends with a long “fair” list—and you already feel the quiet panic because nothing got removed. If your team can’t describe what winning looks like, you can’t choose—you can only negotiate, and the calendar will hijack everything by Tuesday. Use the Winning Picture Test: describe the win as a clear picture, then ask which initiatives move that picture closer—anything that can’t answer it isn’t a priority.
If You Can’t Say What “Winning” Looks Like, You Can’t Choose Anything Read More »
Run this quick test when your “vision” sounds inspiring… but your planning keeps producing a thick list and a tired team. A vision makes people nod; a winning aspiration forces tradeoffs and creates a real stop list—so your strategy stops