Book News and Reviews!

I bought and read Brene Brown’s book, Strong Ground, on our family vacation last fall. It struck me how her metaphor of solidfying your leadership on firm ground. In her artful voice and classic use of metaphor, she advocates for the courage required to lead from a solid place with integrity, convictions, values and awareness in place.

I remember the feeling as I read, “Yes, yes yes… Exactly!” and in mind referenced back to my own newly published chapters inviting the leader reader into the deep work, considering the impact of their personal and professional story on how they lead today, getting honest about the faceplants and debris while also recovering buried treasure.

So seeing our books posted together here makes great sense, is an incredible honor, and I encourage you to read them both… TOGETHER!

If you’ve not gotten your copy of Leading Becomes You, check it out here!

AI Meets Human Coherence: Why Identity-First Leadership Is the New Competitive Edge

We’ve crossed the AI threshold. Now the question is: who are you on the other side? AI is here and it’s woven into workflows, decisions, customer experiences, performance reviews, and knowledge work. Tasks once considered “strategic” have been automated. Judgment we once thought uniquely human is simulated with startling accuracy. In this moment, leaders are ... Read more

The Shared Work of Engagement: What Leaders Control- and What They Don’t

Every leader I know, whether in a five-person business or a 400,000 multi-site employee system, feels the pressure to “drive engagement.” In a small business, that pressure feels personal—every person matters, every attitude shapes the atmosphere.In a large organization, it comes from dashboards, survey scores, and top-down goals. It’s a noble goal, an important goal—and ... Read more

When Your Greatest Strengths Get Hijacked by Stress (And What to Do About It)

We often think of our strengths as the best parts of us—the qualities that help us succeed, lead, and connect. And they are! But here’s a leadership truth that often goes unspoken: under stress, those very strengths can become our biggest liabilities. This doesn’t mean our strengths vanish. They don’t. But stress hijacks them, puts ... Read more

Clearing Moral Debris: What Leaders Need to Know About Moral Injury

In Leading Becomes You, I write about the emotional and psychological debris leaders accumulate — unresolved experiences, compromises, betrayals, and unprocessed wounds that clog the inner terrain of their leadership. One of the most significant kinds of debris is what psychologists now call moral injury, the disruption to one’s moral fiber that arises from committing ... Read more

Leader Identity Clarity: The Antidote to Leading on Autopilot

Most leaders don’t wake up and say, “Today I’ll lead on autopilot.”But if we’re honest, many of us slip into it without realizing: back-to-back meetings, urgent churn through emails, cuaght up in constant change. We keep moving, but not necessarily with awareness. Autopilot leadership feels safe and necessary—it keeps the wheels turning. But over time, ... Read more

The 3 Things Every Leader Wants — and Why Identity Clarity is the Key to Getting Them

If you ask most leaders what they want, the answers are surprisingly consistent: These are the three non-negotiables of modern leadership. And yet, despite countless trainings, strategies, and “proven” tools, too many leaders are watching these priorities continue to dwindle and decline. Why? Because they’re trying to fix the symptoms instead of the root. The Real Issue ... Read more

Why Leadership Behaviors Don’t Stick Without Identity

You’ve seen it before: A leader goes through a training. They learn how to motivate the team, engage a crucial conversation, delegate, hold one-on-ones, or communicate more clearly. For a few weeks, they try out their new skills. But soon old patterns creep back in. Or worse, the “new behaviors” vanish under pressure. Why? Because ... Read more

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