For much of my career, I worked in two domains that are rarely discussed together: neuroscience and leadership.My scientific work focused on neurobehavioral plasticity—the brain’s ability to adapt, learn, and reorganize itself in response to changing conditions. Later, my leadership…
Most leadership advice assumes the leader has answers. But the defining moments of leadership rarely look like that. They look like this: • The situation is unclear• The data conflicts• The path forward isn’t obvious• And everyone is looking at…
Most leadership advice focuses on strategy. But uncertainty doesn’t break strategy first.It breaks leaders’ thinking. When uncertainty rises, I repeatedly see five reactions in otherwise capable leaders:• Cognitive overload• Defensive certainty• Premature decisions• Energy depletion• Avoidance of curiosity None of these…
One of the most powerful leadership capabilities is almost never taught. The ability to not know — strategically. Many leaders believe their job is to eliminate uncertainty quickly. But complex environments don’t reward the fastest answer.They reward the best discovery process.…
When leaders face uncertainty, the instinct is often to narrow the conversation quickly.Find the answer.Choose a direction.Move forward. But strong leadership rarely begins with narrowing.It begins with expanding. After leaders resist premature certainty, the next move is what I call…
One of the most powerful leadership lessons I’ve seen didn’t come from a senior executive. It came from a high school student. One summer, my son was participating in a STEM program at a national research laboratory. During his lunch…
Leadership capacity doesn’t expand just by doing more. It expands when leaders really tune in to the environment and change how they interpret what’s happening around them. When that shift occurs, three things follow quickly:• what they notice• what they…
Experience has always mattered in leadership. But with global systems in flux — geopolitically, socially, and economically — experience alone is no longer sufficient.At the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos this week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a…
ng physically and emotionally drained. She feels like nearly every facet of her life is in constant flux. She is concerned that this constant change will continue for a long time. She knows she needs to find a way to…
I have worked for and with organizations with leaders—on staff and/or on the board—who were kind and thoughtful. I found energy, joy and creativity in working with these individuals. I learned and grew and gave everything to assure the organization succeeded.…
A high-performing CEO-board partnership is a competitive advantage in the nonprofit and corporate sectors—but when misaligned, it can be an organization’s greatest vulnerability. So, what does strong governance and an effective CEO-board relationship look like? 1️ Trust & Transparency are Non-Negotiable CEOs must keep boards informed—not just…
Resilience isn’t about bouncing back—it’s about bouncing forward. When we think about resilience—and that is on the mind of so many of us today—we often picture someone standing strong, weathering the storm, and returning to their original state. But in today’s…