The Journal
Tools & frameworks for leaders.
Field notes on coaching, strategy, and leading well — written by Jay and selected colleagues.
Business Coaching: Qualities of a Good Coach
What are the qualities of a good business coach? It’s important to find a business coach with experience, drive, creativity, and empathy.
Choosing the Right Meeting Cadence for Your Team
How to Improve Meetings: Better Cadence & Rhythm Years ago, I saw the following advertisement headline: “Meetings, the creative alternative to working!” The faux ad went on to promote all the benefits of meetings: how they allow you to avoid work, let you reconnect with friends, provide an escape from the day-to-day. Most of us…
8 Questions to Ask a Business Coach Before Hiring
Should I Hire a Business Coach? If you’re reading this, you very well may be expecting me to answer with, “Yes, and make sure you hire me.” Well, sorry to disappoint. The reality is that the answer to that question really depends on the answers to a variety of questions, the first of which is,…
Values That Count
“It’s not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are.” That famous line is from Roy E. Disney. Most leaders would agree in principle, but despite our best intentions, living by core values is easier said than done. I often help clients develop compelling core values they will actually utilize. We begin…
Commitment is an Action
When is it okay to be wishy-washy? It’s perfectly acceptable to be undecided in a restaurant while ordering food. It’s fine to hedge your bets in a game of fantasy football. It is not okay to be uncommitted in the cockpit of a $30 million F-16 fighter jet. When engaging enemy forces in combat, the…
Secrets of Persistence
When things get rough, are you tempted to throw in the towel? Not Bob Salem. When this guy sets a goal, it’s a done deal. Earlier this year, 53-year-old Bob Salem of Colorado Springs became the fourth person in history to push a peanut to the top of Pikes Peak with his nose. Fighting fatigue…