READ / ReDefine Leadership

Phil Cole

Oct 18, 20222 min read

One Question to Spark Your Learning

As a coach, there is one question I use to spark a client's growth. Learn how to ask this question and overcome your discomfort.

Phil Cole

Oct 11, 20223 min read

The Story of Vision is So Powerful That... It Can Lead a Group Astray

A well-told story of vision is so powerful that it can make a group break with reality.

Phil Cole

Sep 20, 20224 min read

The Compliment Sandwich Doesn't Work

The compliment sandwich doesn't work. It destroys the value of the compliments and fails to provide effective feedback. Here's what to do.

Leadership Shifts the Bounds Of Possibility

Phil Cole

Aug 23, 20223 min read

Leadership Shifts the Bounds Of Possibility

Here is an example of a leader who shifted the behavioral options available to her group until they chose personal and group failure.

Why Do We Pick Behaviors That Don't Work?

Phil Cole

Aug 15, 20222 min read

Why Do We Pick Behaviors That Don't Work?

We often pick behaviors that produce results we don’t like, or behaviors that use methods we aren’t comfortable with. Why?

Strength Isn’t Leadership. Believing It Is Often Leads to Failure.

Phil Cole

Jul 8, 20224 min read

Strength Isn’t Leadership. Believing It Is Often Leads to Failure.

A "strong" leader is often an unsuccessful one. Learn what to look for in a leader instead of strength.

Leadership is Learned. So is a Lack of Leadership.

Phil Cole

Jun 28, 20223 min read

Leadership is Learned. So is a Lack of Leadership.

People learn to lead poorly in the same manner they learn to lead well. And they get better at leading poorly.

Direction is the Beginning of Leadership

Phil Cole

Apr 26, 20222 min read

Direction is the Beginning of Leadership

Leadership begins with the story of vision. This possible future, and not our personal preferences or desires, is what we lead towards.

Power versus the Story of Vision (or, How Leaders Act When They Lack Leadership)

Phil Cole

Apr 22, 20223 min read

Power versus the Story of Vision (or, How Leaders Act When They Lack Leadership)

Leadership allows us to change other's behavior. When we lack leadership, we use power to force others to behave in the way that we want.

Get on the Floor (Particularly if You Supervise Other Leaders)

Phil Cole

Apr 18, 20222 min read

Get on the Floor (Particularly if You Supervise Other Leaders)

You can’t possibly lead if you aren’t on the floor, where you see the functions of leadership and the process of work in action.

Phil Cole

Apr 7, 20221 min read

Life is a Process of Narrowing

Life is a process of narrowing. When we are young, we explore the world. We experience many things, we meet many people, and we begin to...

The Four Steps to SOAR Through a Job Interview

Phil Cole

Mar 16, 20222 min read

The Four Steps to SOAR Through a Job Interview

Job interviews are hard. The hardest part is often the situational questions, where we demonstrate our capabilities by telling the story...

Why Leadership is Learning - A Case Study

Phil Cole

Mar 8, 20224 min read

Why Leadership is Learning - A Case Study

This is a case study of a leader who is stuck. Where are you stuck? Because that moment is where you need to learn.

Phil Cole

Mar 4, 20222 min read

"What You Know" Can Still Get You Fired

When we lead, it becomes difficult to separate "what we know" from "who we are". This is when leaders get fired.

Growth Requires We See External Limitations

Phil Cole

Feb 22, 20221 min read

Growth Requires We See External Limitations

Only when we see the external limitations placed upon us can we understand our full potential.

Good Meetings Create Something Valuable (THE LIST: The Art of Gathering)

Phil Cole

Feb 18, 20223 min read

Good Meetings Create Something Valuable (THE LIST: The Art of Gathering)

Every interaction has the possibility of creating value in the world. If you want to lead, learn Priya Parker's methods.

Phil Cole

Feb 15, 20223 min read

Sometimes Chefs Need a Cookbook (REVIEWED: The Best Place To Work)

Sometimes we don't know what behavior a situation requires, even though we see everything else. That's when we need a leadership cookbook.

Phil Cole

Feb 15, 20223 min read

What to Do With Feedback

Feedback is useless without a process to assess and learn from it. Here's how to do this.

Phil Cole

Feb 10, 20221 min read

Learning is Driven by Feelings of Inadequacy

Inadequacy, self-doubt, failure: these feelings allow us to see that we could have performed a task more effectively. Without them, we...

Learning Isn't Just In Your Head (THE LIST: Decoding Greatness)

Phil Cole

Feb 8, 20223 min read

Learning Isn't Just In Your Head (THE LIST: Decoding Greatness)

If we try to improve without new ideas, we aren't learning: we are practicing what we already know.