Leadership Lessons Archives - All the Way Leadership Blog

Here are several leadership lessons and professional advice from my career, Part 1

Earlier this month, I was invited to participate in a podcast recording with one of my good colleagues, Jim Donnely. Jim is the host of the Intelligence Career Conversations. This podcast explores various aspects of intelligence and national security careers, including insights from experienced professionals, advice on career paths and educational requirements, and discussions on current trends and challenges, including talent acquisition and retention. In this blog, I am sharing a link to the podcast for anyone who wants to hear it. I am also providing the text of our conversation, which includes several leadership lessons and professional advice. We covered a lot during the interview, so I am including part 1 in this blog. Part 2 will come later. I hope you enjoy this special edition of All The Leadership!

My career summary in a few sentences

Jim started the episode with a short introduction.

Welcome to the ICC podcast. I am your host, Jim Donnely. Today, I want to welcome Doug Keating to the podcast. Doug is Vice President of business development for the national security technology company Vibrint. After graduating from the University of Virginia, Doug served as an Army Officer in numerous leadership positions for over a decade before transitioning into the private sector in 2001. He worked at several great companies supporting the Intelligence Community for the past two decades, including Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Microsoft, as a technology leader before joining Vibrint. Five years ago, Doug founded All The Way Leadership!, which focuses on training the next generation of leaders to make the world a better place.

Next, we discussed a series of questions about my career. Below are Jim’s questions and my responses, with some slight editing.

Q1. How did you get started in the Intelligence/National Security space? 

I am happy to share my story about joining the Intelligence Community. Let’s go back a few decades. My last day in the military was 1 Sep 2001. As we all know, shortly thereafter, the unthinkable happened. Our country was viciously attacked by terrorists on 9/11, a day we will never forget. I knew returning to the military would be difficult, especially since I had just moved my family with two young sons to the NOVA region. Instead, I decided that I would serve the nation through private industry. A few years later, Bill Webner, my boss at Booz Allen, offered me an opportunity to become highly cleared and support the Intelligence Community. I said hell yes, count me in, and have been a member of the IC since then. It is hard to believe it has been two decades.

My inspiration for joining the IC was 9/11/2001.

Q2. Tell us about your current role.

I am a Vice President of Business Development and Growth for Vibrint. Since I doubt many of your listeners have heard of Vibrint before, let me give a two-sentence description of the company since we are relatively new. Vibrint helps sustain the mission advantage of the national security community. We uniquely combine two proven technology firms integrating products and services to support the national security mission.

Q3. What excites you most about this organization?

I am inspired by the vision our CEO, Tom Lash, has for Vibrint. We want to be the next great national security company, and we will be. It is a great place to work. We help advance the IC mission in novel and impactful ways. As a technology leader, I am pleased that Vibrint is developing solutions for the IC using advanced commercial technologies like high-performance computing, AI, quantum computing, and LiFi. Check out our website to learn more at www.vibrint.com.

Q4. What professional experiences led you to your current position?

At Vibrint, we are focused on delivering solutions that may include both products and services. We send a trend in the government. More customers are using commercial technology. I have over a decade of experience in the government services sector with Booz Allen and, more recently, spent several years at MSFT, one of the world’s leading technology product companies. Those experiences and my military background serve me well in my current role.

I learned a lot about commercial technology products at Microsoft.

Q5. How did your education/degree impact your career trajectory?

At the end of my military career, I pursued a master’s degree in management information systems while serving as an Army ROTC instructor at my alma mater, UVA. This degree is designed to train future technology leaders, and it was the perfect academic preparation for launching me into the private sector. Over the past two decades, I’ve worked with several Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and other technology leaders across the IC on many transformational technologies, such as cloud computing, big data, and cybersecurity.

I learned a lot from McIntire professors like Ryan Nelson.

Q6. What would you advise students and early-to-mid careerists considering advanced degrees or certifications?

Certifications are a no-brainer. If you need them, get them. Any investment you make in growing your expertise is a wise choice. I would encourage anyone who wants to become a senior leader to pursue an advanced degree. In my case, having an advanced degree accelerated my career progression.

Regarding advice, I recommend that you don’t wait until you are old like me. Obtaining an advanced degree takes a lot of time and energy. It can be grueling. It helps to be young, primarily if you work full-time and have a family like I did when I completed my master’s degree. I was an Army Captain in my early 30s when I received my MS in MIS from UVA. I cannot imagine pursuing a Master’s degree at this point in my career. It would take more than I have to give at this point.

My Company Commander photo - circa 1998. — My Company Commander photo – circa 1998.

Q7. How did your time in the Army prepare you for your civilian career?

I truly enjoyed my time in the Army. It was an honor and privilege to serve in our military. I learned a lot about the world and leadership as an Army officer. My worldview expanded greatly when I lived in Europe, deployed to Bosnia multiple times, and spent time in Ukraine in the mid-1990s. Both Bosnia and Ukraine were eye-opening experiences for me.

Also, the Army did an excellent job developing my leadership skills. I was fortunate early in my career. My first duty assignment was in the 82d Airborne Division. As a young officer, I was surrounded by phenomenal leaders for four years. The best practices I learned from those leaders have paid huge dividends. One of the reasons I created All The Way Leadership! was to pass along what I learned since many companies do not have mature leadership training programs for their employees—especially small companies, which are usually limited due to resource constraints.

I learned a lot about leadership in the 82d Airborne Division.

Q8. What do you wish you would have known before transitioning from the military to the civilian world?

My transition went well. I decided to leave the Army after a decade rather than stay for 20 or more years and retire. I took a risk when I placed a big bet on myself by paying for my advanced degree and taking on a large student loan. A few family members and mentors thought it was a bad idea at the time and advised me to stay in the military until I could retire. I am glad I did not listen to them. It has paid off. I learned from that experience that the best bet you can make is on yourself.

Paying for my advanced degree at UVA was a wise decision.

Q9. What do you find rewarding about contributing to the mission of the IC from the private sector?

The IC’s mission is to keep America and its citizens safe in ways other parts of the government cannot. I find it rewarding to support a mission that will ensure our nation thrives and that something like 9/11 never happens again. It is a noble cause. I am a proud member of the IC and plan to stay for many more years.

Q10. How does contributing to the mission differ from Private to Public?

Some responsibilities are performed only by government staff. That is the way it should be. The private sector supports them. I have heard some people say that there is no difference between blue- and green-badged staff. I disagree. Yes- I get the point they are trying to make about collaboration and integration of the workforce. We all must work together to advance the mission. It is essential for success. However, there are differences between these two components of the IC workforce. If there weren’t, we would all wear the same color badge.

Q11. Can you talk about a career pivot point since you started your career in the private sector?

Yes – leaving Booz Allen for MSFT was a colossal career pivot for me. I enjoyed working at Booz Allen. The firm was full of great people, challenging work, and wonderful clients. I had spent over 15 years there. That’s longer than my Army career. It is hard to imagine leaving when you have worked somewhere that long. However, I noticed that my career was not progressing. Also, I had hit a significant milestone birthday, the big 50, and felt like the shot clock was running out. I reached out to a Senior Partner, Mike Thomas, for guidance. He gave me sage advice.

Mike told me the harsh reality that I needed to hear. Finding leadership roles as you grow older does not get easier; it gets harder. Mike recommended I take some time off to focus on my future direction. So that is what I did. I spent a wonderful week alone in Catalonia, Spain, exploring the region while mapping out my future. During that trip, I decided to leave Booz Allen. After I returned, Microsoft reached out about a role that was the perfect fit for my background. A funny thing happened after I left. Several Booz Allen staff reached out asking about my pivot. I passed along Mike’s advice. It is wise counsel.

Q12. What would you advise them if you were talking to someone in college or just starting their career and wanting to pursue a career in your field?

I used to support the Booz Allen Summer Games Intern program, which was excellent. Every year, I spent time with aspiring college students, which was a tangible reminder that younger generations don’t think like me. I will offer a snippet of advice that I gave them here. First and foremost, become the best version of yourself that you can be. College is ideal for figuring yourself out. What is your personality, and what are your strengths and weaknesses? There are many tools available that can help, like the Big Five personality test or strengths finder assessment.

The Booz Allen Summer Games Intern Program is excellent.

Q13. What disciplines or specialties do you believe will be in high demand soon?

I will put a slight twist on this question and talk about one emerging technology that will impact the IC in a big way—quantum computing. Our CEO, Tom Lash, is passionate about this topic. He recently wrote about it. He believes quantum computing is advancing faster than many realize, so we should prepare accordingly, especially regarding quantum-safe encryption and workforce skills. I agree and hope we don’t have the same growing pains the IC experienced with cloud computing. If you are an expert in quantum computing with a high-level clearance, I believe you will have a job for quite some time working in the IC.

Q14. What is the best career advice you received? 

Let me pass along some of the best career advice I received from one of my mentors, Gary Cubbage. I bet most of your listeners are high performers who want to grow, move ahead, and advance their careers. Let’s discuss a simple recipe for success working in the IC.

While at Booz Allen, I was selected to lead a struggling program. The team was about 50 people who worked full-time at an IC customer site. I went to Gary for advice on getting the program back on track. Gary said the best way to improve the program was to make the customer successful by doing the hard things required to solve their mission problems. Simple equation: do hard things + solve tough problems = mission success. So that is what we did. I worked with an awesome team of super-smart people to deliver mission success. We worked hard and loved it. Fast forward five years – the program tripled in size and was thriving. It sounds basic, almost too basic, but it works. Make your customer successful if you want to be successful.

I had many helpful mentors at Booz Allen.

Q15. What is the worst career advice you received?

Over the years, I have received a fair amount of bad career advice. There is no need for me to pass it along to others. It is better to focus on the good, not the bad.

ATW! will make you a better leader

I hope you join me on this journey to raise the next generation of leaders. The world desperately needs more great leaders—women and men who lead confidently, clearly, and creatively. It’s time to become the leader your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!

All The Way Leadership!

How to tell if you are focused on your top priorities – check your calendar

I am writing a blog series about becoming a strong leader in the post-pandemic world. Last December, I declared that leaders must set clear priorities for success in the post-pandemic world. In April, I shared a proven leadership tool, the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, to set clear priorities in demanding roles. In the last two months, I described a powerful tool that helps leaders set clear priorities and focus their daily efforts. For this blog, the last in this series, I will explain how your calendar will confirm that you have set your priorities appropriately.

Is it hard to tell if your focus is on your priorities?

The short answer is no. The best way to tell if you are appropriately focused is to check your calendar to discover how you invest your time. If your priorities show up on your daily schedule, then you are focused on them. If not, then you are distracted by other things. Yes, different activities can easily distract leaders. It happens to all of us. When checking your calendar, three other symptoms may indicate you need to change how you invest your time.

Symptom #1 – your calendar is overpacked

What do you see on your calendar each day? Is it overpacked with endless meetings? How about double-booked? Triple-booked? Do you have time scheduled to get your actual work done, or will you work late every day to complete your tasks?

I believe that having an overpacked schedule is not healthy or effective. I have witnessed many leaders hamper their performance due to their overpacked schedules. You can’t be at two or more places simultaneously.

Similarly, joining multiple virtual meetings simultaneously is not a good idea. Your divided attention is not helpful or respectful to the other participants. If this is you, trim your schedule so that you have only one meeting to attend or task to perform at a time. More focus will increase your effectiveness.

Be careful not to overpack your calendar.

Symptom #2 – your calendar has no white space

Do you have time for any breaks (white space) in your schedule? If your calendar is full of back-to-back meetings with no breaks in between, you may be setting yourself up for failure. If one of your scheduled meetings goes long, it may cause a domino effect on the rest of your day. The next thing you know, you will be late the rest of the day, which is unacceptable. Not to mention that you will be exhausted later in the day. Take daily breaks to transition from one meeting or task to the next. With this approach, you will show up on time and ready for action, not late and exhausted.

Breaks during the workday are healthy for you.

Symptom #3 – you maintain multiple calendars

I believe the best approach to calendars is to have one, not more. Put all the activities that require your attention on the same calendar to get an accurate view of your schedule. Some leaders I know are reluctant to put personal items on their professional calendars, so they have to monitor more than one. Multiple calendars create more work, maintenance, and confusion. Please keep it simple and use one calendar. If you are worried about privacy, you can easily mark something on your calendar so others cannot see the details.

One final observation about your calendar

If you are not careful, other activities will dominate your schedule, not your top priorities. Making sure that your priorities show up on your calendar takes effort. That means you must invest your time to manage your daily schedule or have someone else do it for you. Both these methods work well, as long as someone puts in the work to keep you focused on your top priorities. Trust me, this investment is worth it. Don’t let a crazy calendar full of distractions rule your world.

What gets scheduled gets done.
Michael Hyatt

ATW! will make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!

The daily big 3 is a useful tool to help leaders focus on their top priorities

I am writing a blog series about becoming a strong leader in the post-pandemic world. Last December, I discussed how leaders can address the fact that many organizations have fewer people and resources to do the job. I declared that leaders must set clear priorities for success in the post-pandemic world. In April, I shared a proven leadership tool, the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, to set clear priorities in demanding roles. Last month, I described a powerful tool that helps leaders set clear priorities. In this blog, I will highlight another helpful tool for modern leaders to focus their daily efforts. It is called the Daily Big 3.

Setting daily priorities for leaders

Leaders have too many tasks and never enough time to finish everything. The most successful leaders deal with this dilemma by setting clear priorities for their teams and themselves. One such leader is Michael Hyatt. Many of you may not have heard of him before. Michael S. Hyatt is a modern-day productivity and leadership guru whom I trust. One thing I like about Michael’s Full Focus system is its practicality. His system includes a method that helps leaders set clear daily priorities. He refers to these top priority tasks as the daily big 3.

What is the daily big 3?

The daily Big 3 concept is not hard to comprehend. Your daily big 3 are your three most important tasks and associated actions. Nothing more, nothing less. Your daily big 3 enable you to set intentions and create a focus for the day. I fully realize that many leaders have an extensive list of things they must complete daily. Your daily to-do list may be a mile long. Therein lies the problem. How do you choose what gets priority of effort for the day? Another way to think about this concept. If you accomplish these three things, the day is a success. If you don’t, it is not.

How do you determine your daily big 3?

For some leaders, determining your daily three is not tricky. You look at what you have planned for the day and pick the three most important tasks to complete. For others, it may be a real struggle. Choosing your daily big three is particularly challenging when your schedule is full of endless meetings, unrealistic deadlines, and an infinite list of things you must complete. I recommend spending some time analyzing your activities to pick your daily big 3. All tasks are not equally important. The same goes for meetings. Some are routine, while others are vitally critical.

Write down your daily big 3

I recommend recording your daily big three somewhere so that you can reference it throughout the day. Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner has space for writing down your daily big 3. So it is clear—you do not need a Full Focus Planner to use this tool. You can use whatever planner or system works best for you. Some leaders may prefer a digital format, while others like analog. I use a hybrid approach with both digital and analog tools. In general, I prefer analog. Writing things down helps me remember them later. Perhaps you have the same propensity for analog.

Three thoughts about using this tool

I have used Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus system for several years. Based on my experience here are three thoughts about using this tool.

You do not have to pick three—there is no rule that says you have to pick three activities each day. That number is recommended. If you have less, no worries. I am against picking more than three. If you cannot narrow your focus to three or fewer priority tasks in a single day, then you likely have bigger problems to resolve.
You can include personal items – Most tasks I select are work-related. However, I often include a non-work item in my daily big 3. Life is not about only work. Don’t forget about the rest of your life when setting your daily big 3.
You don’t have to rank them—some people like to rank order their daily priorities. I usually don’t. Yes, some days, a clear #1 priority ranks high above the rest. For me, that is the exception, not the rule.

How do you use this powerful leadership tool?

Using this tool is relatively straightforward. Select your daily big three when preparing for the day, whether the night before or in the morning. Usually, I review my daily priorities when I start work. Next, I will check my progress against my priorities at midday to see how it is going. If none are complete, I may adjust my afternoon schedule to have time for my top priorities. At the end of the workday, I will check my daily big three to see if I have accomplished them. If not, I will complete them that evening or roll them over to the next day. This tool may seem like a lot of work. The investment is worth it. The most significant benefit this leadership tool gives me is focus. If I get sidetracked, the daily big three helps me get back on track and focus on what is essential for the day.

What is the hardest part of selecting your daily big 3?

If this tool is so effective, you may wonder why more leaders don’t leverage it. There are three reasons why. First, some leaders do not know about the daily big three. Second, many leaders have a mile-long to-do list. The idea of picking the top three things to do every day is daunting. Third, and most importantly, selecting your daily big three takes time and effort. It is a daily discipline. Trust me, it is worth it.

In the next blog, I will discuss a simple way to determine if you have clear priorities.

What about you? Do you know how to set clear priorities? Leverage the Eisenhower Decision Matrix and weekly preview to perform this critical function. Next, install the habit of picking your daily big three before you start your work day. In the next blog, I will discuss a simple way to determine if you have clear priorities.

You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.
John Maxwell

ATW! will make you a better leader

I hope you join me on this journey to raise the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!

All The Way Leadership!

The weekly preview is another powerful tool to help leaders set clear priorities

I am writing a blog series about becoming a strong leader in the post-pandemic world. Last December, I discussed how leaders can address the fact that many organizations have fewer people and resources to do the job. I declared that leaders must set clear priorities for success in the post-pandemic world. In April, I shared a proven leadership tool, the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, to set clear priorities in demanding roles. In this blog, I am sharing another powerful tool to help modern leaders set clear priorities in the modern world. It is called the weekly preview.

Setting personal priorities for leaders

Leaders have too many tasks and never enough time to finish everything. This phenomenon is nothing new. Since the dawn of time, leaders have faced the age-old questions of what to focus on and how to invest their resources. Time is the most important a leader possesses. You cannot create more time. Leaders have to juggle many tasks, activities, crises, etc. The most successful leaders deal with this dilemma by setting clear priorities for their teams and themselves. One such leader is Michael Hyatt. Many of you may not have heard of him before.

Who is Michael Hyatt?

Michael S. Hyatt is a modern-day productivity and leadership guru whom I trust. According to Wikipedia, as summarized by my research assistant, ChatGPT, Michael S. Hyatt is an American author, podcaster, blogger, and speaker known for his work on leadership, productivity, and goal setting. He began his career in publishing, co-founding Wolgemuth & Hyatt and later serving as CEO of Thomas Nelson. He authored several bestsellers, including “Platform” and “Your Best Year Ever.” 2012, he founded Michael Hyatt & Company, a leadership development firm.

What is a weekly preview?

Over the past decade, Michael Hyatt created the Full Focus Planner and the system you use to get the most from it. I use the planner and will not go into great detail about how it works. Instead, I will highlight what Michael describes as the “secret sauce” of the planner—the weekly preview. The weekly preview allows leaders to reflect on the week before and prepare for the week ahead. It is not an overly complex activity, but it does take about an hour to complete. The best way for me to describe the weekly preview in detail is to walk you through the process.

How do you complete a weekly preview?

Completing a weekly preview has five primary steps, which are described below. If you use the Full Focus Planner, there are pages for these steps.

Write down your wins from the previous week. Start your weekly preview positively by listing your wins for the week. What is a win? Anything that went well.
Evaluate how your week went. Think about the various things that happened during the week. Ponder questions like what worked? What didn’t and why?
Make adjustments for next week. You want to keep doing successful activities and change what did not work. You may want to start doing something new for better future results and stop doing something that is not helping you move forward.
Look at your calendar for next week. It is essential to look ahead and see what activities you have planned. If you have schedule conflicts, now is the time to fix them, not later. Keep an eye out for days that are completely packed.
Identify your “Big 3” activities for the week. This step is the most important. Take time to identify the three most critical upcoming activities. Your “Big 3” can include both personal and professional activities.

So it is clear—you do not need a Full Focus Planner to execute your weekly preview. You can use whatever planner or system works best for you. Some leaders may prefer a digital format, while others like analog. I write down the results of my weekly preview in my Full Focus Planner. It helps me remember them for future reference and track my progress for the year.

A weekly preview helps you identify your weekly “Big 3”

The most important result of your weekly preview is your “Big 3”. These activities are your top priorities for the week. They will help you determine the best way to invest your time over the next week. If you are struggling because you have too much on your plate, your weekly “Big 3” lets you focus on what matters most. One component of step 2 that I did not mention in the previous section is that you should evaluate how far you got on your weekly “Big 3”. A week is successful if you achieve your weekly “Big 3”. If not, then there is room for improvement next week.

How do you use this powerful leadership tool?

There are two significant benefits of the weekly preview. First, it enables you to reflect and analyze your results from the previous week. You can learn, improve, and make adjustments for the next week. It is frustrating for you as a leader if you keep having horrible weeks and cannot do anything to course-correct your path forward. The second benefit is that this leadership tool adequately prepares you for the week ahead. You know what is coming, have thought about it beforehand, and set your priorities. This proactive approach is intentional and better than responding to events as they unfold without considering what deserves your time and attention.

What is the hardest part of the weekly preview?

If this tool is so effective, you may wonder why more leaders don’t leverage it—three reasons why. First, some leaders do not know about the weekly preview. Second, some leaders prefer to spend all their time future-focused versus processing the past. They feel it wastes time doing something like the weekly preview. Third and most importantly, conducting a weekly preview takes time. Typically, you will invest at least an hour in your weekly preview. I believe it is a wise way to start every week.

Take time to reflect every week – it is a worthwhile activity.

In the next blog, I will discuss another leadership tool from Michael Hyatt

What about you? Do you know how to set clear priorities? Leverage the Eisenhower Decision Matrix and weekly preview to perform this critical function. In the next blog, I will discuss another tool by Michael Hyatt designed to help leaders focus their efforts. I will challenge you to be even more ruthless when setting priorities so that you can lead successfully in the post-pandemic world.

You have a choice in life. You can either live on-purpose, according to a plan you’ve set. Or you can live by accident, reacting to the demands of others. The first approach is proactive; the second reactive.
Michael S. Hyatt

ATW! will make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!

A proven leadership tool to set clear priorities in the modern world

I am writing a blog series about becoming a strong leader in the post-pandemic world. Last December, I discussed how leaders can address the fact that many organizations have fewer people and resources to do the job. I declared that leaders must set clear priorities for success in the post-pandemic world. In this blog, I will share a proven leadership tool, the Eisenhower Decision Matrix, to set clear priorities in the demanding modern world. Some of you may already be aware of this tool, which is a good thing.

Setting priorities for leaders is not new

Leaders have too many tasks and never enough time to finish everything. This phenomenon is nothing new. Since the dawn of time, leaders have faced the age-old questions of what to focus on and how to invest their resources. Time is the most important a leader possesses. You cannot create more time. Leaders have to juggle many tasks, activities, crises, etc. The most successful leaders deal with this dilemma by setting clear priorities for their teams and themselves. One such leader is Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was known for getting stuff done.

Portrait of General Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1947.

Who was Dwight D. Eisenhower?

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was a great US Army General. According to Wikipedia, Eisenhower was an American Army general and statesman who served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was a five-star general in the United States Army and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe. He was responsible for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–43 and the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45 from the Western Front. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone with more leadership experience.

Presidential portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

What is the Eisenhower Decision Matrix?

How was President Eisenhower able to accomplish so much as a leader? He used several tools to increase his effectiveness. Let’s start by describing this tool, the Eisenhower matrix, in case you do not know about it. I asked my research assistant, ChatGPT, for a description. It is found below with some minor editing by me and another AI tool for editing. It is a solid summary.

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix, or the Eisenhower Box, is a simple tool for prioritizing tasks based on urgency and importance. It’s named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, who was known for his incredible ability to sustain high productivity. The matrix divides tasks into four quadrants based on two criteria: urgency and importance:

Urgent and Important (Do First): These tasks need immediate attention and carry significant consequences if not completed soon. They are typically crisis-management situations or deadlines.
Important, Not Urgent (Schedule): These tasks are important for long-term goals and success but do not require immediate action. Planning, relationship building, and self-improvement often fall into this category. Prioritizing these tasks can lead to lasting benefits.
Urgent, Not Important (Delegate): These tasks require immediate attention but do not necessarily contribute significantly to long-term objectives. These can often be delegated to others or handled quickly to save time for more important tasks.
Not Urgent and Not Important (Eliminate): These are the least critical tasks that offer little to no value and should be minimized or eliminated. They often include distractions or busy work.

This matrix aims to help individuals and teams focus on activities that contribute to long-term success, manage time more efficiently, and increase productivity. It encourages users to spend more time in the “Important, Not Urgent” quadrant, thus planning and preventing crises rather than reacting to them.

How do you use this proven leadership tool?

The best way to maximize this tool is to triage your tasks using the Eisenhower Matrix. List all the tasks you and your team need to accomplish and put them into the matrix. Each task will go into one of the four categories listed below. You may want to include your team members and leaders in this exercise so that they have a say in setting the priorities. Here is a link to go deeper with this tool: https://www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/.

Important + Urgent = Do first.
Important + Not Urgent = Decide by scheduling it.
Not Important + Urgent = Delegate to others.
Not Important or Urgent = Delete the task from your list.

This decision matrix is a helpful tool for prioritizing tasks.

What is the hardest part of the Eisenhower Decision Matrix?

If this tool is so effective, you may wonder why more leaders don’t leverage it. Triaging activities into the matrix is not difficult for most leaders. The hard part is executing your decisions based on the matrix results. For example, many leaders struggle with delegating tasks to others. If you do, then the matrix will be challenging. Similarly, some leaders are reluctant to delete or eliminate any tasks that come their way. I challenge you to avoid this trap. Don’t waste your or your teams’ resources on tasks that do not need to be done. It is not worth it.

Grind culture leads to clutter and chaos over time.

In the next blog, I will discuss another tool to set priorities

What about you? Do you know how to set clear priorities for your teams? Leverage the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to perform this critical function. In the next blog, I will talk about another tool that will help you set clear personal priorities and help put you on the path to success this year. I will challenge you to be even more ruthless when setting priorities so that you can lead successfully in the post-pandemic world.

I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.
In a 1954 speech former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was quoting Dr J. Roscoe Miller, president of Northwestern University

ATW! will make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!

Three more takeaways from my episode on the Kind Leadership podcast

Last month, I was invited to participate in a podcast recording with one of my good colleagues, Gino DeGregori. Gino is the host of the Kind Leadership Podcast. He is on a quest to redefine leadership through the lens of empathy, compassion, and integrity. I enjoyed the conversation immensely and wholeheartedly agree with Gino that we need more kind leaders worldwide. In my last blog, I shared a link to the podcast for anyone who wants to hear it and three key takeaways from our discussion. This time, I am highlighting three more takeaways from the podcast. I hope you enjoy this special edition of All The Leadership!

Takeaway #1 – kind leaders know how to handle crucial conversations

As a leader, you will face difficult times and even crises. How you act during these tough times matters a lot. People will remember what you were like when the pressure was on. Here are three strategies for how to handle these situations.

Always treat all people with dignity and respect, especially during a difficult time. Demeaning a fellow human being in the workplace is never okay. Please don’t do it!
Keep your cool. There is no need to yell or let loose on someone. No one likes jerks.
Learn how to handle crucial conversations – take a class, read a book, and prepare beforehand.

The more senior you are, the more important this skill becomes. You want to be at your best when it matters the most. I am amazed at how many seasoned leaders I have worked with who did not properly prepare for crucial conversations. They tried to wing it, but it rarely turned out well. Kind leaders handle difficult times and crises well. Mean leaders don’t. The opposite happens – they get meaner, which makes everyone miserable. Don’t be a mean leader. It does not work.

Read this book if you don’t know how to handle a crucial conversation.

Takeaway #2 – kind leaders bring positive energy

Kind leadership has a direct positive impact on both culture and employee engagement. The best-performing organization I have worked in had kind leaders who created positive company cultures. Kind leaders bring positive energy—you can feel it. Consider what it is like when any leader enters the room or joins a call. Does the energy go up? If so, it is likely a kind leader. It is not the same with mean leaders. They bring negative energy, and people don’t want to spend time in their presence.

People do not enjoy being in meetings with mean leaders.

Kind and nice leaders are not the same thing

During the podcast, I mentioned that I appreciate that Gino named his show The Kind Leader, not the nice leader. I believe there are many misconceptions about kind leadership. Some people think that to be a kind leader, you must be nice to everyone, highly emotive, soft, and squishy. Yikes. That sounds horrible to me, and it is not what kind leadership is about.

Some leaders are known to be both kind and tough.

Kind leaders can be tough

I served with many tough leaders in the Army, such as paratroopers, rangers, and special forces soldiers. These leaders were badasses. Some mistakingly believe these leaders are constantly yelling and screaming at their followers because of the intense requirements of these units. The opposite is true. The toughest leaders I knew were also the kindest leaders. Was there yelling and screaming? Yes – on a rare occasion. Usually, that method was used only in certain training scenarios or for safety reasons. The norm was kind leadership.

This style of leadership is not the norm in the military.

Takeaway #3 – Three tips for aspiring leaders

I supported the excellent Booz Allen Intern program for years. Every summer, I spent time with aspiring college students, which was a real reminder that younger generations don’t think like me. Many times, they would ask about becoming a leader. I will offer the same advice I gave them regarding aspiring leaders.

Master your craft – If you want to become a great leader, start learning about it now. Don’t wait until you are put into a leadership role. There are a ton of resources available these days. Take advantage of them. It will set you apart from the rest of the crowd.
Become the best version of yourself—invest some time figuring yourself out. Things like—what is your personality, what are your strengths, what are your weaknesses. I believe that the most challenging person to lead is yourself. Why should anyone follow you if you cannot lead yourself?
Get real experience – the thing you lack the most as a new leader is leadership experience. Go out of your way to get a broad set of experiences and find a good mentor to help show you the right way.

Some days the hardest person to lead is the one in the mirror.

Why I started All The Way Leadership!

It is not often that I get asked why I created All The Way Leadership! I launched the company and this blog five years ago for three reasons.

I believe we are in the middle of a global leadership crisis. We lack the leaders to deal with many of the world’s major challenges today. That needs to change.
Many companies and organizations lack the time and resources to invest in leadership training, a particularly vexing challenge for small companies.
Several peers lacked a fundamental understanding of leadership and regularly made basic mistakes. No one ever explained the basic principles of leadership that I learned in the military early in my career.

I was privileged to start my career serving my country as a US Army Officer in the 82nd Airborne Division. While there, I learned a lot from world-class leaders. Much of the content I create for All The Way Leadership! is from my military experience.

ATW! will make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!

Three key takeaways from my recent conversation on the Kind Leadership podcast

Earlier this month, I was invited to participate in a podcast recording with one of my good colleagues, Gino DeGregori. Gino is the host of the Kind Leadership Podcast. He is on a quest to redefine leadership through the lens of empathy, compassion, and integrity. I enjoyed the conversation immensely and wholeheartedly agree with Gino that we need more kind leaders worldwide. In this blog, I am sharing a link to the podcast for anyone who wants to hear it. I am also sharing three key takeaways from our discussion. I hope you enjoy this special edition of All The Leadership!

Gino usually releases a new podcast each week.

Takeaway #1 – Kind leaders fulfill the 5 C’s of leadership

Kind leaders lead with empathy. That means they can see the world from others’ perspectives. When it comes to empathy in leadership, I believe it is essential for any leader to ask themselves a simple question: What do the people I am leading need from me to be successful? The short answer is that they want the same things you do in a leader. I call it the 5 C’s of leadership. It is somewhat like a leadership model I learned while serving in the US Army.

Competency – you know how to lead. You know what you are doing.
Confidence – you possess the right expertise and experience.
Communication – you can clearly articulate your thoughts and ideas to others.
Creativity – you know how to craft strategy, develop plans, and make decisions.
Character – you are a good person and a kind leader.

Nelson Mandela changed South Africa under his leadership. — Nelson Mandela changed South Africa through his kind leadership.

Takeaway #2 – Kind leaders demonstrate individual integrated integrity

Integrity and trust are two values that I hold dear and have spent a fair amount of time thinking about. In fact, for All The Way Leadership! I created a concept that I call Individual Integrated Integrity. It is a way for a leader to think about integrity and trust. This framework addresses three hard truths that leaders face regarding their integrity.

Team members pay special attention to the leader’s individual integrity.
They track who the leader is, what the leader says, and what the leader does.
The team will not trust the leader if these three integrity attributes do not align.

Your team members ask, “Can I trust this leader?” Trust is vital for a leader. Without it, you are dead in the water. One quick way to increase your impact as a leader is to show you have integrated individual integrity.

Takeaway #3 – Kind leaders have a growth mindset

Let me say that adopting a growth mindset can be a challenge for leaders like me. When you get a few decades into your career, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking you are done. You think, “I am who I am, I know what I know, and I am going to do what I do. No need for me to grow.” It is better to keep learning and growing. Adopting a growth mindset has made me more resilient, versatile, and relevant. I have worked with many senior leaders who became ineffective because they stopped growing. The world changed, and they did not. As a result, they are no longer relevant. Their followers are waiting for them to retire.

The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset.
Carol Dweck

Three strategies to cultivate a growth mindset in your team’s culture

Be the example – seek growth opportunities as a leader. Read books, listen to podcasts, attend training sessions, and encourage your team members to do the same.
Talk about it—create a growth mindset mantra for your team. One of my teams’ mantras was, “We do hard.” We were starting a new program and guessed everything would be hard. It was, and our mantra helped keep us motivated.
Keep your cool. As a leader, you set the room’s temperature. When you experience setbacks, don’t lose your cool. Deal with the obstacle and get going again.

The last strategy is particularly challenging. As a leader, you get to deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly. When ugly shows up, you want to scream and shout. Don’t do it. Getting worked up will not solve your problems. It may have the opposite effect. Word will get out that you lost your cool, which harms your reputation.

One of my favorite podcasts is The Diary of a CEO – a fresh perspective.

ATW! will make you a better leader

I hope you join me on this journey to raise the next generation of leaders. The world desperately needs more great leaders—women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!

All The Way Leadership!

The legacy of MLK continues to grow years after his most famous speech

Martin Luther King, Jr. remains a personal hero of mine. I believe MLK is one of the greatest leaders America ever produced. His name belongs among other American titans like Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Ike Eisenhower. Here are five reasons why his legacy continues to grow years after his most famous speech.

1. MLK leveraged his strengths to the advantage of others

Martin Luther King, Jr. did not have much power at all as a leader. He was an African-American man living in the segregated South. Whites and blacks were not equal. He was not a wealthy man either. MLK did possess several strengths that he leveraged to the advantage of others. First and foremost, he was a man of deep faith. Trained as a Baptist minister after completing college, MLK based his worldview on his Christian faith. He often quoted scripture when speaking and writing to justify the righteousness of the civil rights cause. Brilliant – preach the truth to the racists who claimed to be Christians. Little did they know at the time how foolish they looked in retrospect.

Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.
Proverbs 18:2

2. He fought the battle with ideas

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a smart man. He passed the entrance exam for Morehouse College at age 15. He graduated with a degree four years later. MLK completed seminary, earned a Master’s degree, and received his Ph.D. by age 26. Impressive academic credentials that would serve him well over the years. If you read his writings or listen to his speeches they are both inspirational and logical. It is hard to pull apart his positions or argue against them. Many tried – most failed. MLK decided to fight his battles with ideas and non-violence. Genius moves on his part. His enemies, critics, and antagonists were not sure how to respond. They did not realize that he fought from higher ground and held the advantage, rather than the other way around.

3. MLK learned big ideas from others

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Christian, and he was willing to learn from others. His non-violent approach to the civil rights struggle was rooted in his faith and modeled after Gandhi’s actions when battling the British Empire. According to a trusted internet source, from the early days of the Montgomery bus boycott Martin Luther King, Jr., referred to India’s Mahatma Gandhi as “the guiding light of our technique of nonviolent social change”. MLK realized the odds were stacked against him. He decided to learn from another leader who faced a similar situation and won. Ingenious idea – it worked. In the end, both were victorious.

4. He spoke with clarity and purpose

Martin Luther King, Jr., is arguably one of the greatest orators in American history. When MLK spoke, he inspired others to act. The words he said, and the ideas he offered still reverberate across the world today. He was clear and spoke with purpose. It is a divine talent that few possess. Imagine for a moment the pressure MLK must have felt as he stood before hundreds of thousands on the National Mall. The “I Have a Dream speech” he gave that day is considered to be one of the best speeches ever. Right up there with Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. MLK’s most famous speech inspires me to be a better person and dream of the world he described.

One of the best speeches in American history.

5. MLK chose the harder path

Martin Luther King, Jr. paid the ultimate price for the civil rights cause. He was assassinated on April 4th, 1968. What a tragic loss for America, and the world. His early death is strikingly similar to President Lincoln’s. Both were gunned down by madmen. Both decided to take the harder path and paid the price. Lincoln and MLK both took America to a new mountaintop, a better place. I am grateful for both of them. I especially admire MLK’s decision to take the high road, the harder path. His life greatly impacted mine. I was born only a few short months before he died, and I cannot imagine what the world would be like without him. I am reminded of his impact whenever I hear the song “Pride (In the Name of Love)” by U2. A song they wrote in tribute to him.

We still have a long way to climb

America and the rest of the world still have a long way to go when it comes to equality and civil rights. In fact, I think one could argue that we have taken a few steps backward this past decade. That needs to change. Let’s move forward to the next mountaintop. To go backward would sully the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. A man whose legacy continues to grow with each passing year.

All The Way Leadership!

The most important lesson this veteran learned serving with Army Paratroopers

A few years ago I was asked at work to share my perspective as an Army veteran. The presentation I gave described the most important lesson I learned serving with paratroopers. It received a lot of positive feedback. Therefore, I thought it would be useful to share the content here.

This video includes the presentation I gave at work.

My family is full of paratroopers

I spent over a decade serving as an Officer in the US Army. I learned a lot in the Army, especially during my first tour with the 82nd Airborne Division. The division was created in World War I. It is a famous unit with a storied history. It also has a special place in my family’s heritage. My father served in the 82nd Airborne after graduating from West Point. It was his first duty assignment as an Infantry Officer. He reported to Fort Bragg in 1956.

My father served multiple tours at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

I followed in my father’s footsteps

Many years later I followed in my father’s footsteps. I joined the 82nd in 1991 as an Infantry Officer. My first assignment was as a rifle platoon leader in Bravo Company, 1/325 Airborne Infantry Regiment. After that role, I transferred to the Signal Corps and joined the 82nd Signal Battalion. I served as a Signal Node Platoon Leader and Division Assault Command Post Platoon Leader. Yes – I was a platoon leader three different times. I finished my time at Bragg as a Company Executive Officer.

Photo from my promotion ceremony circa 1994.

Leaders jump first then other paratroopers follow

Lesson one – leaders go out the door first. The 82nd has a unique culture, full of traditions that have been created over the years. One tradition regarding their leaders is that they jump first during airborne operations. This tradition started back in WWII. What does that mean – leaders jump first. The most senior leader of any airborne operation will go out the door first, before anyone else. For example, if the Commander of the 82d (a two-star general) is part of a jump, he will jump first followed by the rest of the paratroopers.

Leaders jump first to show their commitment to the mission.

This tradition dates back to World War II

During WWII legendary commanders like Matthew Ridgway and James Gavin jumped and fought alongside their paratroopers. No cushy office for them. This act is not one of privilege, but rather of leadership in action. This tradition visibly shows all the paratroopers in the plane that you are willing to lead them by going first. The 82nd expects danger when they jump into combat. Its leaders are expected to face this danger first. This tradition demonstrates that the leaders are willing to do what they are asking their followers to do. It is a powerful way to show others that I am with you and fully committed, just like you.

General James Gavin getting ready to jump before Normandy.

A personal example of this lesson from my time with paratroopers

I learned this lesson firsthand while serving as the Division Assault CP Platoon Leader. My platoon’s mission was to support the Division Command Group with communications capabilities. We jumped in the radio equipment that the Division Commander and other senior leaders used on the drop zone during airborne operations. Many times we jumped from the same plane as the Commander. He would go out the door first, followed by his Aide, and then members of my platoon. For larger airborne operations that involved many planes, my platoon would be split into small groups and jump from several different aircraft. We would be one of the first to leave the plane so that we could land near the command group members.

Mike Steele - 82nd Airborne Division Commander. He served with my father in Vietnam. — Mike Steele – 82nd Airborne Division Commander that I supported. Great man. He served with my father in Vietnam.

Jumping into Puerto Rico was an adventure

I remember one mission where jumping first was somewhat troubling to me. For this operation, we were jumping into Puerto Rico. The drop zone was not big so we jumped from C-130s. The Division Commander was on the first airplane. I was on the second plane and would be the first jumper from that aircraft. Everything en route went fine. As we approached Puerto Rico, the Jumpmaster gave me the command to “stand in the door”. That means I am positioned in the door, waiting for the jump light to turn green. When it does, you jump.

A paratrooper jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

Waiting can feel like an eternity

Usually, you stand in the door for less than 30 seconds. As you stand in the door of a C-130 you can see out of the aircraft. When I looked out I noticed a potential problem – all water, no land. I am a good swimmer, but I certainly did not want to experience a water landing. I peered at the jump light – it was still red. Thank God. I watched and waited, hoping that the light would not turn green until we were over land. I kept waiting for what seemed like an eternity.

Jumping at night can be particularly frightening.

Paratroopers jump when the light finally turns green

Eventually, I saw the land, then the drop zone. Next came the green light, and I jumped, followed by my fellow paratroopers. What I learned later was that the jumpmasters decided to put the first jumpers in the door earlier than normal because there was real concern that all the jumpers would not be able to exit the aircraft in time because the drop zone was so small. They did not want any paratrooper to miss the drop zone and have to ride all the way back to Fort Bragg.

Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne jump from C-130 Hercules aircraft during a mass-tactical airborne training exercise which included over a thousand paratroopers. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod) — 82nd paratroopers jump from C-130 Hercules aircraft during a mass-tactical airborne training exercise which included over a thousand paratroopers. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod)

Reflecting on the lesson I learned during this operation

After the operation was complete I thought to myself what would have happened if the light had turned green while we were still over water. I knew the answer – I would have jumped. I would have done what paratroopers have been trained to do for decades. The light turns green, and then you jump. I could not turn to the paratrooper behind me and say why don’t you go first, it looks kind of dangerous with all that water.

Jumping into an airfield can also be dangerous – lots of pavement.

Leading from the rear is not an option

No – I had been trained as a leader in the 82d that you jump first, and deal with whatever happens next. You lead from the front, not from the rear. That lesson has served me well in many other situations. Sometimes when I find myself in a somewhat scary situation I think of my days in the 82nd, and what it taught me as a leader. You go out the door first.

The reality is that the only way change comes is when you lead by example.
Anne Wojcicki

Are you ready to go out the door first?

What about you? Are you ready to go out the door first? Are you fully committed to the mission of the team you lead? I hope so. If you are committed and competent others will follow you. If for no other reason than to see what happens. Not that kind of leader? Don’t be surprised if your team members are reluctant to follow you. None of us like working for someone who does not lead by example. Don’t be that guy. Instead, be the kind of leader who goes out the door first.

The place for a general in battle is where he can see the battle and get the odor of it in his nostrils. There is no substitute for the general being seen.
General James Gavin, 82nd Airborne Division Commander during WWII

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!

What bold predictions did not come to fruition in the post-pandemic world?

I drove home wondering when I would return to the office next. It was March 2020 and the pandemic was beginning. No big deal I thought to myself. It will probably last a few weeks at most. My prediction was off by years. In retrospect, it is embarrassing to acknowledge how clueless I was at the time. Like most people, I greatly underestimated the scale and complexity of the COVID-19 crisis. How were any of us supposed to know what would happen as this global debacle played out? Significant changes were coming fast and furious. The best most of us could do was try to maintain an optimistic outlook during this devastating disaster while making predictions about what would happen next.

No one anticipated the global impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

We were in unchartered waters

Big challenges were around the corner for the entire world to navigate. There were no easy answers or simple solutions. No – it would take years of effort to get past the pandemic. Leaders did their best to display confidence despite the fact that they were completely naive regarding what would happen the next day. The amount of uncertainty all of us faced was enormous. We simply did not know.

Navigating uncharted waters is precarious.

Significant changes happened during the pandemic

In this blog series, I am writing about becoming a strong leader in the post-pandemic world. In my last blog, I asked, Are you ready to be a strong leader in the post-pandemic world? If you are, then it is time to discuss the big changes that occurred during the COVID-19 crisis. The reality is that many things changed during the pandemic, but not everything did. Let’s start by separating fact from fiction. Many predictions made during the crisis did not come to fruition.

Meet my new research assistant – ChatGPT

I have been tinkering with ChatGPT. It is an innovative technology, and a game-changer in many ways. One thing that Chat GPT does well is help me with researching a new topic. It is far from perfect and sometimes not particularly precise, much less accurate. Nonetheless, ChatGPT accelerates my ability to learn quickly about a topic. Therefore, I will be using this tool as my new research assistant for this blog. I will do my best to highlight when I am leveraging ChatGPT to generate content.

Ten pandemic predictions that did not become reality

Many people made presumptive predictions about the pandemic that did not happen. I cannot recount them all, so I asked my new research assistant, ChatGPT, to list ten pandemic predictions that did not become reality. Below is the unedited list. I agree with all of them. Number ten is particularly disappointing. I was naively hoping that the pandemic would make the world a better place. It did not.

Quick Resolution: Initially, some experts and public figures hoped that the pandemic would be a short-lived crisis that could be resolved in a matter of weeks or months. This turned out to be overly optimistic.
Herd Immunity Through Infection: Early in the pandemic, there were discussions about achieving herd immunity through natural infection rather than vaccination. This idea was largely abandoned due to the high human cost it would entail.
Summer Respite: Some initially believed that warmer weather would naturally slow down or halt the spread of the virus, similar to the seasonal flu. However, the virus continued to spread throughout the summer months in various countries.
Universal Effectiveness of Lockdowns: Early in the pandemic, it was thought that strict lockdowns would quickly and effectively curtail the spread of the virus. While lockdowns did have an effect, the virus often rebounded, leading to multiple waves of infection in many places.
Low Impact on Children: Initially, it was believed that children were largely unaffected by COVID-19. While it’s true that children generally experience milder symptoms than adults, they can still spread the virus, and some have suffered from severe outcomes, including a condition known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).
Immunity Duration: There were hopes that once a person recovered from COVID-19, they would have long-lasting immunity. While there is some immunity post-recovery, it has been found to be variable and generally not as robust or lasting as initially hoped, especially in the face of emerging variants.
One-Size-Fits-All Vaccine: Initially, there was hope for a single, universally effective vaccine. While vaccines have been developed and are effective, there are multiple types, each with varying levels of efficacy against different strains.
Unaffected Rural Areas: It was once believed that COVID-19 would primarily be an urban problem and that rural areas would be largely unaffected. However, the virus spread to rural communities as well.
Superspreader Events Only: Early on, there was a perception that only large gatherings would be superspreader events. As it turns out, the virus can and does spread in smaller gatherings and even in one-on-one settings.
Global Cooperation: There was a hopeful sentiment that the pandemic would foster unprecedented global cooperation. While there has been collaboration, there have also been significant challenges in terms of vaccine distribution, information sharing, and travel restrictions.

Three work-related predictions that did not happen

Also, several business leaders, analysts, professors, and others made bold predictions about what workplace changes we would experience during the pandemic. Similarly, many of these future forecasts did not come to fruition. Below I list three specific ones that I honestly believed were plausible at the time. I am really glad the first one did not happen given all the uncertainty we faced a few short years ago.

Global economic meltdown – some people predicted that the pandemic would trigger a worldwide economic meltdown. COVID-19 impacted almost every industry, some in hugely negative ways. But, we did not experience a global depression due to the concerted efforts of many people, including national governments.
Four-day work week – after so many employees were sent home some optimists predicted that many organizations would implement a four-day work week. Unfortunately, this did not happen for most companies. Some have experimented with this concept and made changes, but the five-day workweek is still the norm.
Collapse of coworking spaces – many people believed that when they went home to work during the pandemic they might never return to the office. Some companies dreamed about the potential cost savings getting rid of office space would generate. Fast forward to now and many people are back in the office. Some organizations still debate this topic today. From my perspective – hybrid solutions will prevail.

Sadly the four-day workweek did not become a reality.

Several predictions did come true

In this blog, I covered changes that did not happen during the pandemic. Next time, I will identify several predictions that did come true with a focus on the workplace so that leaders can prepare themselves properly for the impacts these changes are making in the post-pandemic world.

ATW! will make you a better leader

All The Way Leadership!