By Steve Wiley Several years ago, a colleague introduced me to a fundamental leadership concept that completely changed how I manage adversities. The CORE model, developed by Paul Stoltz, has helped me deal with setbacks as small as losing my keys (a near-daily occurrence) to more significant disruptions like the 2008 economic collapse or our… Read More

In February I was excited to see that Dan Heath had written a new book and that it was to be released in March. I preordered a copy, and after reading Upstream in just a few sittings, I am happy to report that it exceeded my expectations. Heath argues that most of our efforts and reward systems… Read More

This fascinating article suggests that the toilet paper shortage was not triggered by hoarding, but by a change in demand due to the nearly nation-wide stay at home orders. The toilet paper producers of America make both commercial and residential versions of their products. When everyone transitioned to working at home, the use of commercial… Read More

In January 2019, we had the privilege to work with one of our great corporate clients to create a new leadership experience for their folks.  With many of our faculty members having just read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s then-new Leadership in Turbulent Times and feeling inspired by the fact that the four presidents she profiled had… Read More

Owen Robinson could not remember his birthday, but there was one day he would never forget. It was November 5, 1817, the day he was set free as a slave. Born in Maryland, during the turn of the century, Owen was born into slavery. His luck changed one day when his southern master decided to set… Read More

Earlier this month, we had the opportunity to put together a special session and extend our signature Journey program to a new location: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Back in the spring, we were approached by a past client who was organizing a meeting in Charlottesville, Virginia, and asked if we could offer his group a session with… Read More

By Dave Cooper Have you ever wondered why there are so many different types, or schools, of leadership? Servant, transformational, authentic, adaptive, mindful, participative, situational, and so on — as many schools of leadership as there are authors looking to make a name (not to mention a buck or two) for themselves. Is leadership really… Read More

The following was published by Steve Wiley and Jared Peatman in the Fall 2012 edition of Leadership Excellence. It is reprinted here for your convenience. Experiential education has been a part of American training and development since the 1610s. Fully three-quarters of the settlers who came to Virginia in the 17th century were indentured servants who… Read More

One hundred and eighty-three years ago men in San Antonio, some inside the walls of the Alamo and some outside, closed their eyes for the last time. The following morning the Mexican Army launched an attack that ended the 13-day siege, wiping out all 200 combatant defenders and nearly 600 of the attackers. Many stories… Read More

Two hundred and ten years ago today Abraham Lincoln was born in a modest home in rural Hardin County, Kentucky – yes, the same place where the television show Justified is set. Lincoln often seems chronologically distinct from the Founding Fathers, but he was born just 21 years after the ratification of the Constitution and… Read More