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Big organizations still breed cross-functional initiatives like overripe bananas breed fruit flies—and nowadays, they’re multiplying faster than ever. Hybrid and remote work, generative AI projects, rapid digital transformations, and economic volatility have made them essential for staying competitive.

Wendi and Bill were invited to discuss how “Purpose Motivates Performance” in this edition of Defense Acquisition University’s “The Learning Circle” podcast. They say WHY connecting team members to a team’s purpose is vital to success, and HOW to do it well.

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Whoa! Did we ever get a response to our previous article, “How to Brief Senior Leaders and Make It Count”! You can read it or listen to it here. We received some excellent comments on the web page, but we also got lots of direct responses—mostly from senior leaders who have distinct views on how to brief senior leaders.

Briefing a senior leader on an important issue? Want to hit a home run? Read or listen to this article to learn how.

For a pdf of this article, click here You’ve been tasked with briefing the Big Boss on an important issue, and you want to hit a home run.

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The Frozen Middle is how executives often describe mid-level leaders who shrug off senior-level direction. Even for something as simple and vital as conveying messages to the rest of the workforce, those mid-level folks sometimes appear to think “Insulate” rather than “Communicate.

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Here is the simplest, most powerful way to energize teams, to improve their collaboration, and to help them make smarter and more innovative decisions:

The essay below isn’t our usual essay on leadership, but we hope you’ll take about seven minutes to read it and benefit from it. We believe there are a couple of opportunities worth harvesting from the COVID-19 challenge.

First, history will judge organizational leaders by how they lead in these difficult times.

“Revitalizing squadrons” was named General David Goldfein’s top priority when he took over as US Air Force’s Chief in 2016. Executive Leadership Group was asked to provide organizational behavior expertise to the Air Force team directed to tackle the problem (hey, they hire the very best!) and led by Maj General Stephen Davis.

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The masters of innovation–Netflix, Salesforce.com, Google, Tesla Motors–aren’t trying to innovate. They are trying to dominate. These winners keep winning because they know which rocks to break and which targets to shoot for.

“How can leaders stay in touch with reality – and out of the headlines?” Wendi and I wondered this aloud over dinner with Dr. Christine Hunter and husband Bob.