Executive Consulting

Things I Knew and Didn’t Say” asks whether we have made authenticity too dependent on what other people can see. It distinguishes between revealing ourselves and expressing ourselves, and notes that a quiet colleague can be deeply authentic, though from the outside we cannot tell whether their privacy stems from temperament or self-protection. Rather than urging everyone to be vulnerable, the article asks whether people can disagree without being diminished and whether confidences are respected. It closes by wondering whether we have made room for people to decide for themselves how much to share.

A graduate student recently asked me how anyone practices vulnerability in a business culture that still prizes toughness. It was an honest question. Many of us have heard that openness builds trust, and then we have watched what happens to people who share too much in the wrong room. The tension is real, and it deserves more than a slogan. In "The Exposed Wallet," I explore that tension through a simple image: an open locker with a wallet sitting where anyone could see it. Nothing threatening is happening, and no one is reaching for it. Still, most of us would not leave ours there. That instinct is not fear. It is discernment that marks the difference between being open and being exposed. The article draws on something I first learned nearly forty years ago from Darya Funches, one of my teachers. She paired discernment with Heart and Presence as three gifts of the practitioner. Together, they offer a steadier way to think about vulnerability at work. It becomes a practice of choosing what to share, when, and with whom, rather than an all-or-nothing risk. If you lead, coach, or want to bring more of who you are to your work without losing your footing, this piece is for you.

Most employees understand that leaders are busy. What becomes difficult is not occasional delay but persistent uncertainty. An email goes unanswered. A decision remains pending. A concern disappears without acknowledgment. Over time, people begin drawing conclusions about whether their work, ideas, and concerns actually matter. The organizational cost is often larger than leaders realize. When communication repeatedly disappears into silence, employees learn something about priorities, relationships, and whether raising concerns is worth the effort. Eventually, what appears to be a communication issue becomes a trust issue.

Years ago, an executive who thought he was about to lose his job asked me what to do. We talked about it on a walk across a corporate campus rather than in a conference room, and I've been thinking about why that mattered. This piece is about the conversations that happen after the meeting ends, when someone lingers and says, "Do you have a minute?" We spend a great deal of effort making meetings better. Maybe the meeting was never the problem.

A dream involving two former leaders raised an unexpected question: What feedback might I have missed during my career? Drawing on experiences with coaching, autonomy, and leadership development, this week's article explores the blind spots we may unknowingly create for ourselves.