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Tag: leadership advice

  • 5 Bad Habits That Make You Look Unprofessional at Work

    Do you ever get weird vibes from people at your place of employment? Do you often feel like coworkers aren’t always thrilled with you, even when you do nothing that you think is bad? If so, there’s a good chance you’ve got bad habits that, without you realizing it, are making you look incredibly unprofessional.

    Bad habits can be many things, from playing with your computer in meetings to taking crazy-long breaks or even snacking out loud. However, if you’ve got any of these five bad habits on your list of common workplace behaviors, consider putting a hard stop to them right now.

    1. Waiting forever to respond to messages

    In our technology-run hyper-speed world, it’s frowned upon to take more than 24 hours, sometimes on the weekends as well, to reply to a professional piece of correspondence. A lack of communication is unprofessional. It is often seen as disrespect or disinterest. It also may make the sender wonder if you even received the message in the first place.

    Keep up with your emails and text messages as often as you can. If you have to be away and unreachable for a while, let supervisors and co-workers know ahead of time, and turn on your vacation responder.

    2. Texting during working hours or meetings

    It’s a sure-fire sign you’re being unproductive when you’re on your phone while alone in your office. However, it’s a definite office don’t when you start texting on your phone when with other people, especially in meetings. It’s just a signal to them that you don’t care about their time. If you have to text during professional interactions with other people, try and keep it to a minimum. Focus on the work or the task at hand.

    3. Taking too many breaks

    People can see that you’re getting up from your desk every five minutes, and they also know that you can’t possibly be that effective if you don’t warm up to your work. Don’t stand up from your desk every 30 seconds. Too many quick breaks creates an unprofessional perception of you. People will think that you’re just sitting there not working at all.

    4. Constantly complaining

    Everyone has bad days when they’re tired, sick or just not feeling their best. I’m sure you’re no exception. However, it is unprofessional to broadcast your feelings and complain to anyone and everyone who will listen. Remember this rule from your childhood: If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Keep a good, professional attitude at all times.

    5. Interrupting people

    If someone is talking to you, the polite thing to do is to let them get to the end of the thought before interjecting your two cents. Interrupting people before they’re finished, even if you’re just excited to say something, is a sign of arrogance and looks unprofessional.

    Pay attention to when you choose to let the words fly out of your mouth during an interaction with a peer or boss. Practice active listening. Pause to let others speak before you jump in with your own thoughts.

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Peter Economy

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  • Prioritizing Daily Self-Care Just Might Be the Key to Greater Impact in Business

    If you want to create more impact as an entrepreneur, start with yourself. Self-care is a crucial component of your business’s success. As a productivity coach, I work with clients to help them overcome feelings of guilt and embarrassment when it comes to taking time off. If you view self-care as something that happens only when the workday is over, you’re missing out. 

    Effectively managing your time and energy can mean the difference between being energized and being exhausted. Regular lunch breaks, coffee breaks, and vacations aside, there are ways to take care of yourself while in the office. Here are three key areas you’ll want to pay close attention to on a regular basis for self-care success.

    Make mornings work for you. 

    Do you tend to reach for your cell phone the moment you wake up? Give yourself time every morning without being connected to your smartphone. Doing so will allow you to warm up to the day and prepare for what’s ahead.  

    To that end, try using an alarm clock or watch instead of your phone. Keep your phone outside of the bedroom or on the other side of the room so that you must get out of bed to retrieve it. Once you’re up, follow your existing self-care routine. That might be exercising, walking the dog, getting children ready, bathing, dressing, or having breakfast and your favorite hot beverage of choice.  

    Now, this isn’t to say you can’t consult your phone during the morning. There may be times when it is necessary, but at least give yourself a reprieve from your phone when you wake from your nightly slumber.  

    Protect your time at all costs. 

    There are tasks in your business that only you can work on. You’ll need every bit of your full attention and concentration for this work. So, if you’ve been freely giving up your scheduled work time to others, be it staff or vendors, you’ll need to pull back. You can consider this a long-overdue calendar reset for yourself. 

    Start right at the source: Schedule a few hours of non-negotiable work time for yourself directly into your digital calendar or paper planner. Ask your assistant not to schedule any events or meetings during this time. Remind key staff and employees as to when you’ll be unavailable throughout the week.  

    The next step is to show up and work with purpose. Choose a handful of small tasks or a larger task to tackle during this time. Do whatever you need to stay focused. Temporarily silence your phone, log out of unnecessary apps, and remove physical clutter. When you dedicate time to work on what matters, the work will get done.  

    Avoid working on more things.

    Entrepreneurship can be exciting, but it can also be draining. That’s why it’s important to pace yourself at the end of the workday and practice self-care. Remember, this is about your long-term business success, not how fast you can burn out.  

    Instead of jumping on to the next task at the end of your day, take a few moments to complete a thoughtful daily review of your work. Aim to finish up the bulk of your main work at least half an hour in advance. Turn your focus to the bigger picture. Given your daily goals, where does your work currently stand?  

    For starters, you can try asking yourself these three questions:  

    • Which tasks did I complete today?  
    • What is the status of my remaining tasks? 
    • Which tasks need to be rescheduled for tomorrow or the day after?  

    Closing your day with this exercise might seem completely unnecessary. However, the proof is in the pudding. In time, you’ll begin to see how this exercise can set the next day’s work up for success. Not only will you gain a better understanding of your work, but you’ll have a clearer mind as you transition to your evening routine at home. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Rashelle Isip

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  • The 3-Question Formula for Better Team Meetings

    Most leaders don’t need more meetings, they need better ones. Yet, leaders and teams tolerate the same symptoms week after week—updates no one listens to, conversations that drift, and a mysterious ability for an hour-long meeting to end with no meaningful decision made. The problem isn’t the people. It’s the prompts. 

    Meetings shape how a team thinks, behaves, and prioritizes. However, most agendas unintentionally reinforce the wrong things. Status updates over insights, activity over outcomes, and safety over candor. If you want meetings that actually improve performance, alignment, and momentum, you don’t need a new methodology. You just need three questions. These questions cut through the noise, get past politeness, and help teams think critically about where they’re heading and what’s getting in the way. 

    1. What’s something stupid that you need to stop doing? 

    Yes, stupid. Not inefficient, suboptimal, or in need of improvement. By using the blunt term, it does something powerful. It liberates honesty. 

    Organizations accumulate bad habits the way garages accumulate junk. No one remembers why something was put there. It’s just been there forever. This question gives permission to challenge legacy processes, outdated rules, pointless tasks, and the silent “we’ve always done it this way” mentality. 

    It reframes improvement from a critique to a shared pursuit. When a team identifies behaviors to stop doing, two things happen: They reclaim time and energy. They also signal that challenging the status quo is not only safe but expected. 

    Stopping something is often more productive than starting something. 

    2. What’s one thing you need to overcome your current challenge? 

    Most teams talk about challenges in vague, surface-level terms. However, rarely do they articulate one thing that would unlock progress. This question forces people to move from explanation to action. It also gives leaders valuable insight: 

    • Do people lack clarity? 
    • Do they need resources? 
    • Is there a skill gap? 
    • Is the real obstacle structural, cultural, or interpersonal? 

    Individuals get clarity on what they need, and leaders get clarity on how to support them without guessing. The question turns challenges into solvable problems and reduces the mental load that comes from carrying unspoken obstacles. 

    3. What’s one thing you need to keep doing and double down on? 

    Teams rarely take time to identify what is working. They fixate on problems, and in the process, they unintentionally abandon their strengths. This question ensures you don’t throw out the good while trying to fix the bad. It shines a light on behaviors, processes, and strategies that are delivering a return-on-investment — so you can amplify them. 

    When teams double down on their strengths, engagement increases, focus sharpens, and high-value behaviors become part of the culture instead of accidental wins. 

    Why these three questions lead to better team meetings

    Because they accomplish three things most meetings fail to do: eliminate waste, remove obstacles, and focus on what drives value. These questions are simple, but they’re not simplistic. They work because they’re designed for candor, clarity, and forward momentum. They reshape meeting culture from passive updates to meaningful dialogue. 

    How to use them  

    You can integrate these questions into: 

    • Weekly team meetings 
    • One-on-ones 
    • Project kickoffs 
    • Retrospectives 
    • Leadership roundtables 

    The key is consistency. When teams expect these questions, they start paying attention differently. Instead of hoarding frustrations, they come prepared with solutions and become more strategic by default. Perhaps most importantly, they build trust. Because when people feel empowered to speak honestly, ask for help, and celebrate wins, the team gets better—not incrementally but exponentially. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Andrea Olson

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  • What You Don’t Know About Your Business Could Cost You

    You can only manage what you can see. Yet, many business owners are flying blind making decisions based on gut instinct rather than clear, reliable data. At first, it works. In the early stages, your intuition and hustle drive results. However, as your company grows, complexity increases, and the lack of visibility becomes more expensive. You start to notice surprises— missed deadlines, shrinking margins, cash flow issues, or client problems that reach you too late. The problem is not bad leadership. It is an information gap. If you do not close it, it can quietly stall your company’s growth. 

    Here is how to gain the clarity you need to make smarter, faster, and calmer decisions. 

    1. Identify your blind spots.  

    Start by asking yourself one simple question: “Where am I guessing?” If you find yourself saying things like “I think our sales are up,” “I think that project is on track,” or “I think our marketing is working,” that is an information gap. 

    Make a list of areas where you are relying on assumptions instead of verified data. Common blind spots include: 

    • Profitability by product or client 
    • Cost of customer acquisition 
    • Employee productivity or utilization 
    • Cash flow forecasting 
    • Customer satisfaction trends 

    Once you see the gaps clearly, you can start closing them one by one. 

    2. Build dashboards that matter. 

    Not every metric deserves your attention. Many owners get lost in spreadsheets filled with data that looks impressive but offers little insight. Choose a handful of key metrics that give you a real-time view of your business. Focus on one or two leading indicators for each core function: sales, marketing, finance, operations, and customer experience. 

    Leading indicators predict outcomes. Lagging indicators only confirm what has already happened. For example, “number of qualified leads” is a leading indicator of future sales, while “revenue” is lagging. Build simple dashboards that show these metrics updated weekly or monthly. Review them consistently. 

    3. Measure the right things. 

    It is tempting to measure what is easy instead of what is important. The number of social media followers or raw website visits might look encouraging, but they may not connect to revenue or profit.  

    Focus on metrics that tie directly to business performance. Measure conversion rates instead of clicks, customer lifetime value instead of one-time purchases, and gross margin instead of total sales. The right data tells a story. The wrong data distracts you from what actually drives success. 

    4. Share data transparently. 

    Information loses value when it stays siloed. When your team has access to the same numbers you do, alignment improves. People understand how their work connects to outcomes. 

    Share your dashboards in team meetings. Discuss what the data means, where you are ahead, and where you need to adjust. This creates ownership at every level and turns metrics into motivation. 

    Transparency also builds trust. When people see that you make decisions based on facts not favoritism or guesswork, accountability becomes part of your culture. The companies that win in the long term are not always the biggest or flashiest. They are the ones that can see clearly, adapt quickly, and decide confidently. 

    Closing your information gap will not just protect your business. It will transform how you lead. Because the more you know, the less you have to guess and the faster you can grow. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    David Finkel

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  • 3 Questions Every Great Leader Must Ask

    One of the most overlooked tools of great leadership is the ability to ask powerful questions—not to others, but to yourself. The quality of these questions shapes your awareness, your awareness shapes your choices, and your choices shape your leadership outcomes.  

    It’s an internal cascade of effects that defines how you lead, especially when nobody’s watching. 

    Here are three simple questions that will consistently sharpen leadership clarity and effectiveness. 

    1. What would I do if I were not afraid? 

    Fear doesn’t show up wearing a name tag. It usually presents as “being rational,” or “waiting for more data,” or “moving forward later.” However, neuroscience research confirms what you probably feel intuitively: fear compresses your perception. It limits what you notice and how boldly you act. 

    “What would I do if I were not afraid?” This question interrupts that pattern. It doesn’t ask you to be reckless. It invites you to step outside fear’s frame and see what your wiser, less-contracted self knows. You don’t have to act on it immediately, or at all. Sometimes, just seeing the answer is the breakthrough. 

    2. How can I act without clinging to the outcome? 

    Self-awareness includes knowing when you’ve hitched your identity to an external result. Attachment to outcomes activates stress responses that reduce creativity, distort risk perception, and push you toward playing small. Research on goal fixation shows that when you over-attach to a specific outcome, your cognitive flexibility decreases. 

    When you practice gentle “unattachment,” you make clearer choices. You stay present, stay open to possibilities that rigid outcome-gripping would block, and stay human.  Unattachment is not apathy. It is the ease that comes when you act from healthy aspiration, not clingy desperation. 

    3. What is enough? 

    This is the quiet question that changes everything. Modern leadership culture runs on “more.” More productivity, more metrics, more proving yourself, and more burnout. Research shows that the absence of “enough” boundaries leads to chronic overextension, distorted priorities, and diminishing returns. 

    When you are tuned in and self-aware, you see “enough” as alignment with your values and purpose—not as a limitation. Enough creates focus and sustainability. It protects the energy that allows you to lead with love, clarity, and purpose. 

    “What is enough?” Most leaders have never paused long enough to answer this question honestly. Try it. You may be surprised by how much space it opens within you. 

    Self-reflection questions 

    • What fear-based patterns show up most often in your leadership? 
    • Where are you holding on too tightly to a specific outcome? 
    • What would “enough” look like for you this week — in effort and impact? 

    3 questions that can change how you do everything 

    • Name your fear honestly.
      Pause several times today and ask the fear question. Don’t fix anything—just notice. 
    • Loosen your grip of the outcome slightly.
      Choose one current decision and reduce your attachment to the outcome by a few degrees. Watch clarity rise. 
    • Define your “enough.” 
      Write one sentence describing what “enough” looks like in your most important project. Let that guide, not confine, you. 

    Team talk 

    Try a simple experiment: invite each team member to choose one of the three questions and apply it silently to a current challenge. Share insights, not solutions. This builds trust and collaboration. It also helps everyone lead more clearly. 

    Your inspirational challenge 

    This week, treat these three questions as a tuning fork for your own self-awareness. Ask them lightly, honestly, regularly. They’ll bring you home to your values, your courage, and your deepest clarity—the place where great leadership quietly lives. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Moshe Engelberg

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  • How Great Leaders Transform Fear Into Power

    The CEO of an enterprise software startup, walked into my office looking visibly distraught. His voice shaking, he said, “The company that tried to buy us last year just launched a competing product. I turned down their offer, and now we might lose everything.” His fear was palpable—tight chest and shallow breath. In this state, he couldn’t think straight. All he wanted to do was hide.  

    Fear provides fuel

    As a psychotherapist and CEO coach specializing in spiritual intelligence, I always encourage my clients to feel the full extent of their emotions, even the so-called “negative” ones. Time after time, I’ve seen that these unpleasant sensations usually have a thing or two to teach us.   

    I asked my client to take a deep breath and simply notice what was happening inside him, to allow it while feeling the support of his legs and feet on the floor below him. “You don’t have to enjoy it but try treating your fear with respect by just allowing it all to be there,” I explained to him. 

    As he tuned in, his posture softened. His breath deepened. The tension in his body loosened. After a few minutes, he said, “The fear’s still there, but it’s not controlling me.” Then I asked, “If your fear could speak, what would it say?” 

    He thought for a moment, then began to list ideas: 

    • Stay vigilant 
    • Accelerate team innovation 
    • Strengthen customer support
    • Build new partnerships 

    After just a few quiet moments of reflection, the fear that paralyzed him had transformed into a call to action instead.  

    Every leader faces fear 

    My client’s story isn’t rare. I’ve seen it in CEOs, founders, and executives across industries. The leaders who thrive aren’t the ones who feel no fear, but rather those who have learned to be present with it. From there, they can discern the right course of action: courage (the capacity to move forward despite the fear), or caution (the capacity to minimize unnecessary danger by shifting course).   

    As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “First, we must unflinchingly face our fears and honestly ask ourselves why we are afraid.  This confrontation will, to some measure, grant us power.  We shall never be cured of fear by escapism or repression, for the more we attempt to ignore and repress our fears, the more we multiply our inner conflicts.” 

    Within a week of that session, my client gathered his team and reframed the challenge. They doubled down on innovation and launched a series of improvements that ultimately helped the company outpace its competitors. 

    What the research says 

    Though it is generally acknowledged that anxiety in the workplace is detrimental, some levels have been found to contribute to self-regulation and motivation for teams.i One study found that people with higher trait anxiety achieved better outcomes such as greater academic success, persistence, and job satisfaction when their anxiety translated into motivation rather than avoidance. 

    Another study discovered that anxiety had a positive impact on language learning. Through my research interviewing leaders deemed spiritually intelligent by their colleagues, many spoke of the power of staying present with emotions like fear, anger, and nervousness. By facing discomfort with openness, these leaders affirmed their resilience, turning tension into strength.  

    Allowing and including your full experience 

    To help my clients cultivate this grounded awareness, I often will lead them in a practice I call “Allow and Include.” Here are the steps:  

    1. Notice what is present.
      Pause and acknowledge whatever you’re feeling without judgment. 
    2. Allow it.
      Let the experience be as it is—no fixing, no resisting. 
    3. Include the body and the support of Mother Earth underneath you.
      Bring awareness to your breathing, spine, legs, feet, and the ground below. 
    4. Expand awareness.
      Widen your focus to include both the emotion and the space around it. 
    5. Return to center. 
      Feel yourself become grounded, open, clear-minded, and reconnected to calm presence. 

    The next time you feel fear—a ball of tension in the pit of your stomach, a tightening of your chest, or your breath becoming shallow—pause, use the “Allow and Include” method. Ask yourself the below questions and journal your responses. Then, sit back, and thank your fear for the focus it has provided you with.  

    • What actions am I being advised to take? 
    • What quality is this challenge calling forth in me? 
    • What am I being asked to release or learn? 
    • How might this obstacle be shaping me into a more conscious leader?  

    The bottom line 

    Every great leader has been forged in fire. What separates those who crumble from those who rise is not the absence of fear, but the ability to parse it for meaning and learn from its messages. When you meet fear with curiosity, courage, and compassion, it becomes rocket fuel for growth. That’s how truly powerful leaders thrive in the face of adversity. 

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Dr. Yosi Amram

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  • AI Is the New Employee and Colleague. Leaders Must Be Ready for the Change

    Someone recently asked what I thought about the future held for CX leaders. My answer was simple. For any leader, the biggest change will be managing and working with AI employees. As work is evolving at an unprecedented pace, leadership will look different as a result. In 2026 and beyond, leaders must be ready to navigate a world with AI, generational changes, and accelerated expectations for growth. 

    AI as an integral part of the team

    I recently tried some new AI tools as “employees” in my consulting firm. They did some fast work, but also went rogue, and as soon as I got nervous, I hit pause. I did not manage at this moment. Instead, I retreated. However, this was a lesson in itself. The integration of AI employees is perhaps the single greatest factor, redefining modern leadership.  

    In 2025, people still view AI as a cost-cutting tool or a threat to one’s work. In the future, the most successful leaders will treat AI as a part of the team. 

    • Shift from overseer to integrator
      Leaders will not simply manage human teams. Instead, they will manage integrated Human-AI workflows. This requires an understanding of where AI excels, such as data analysis, repetition, and prediction. Also, they must understand where human teams are indispensable, such as empathy, ethical judgment, and complex negotiation. 
    • Ethical oversight
      The leader’s role becomes the ultimate guardian of ethical AI use. This includes ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI-driven decisions. They will be critical for maintaining employee and customer trust. 
    • Focus on honing AI
      • As AI automates routine cognitive tasks, leaders must learn how to manage and hone their AI counterparts, just like they would a human. This may prove challenging in a world where one is used to reasoning with a human. 

    Generational harmony: Leading a multi-aged workforce  

    For the first time for many companies, five generations may coexist in the workplace. Each has distinct expectations regarding communication, work structure, and purpose. Effective leadership in 2026 must be inherently inclusive and adaptable. 

    • Distributed communication
      Leaders must move beyond a one-size-fits-all communication strategy. Gen Z, for example, may prefer instantaneous, direct feedback, while older generations may value structured, formal reviews. 
    • Defining purpose
      Younger generations often prioritize work that aligns with their personal values and a clear sense of purpose. The modern leader must be an eloquent storyteller, connecting daily tasks to the organization’s overarching mission and societal impact  
    • Flexible work models
      The hybrid work model is here to stay. Leaders are responsible for ensuring equity between remote and in-office staff, managing “proximity bias,” and cultivating a cohesive culture regardless of physical location. 

    Accelerated expectations for growth: Leading through change 

    In a recent keynote I heard during the ChurnZero ZERO IN conference, I overheard the CEO of G2 speak about their board’s expectations for 20% growth with no additional overhead. Leaders are directly responsible for optimizing this flow.  

    Below are some examples of how leadership may change in the face of : 

    Focus area: Tool adoption 
    Traditional leadership approach: Mandating new tools; focusing on ROI. 
    Future-ready leadership in 2026 and beyond: Championing tool fluency; focusing on seamless integration with workflow. 

    Focus area: Pace of change 
    Traditional leadership approach: Incremental, planned change. 
    Future-ready leadership in 2026 and beyond: Continuous reinvention; leading with agility and psychological safety for rapid pivoting. 

    Focus area: Value metric 
    Traditional leadership approach: Activity and effort (hours worked). 
    Future-Ready Leadership in 2026 and beyond: Outcomes and Time-to-Value (speed of impact). 

    Focus area: Data use 
    Traditional leadership approach: Reviewing data after decisions are made. 
    Future-ready leadership in 2026 and beyond: Fostering data literacy across all teams; using predictive analytics for proactive decision-making. 

    The leader as a learning officer 

    In a world where knowledge has a half-life measured in months, not years, the primary function of leadership is shifting from “knowing all the answers” to “fostering relentless learning.” They must: 

    1. Model curiosity.
      Demonstrate a commitment to continuous upskilling, especially concerning AI and emerging technologies. 
    2. Invest in agility.
      Create environments where failure is treated as a high-value data point, encouraging experimentation and rapid iteration. 
    3. Prioritize reskilling.
      Proactively identify skills gaps created by automation and invest heavily in reskilling programs to transition human talent into higher-value roles. 

    The future of leadership is not about maintaining the status quo. It is about embracing complexity, fostering human potential alongside technological power, and leading with radical empathy and clarity of purpose. The challenge is immense, but the opportunity for profound impact is even greater. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Parul Bhandari

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  • 7 Effective Ways to Level Up Your Leadership

    If you’re reading this, then you’re probably already a good leader. You’ve been tasked with leading teams, hitting your targets, and delivering tangible results, and have been successful at it. You’re a good manager. However, in a world of constant change and disruption, business as usual just won’t cut it. 

    Real leadership greatness is different. It means rethinking who you are as a leader and digging into a transformation deeper than the numbers alone. Here are seven proven ways to take your leadership from good to great. 

    1. Lead yourself first: Discover your core story. 

    Before you can be the leader everyone is waiting for, you must find your voice, your identity, and your confidence. Leadership, at its core, begins with self-leadership. The heart of the storyteller is the heart of the story. When you personally invest in the ideas and dreams you are putting forth, your audience subconsciously interprets that emotional investment as motivation and grit. 

    2. Narrate the future. 

    OKRs alone are not the stuff that soul-stirring speeches are made of. If you want to be a next-level leader, you must learn to narrate the future by presenting your vision and strategy in undeniable terms. First, put context on the change—showing how change can lead to opportunity. Second, create emotion by painting a picture of the gap between where your people are today and where they want to be tomorrow. Third, present evidence in the form of supporting data and rational reasoning. This approach allows you to reframe radical ideas into a reasonable leap of faith for your audience. 

    3. Invest in soft skills and earn trust. 

    It’s no secret that managers must be invested in soft skills such as empathy, trust, and communication to find success. The human brain is hardwired for narrative. By being willing to let our guard down and be vulnerable, you connect with people on a deeper level. The next-level leader gets this. These leaders know that to get people to move, they must show people that they care about them as human beings and not just as performers. 

    4. Lead by example and model the behavior you expect. 

    It’s often said that leadership is a verb, not a noun. The culture you set is in the actions you take each day. Sure, you can slap a couple of posters on the wall, but in the end, it’s not about what the office walls say. It’s what you as a leader do and say every day that makes all the difference. Are you modeling the behavior you expect others to follow? If you aren’t willing to model the behavior that you want to see from others, why should they follow you when the going gets tough? 

    5. Embrace change and be willing to take risks. 

    Change is hard. Most people aren’t wired for it. It often means uncertainty and additional work to see things through. Innovation can be especially challenging, as it flies in the face of your preconceived notions and threatens the status quo and the normal way things are done.  

    Leadership, at its core, is risky business. You don’t have to be a great leader to take a risk—you just have to risk being great. If you stick to your guns in the face of uncertainty, you build confidence in your own ability to move the needle and move your team forward in the process. 

    6. Delegate responsibility and scale leadership. 

    Great leadership is not about doing everything on your own. The best leaders delegate both responsibility and authority to the people around them and hold their employees accountable. This practice of psychological ownership and accountability in your employees frees up your time to focus on strategic outcomes instead of the weeds of execution. The more you empower and develop people around you, the more impact you as a leader can have. 

    7. Focus on outcomes, not outputs. 

    If you want to drive your team and organization to next-level performance, you must reframe your thinking from a focus on outputs to a focus on outcomes. Outputs are about what you make or do. Outcomes are about the result or effect of some behavior change or innovation.  

    Get crystal clear on the business outcomes that you expect. Overcommunicate those expectations with your team. Remind them of what matters most on a regular basis. Leadership is the ability to positively change people’s behavior, change people’s circumstances, and change people’s competence. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Peter Economy

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  • CEOs, You Can’t Afford to Delay on AI Any Longer. Here’s How to Embed It Into Your Business

    ChatGPT made its public debut in November 2022. Before then, artificial intelligence was largely a corporate buzzword or big tech slang. A little more than three years later, AI is no longer jargon; it’s ubiquitous. Everyone uses it everywhere, for everything. Looking down the road at 2030, AI is on track to dominate every aspect of business, from internal operations to external execution. Its potential to holistically transform how work gets done is endless. 

    While there is no question that AI will have a significant impact on the future of work, precisely what AI will look like in four years is yet to be determined. Many futurists suggest what’s to come, spanning grim visions of robots replacing humans to more optimistic images of AI improving the employee experience and providing more work/life balance. As always, the reality probably lies somewhere between the two, in a world where jobs look different.  

    People, however, are still the linchpin to organizational success. Either way, AI will impact every line on the P&L—revenues, costs, operations, people, and investments. It will affect every business leader’s ability to provide their product and/or service competitively. It will also impact their customers and competitors. 

    AI strategy 

    According to Vistage research, nearly three of four small- to midsize-business CEOs use an internally developed strategic planning process. However, these legacy frameworks often fail to accommodate new and emerging technologies. Leaders who don’t have a deliberate approach to integrating AI risk will be left behind and unprepared for the market and economic realities of an AI-powered 2030. 

    Adding AI to strategic planning can be daunting. Its uncharted and quickly evolving nature means there is no playbook or clearly defined destination in place. Add the dynamics of an AI-anxious workforce that is tasked with leveraging tools that they fear will eventually put them out of a job—in effect making people feel as though they are digging their own graves—and it’s no surprise many business leaders are wary about adding AI to their tried-and-true planning processes. However, AI is happening now. CEOs must begin embracing AI rapidly and intentionally to remain competitive—both today and down the road. 

    How to embed AI into your business’s strategic planning 

    Business leaders can begin embedding AI into their strategic planning by focusing on the following key areas: 

    • Market analysis. How is AI reshaping the marketplace, including competitors, pricing, and capabilities? 
    • Competitive advantage. How does it change your unique value proposition that customers will recognize and reward in an environment of rapidly changing customer requirements? 
    • Financial planning. How does it impact your ROI and investment models? 
    • Operational execution. How does it impact your productivity as an organization? How can you leverage employees’ individual productivity gains and how can you automate existing workflows to capitalize on the power of AI? 
    • Skills and tools. What are the skills that your workforce will need to develop. What are the tools they’ll need to thrive in the future? 
    • Governance. How can you ensure you have the right security protocols, data protection, and ethical considerations in place? 

    By diving deep into these six areas, CEOs can begin honing their long-term vision and tactical approach to integrating AI into their business. By developing a strong point of view and blueprint for implementing AI, CEOs can position themselves for long-term gains. Overcoming the hesitation to integrate AI is challenging, and taking AI from experimentation to mastery is no small—nor speedy—task.  

    Make no mistake. AI is here, and it is already actively transforming business. Those who take a proactive approach to AI will be primed for success, whether it’s in 2026, 2030, or beyond. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Joe Galvin

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  • Fix Your Management System, and You Might Realize You Have More Good Managers Than You Think

    There are seven brutal truths that separate good managers from bad—trust, clear boundaries, courage under pressure, and so on, according to a recent Fast Company article. Helpful, yes. But here’s the bigger truth leaders often miss: Great management systems turn mediocre managers into good ones—and good ones into great ones. 

    This matters because the manager is the single biggest lever on engagement. Gallup has long shown that managers account for the majority of variance in team engagement. 

    Look at Toyota. Decades of analysis point to a disciplined management system—clear standards, fast feedback loops, and structured problem solving—that produces reliable performance across plants and leaders. The excellence isn’t a personality. It’s a process, as touted by this Harvard Business School perspective on TPS resilience. It’s not unlike the Southwest Airlines I knew. 

    Beyond the manager 

    If one team is bleeding talent, then you probably have a manager problem. That is something you can deal with in a pointed way—the exit interviews should give you some direction. However, if many teams show similar turnover patterns, you likely don’t have many bad managers. You have one weak system. If your management system is bad, you can hire all the good managers you can find, but your results won’t change. 

    That’s the distinction I see repeatedly in our economic engagement work. Systems that align everyone around customers, transparency, and shared success raise the ceiling and the floor of managerial performance.  

    A real-world turnaround 

    Consider a company I helped lead out of bankruptcy—a South Carolina manufacturer that recycled nylon from used carpet into pellets for automotive parts. The fundamentals looked promising (rising oil prices and sustainability tailwinds), but the business was failing when it was acquired out of bankruptcy in 2008. 

    This was the “before” picture: Commercially, the sales group had no shared focus. In one egregious case, a salaried rep spent much of his time selling for a competitor. We changed personnel, but the deeper issue was no system—no unified strategy, no clear customer or employee voice, no operating rhythm. It was a company of hired hands. 

    First, we divided responsibilities—operations drove throughput and cost discipline; sales and marketing drove customer value and product approvals. We installed an annual strategy cycle, monthly operating reviews, and transparency scoreboards. This way, managers could see and understand cause‑and‑effect and act fast. 

    Bottlenecks surfaced quickly. Upstream, our collection partner couldn’t scale reclaimed carpet volume. Instead of squeezing them, we partnered with them. We let them focus on collection, while we built and staffed regional distribution centers and ran logistics to the plant. Each party played to their strengths. It all came down to system design. 

    Downstream, approvals from big automakers, especially Ford, were slow. So, we extended the same partnering approach. We invited Ford’s engineering, quality, and purchasing leaders to tour our 600‑acre site and then join our weekly strategic planning meeting that afternoon. They saw our capabilities firsthand, told us exactly what mattered, and helped shape priorities for our highest-value product line. Their leader closed by saying he’d never been invited into a suppliers’ strategy session and that Ford needed more partners like this. 

    Now for the “after” picture: With clarity on what customers valued most, transparent key metrics, and aligned incentives, line managers began making better decisions. Operations could respond to demand in real-time, and commercial teams targeted the right accounts. After five years, the company sold for more than five times the purchase price. We also shared value with employees because they were true partners in the system. 

    Systems that work 

    A strong management system, like economic engagement, can engage every leader in the same mission: serving customers profitably. Here’s how: 

    1. Customers define a company’s value, so managers don’t manage by personal opinion. To drive customer engagement, consider what your customers are thinking right now.
    2. Economic understanding—how we make money, what drives profit—aligns all employees in a common understanding of what defines winning for the company, making management easier and more effective. It is critical to empower employees to think like owners. 
    3. Transparency reinforces good behavior and exposes bad behavior early.  
    4. When compensation ties to performance outcomes, managers and employees are economically aligned, and everyone has a stake in the company’s success. Empirical work on profit‑sharing shows measurable boosts.  
    5. Employee participation leads to lower turnover, better relationships, and shared learning. 

    The manager uplift 

    In 30 years of doing this work, I’ve watched three predictable paths unfold when you solve the management system problem: 

    • Good managers get even better, because the system amplifies their strengths. 
    • OK managers level up, because the system teaches what true engagement looks like and rewards it.
    • Poor managers either improve or opt out because the system won’t tolerate persistently bad behavior. 

    Before you blame your managers for dwindling engagement or results, examine the management system you’ve placed them in. Fix the system, and you’ll likely discover you already have more good managers than you think. Managers will come and go. Great management systems endure—and compound greatness. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Bill Fotsch

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  • 5 Ways AI Empowers Hybrid Teamship

    This article was written by Keith Ferrazzi and Henry Finkelstein, a Stanford GSB Sloan Fellow who works at the intersection of Transformational AI and Go To Market (GTM). Finkelstein works with senior leadership to implement agentic strategies for marketing, sales, customer success, and operations. He currently manages a hybrid team of 86 humans and AI agents that earn millions of incremental revenue and cost savings. Below, they share how AI empowers hybrid teamship.

    I’ve spent the past decade inside the guts of elite teams, from Fortune 100 giants to scrappy startups. Here’s the truth: teamship still rules. But the rules are changing. Co-elevation, my term for teammates lifting each other higher, is still the engine of breakthrough performance. But now we’re building that engine with AI.  

    Recently, I hosted a dinner in New York City for 70 of the top CIO and CHRO executives from Fortune 100 companies. The question that dominated our conversation wasn’t whether to adopt AI agents. It was how to integrate them into teams without losing the human connection that drives innovation. Over the past year, working with companies from coaching startups at a venture capital firm to partnering with the executive team at Anthropic, I’ve discovered that AI isn’t replacing human teamship. It’s amplifying it. 

    Think of AI as a force multiplier for human intuition, creativity, and capacity. The challenge: we can’t treat AI agents like human teammates. They don’t need recognition, career growth, or emotional support. Instead, they show up in five specific roles that make hybrid teams more effective than either humans or AI could achieve alone. 

    Here is how AI empowers hybrid teamship: 

    The Facilitator 

    Your meetings are too long. Your decisions are too slow. AI fixes that. AI excels at orchestrating collaboration in ways that would overwhelm even the most organized leader. It drafts agendas by synthesizing async inputs, prompts conversations at the right cadence, and flags disconnection before they become crises. In our diversity and inclusion work with executive teams, we’ve seen how AI can quietly monitor whose voices are heard, then prompt async input so all perspectives surface. It removes the “remembering to be inclusive” burden, letting humans focus on the relational work that builds trust. 

    The Reviewer 

    Think of this role as your continuous improvement engine running 24/7. AI watches meeting transcripts, tracks project management tools, and monitors relationship quality scores. When I work with startups at venture capital firms, this reviewer function often becomes the first integration point because the ROI is immediate. 

    At household name unicorns, we’ve explored how AI manages relationships across five concentric circles: from exec team to clients to entrepreneurs. AI tracks hundreds of connections systematically, delivering insights like “Your client relationships are averaging 2.3, down from 3.1 last quarter.” It surfaces patterns before they become crises. The alignment systems we’ve built, including accountability grids and commitment tracking, benefit from this longitudinal perspective. 

    Stop guessing where you’re off-track. Start letting AI show you. 

    The Coach 

    Coaching turns out to be a perfect AI use case. AI operates at multiple levels: aggregating 360 feedback, facilitating empathetic conversations when properly designed, organizing input from many peers into actionable insights, and briefing managers with synthesized information. 

    For team resilience, AI prompts systematic check-ins and identifies patterns over time, so no one falls through the cracks. Humans still do the emotional lifting. However, now they’ve got backup. 

    The candor work shifts in interesting ways. Our “Power of Three” practice becomes “Power of 3+1” in hybrid teams: three humans plus one AI agent explicitly trained for candor. You have to actively prompt out sycophancy to get a genuine challenge. But once you do, AI identifies “what’s not being said” in ways that ensure peers have access to the best opinions, human and AI alike. 

    The Cheerleader 

    Seventy-nine percent of people who leave jobs cite lack of recognition as a key factor. AI doesn’t need celebration itself. Frankly, celebrating AI is a waste of tokens, energy, and water. But AI elevates human recognition in powerful ways. It tracks who hasn’t been appreciated, identifies under-voiced contributions from transcripts, and prompts managers to surface celebrations at the right moment. 

    AI can prompt gratitude circles and peer celebrations with predetermined regularity, surfacing specific appreciation opportunities that would otherwise stay invisible. The “remembering to celebrate” problem disappears, freeing humans for genuine appreciation. 

    The Contributor 

    In rigorous workflows, AI truly shines. Our agile methodology becomes dramatically more powerful with AI contribution. AI handles task decomposition, creates estimates, conducts stress-test reviews before human meetings, and tracks progress to flag delays before they cascade. 

    One startup I’m coaching saw sprint planning time drop from four hours to fifteen minutes while estimate accuracy improved. Caution: Avoid “falling asleep at the wheel” through over-reliance on AI thinking. AI should remove the friction that prevents creative and strategic thinking, not replace it. 

    Building your ecosystem 

    Here’s what the top 70 CIOs and CHROs told me in New York: the AI moonshot is a myth. You win by deploying sniper-focused agents, not Swiss Army knives. You can’t build one super-agent that does everything. The teams seeing real results build individual agents that do one thing extremely well, then create an orchestrator agent that knows when to invoke specific sub-agents. 

    Yes, there’s a learning curve utilizing AI to empower teamship. Yes, there is fear of displaced jobs at every level. Many executives worry about AI’s impact on company culture. Those fears are understandable. But what we’re seeing in practice tells a different story: AI serves as a force multiplier for human capacity, not a replacement for creativity and intuition. 

    Teamship still matters. The “what” and “why” remain, but the how is evolving as teams blend new tools with human strengths. The teams that lean into this modern way of working are moving faster, making better decisions, and unlocking levels of performance they simply couldn’t reach before. 

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Keith Ferrazzi

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  • 5 Blind Spots That Sneak Up on Successful Entrepreneurs

    This article was written by Evan Nierman, an Entrepreneurs’ Organization member in South Florida and the CEO of Red Banyan, a global PR firm specializing in brand building, communications training, and crisis management. Below he shares about the prevalence of leadership blind spots and how addressing them can help you unlock a higher level of success.

    As an entrepreneur, you quickly realize that leadership demands more than vision. It requires navigating complex challenges, making difficult decisions, and guiding your team as the company grows. But here’s the thing: Even the most experienced leaders can fall into traps that hinder their ability to lead effectively. They are often blind spots—areas that are hard to see when you’re in the thick of things, but that can make or break your company. 

    The truth is that leadership mistakes are more common than most entrepreneurs want to admit. Even with years of experience, you can easily overlook nuances that can derail your growth. What sets the best leaders apart is their ability to anticipate challenges before they arise. 

    Here are five common leadership blind spots that even the most seasoned entrepreneurs miss and how to address them. 

    1. Failing to delegate effectively

    It is easy to get caught up in the do-it-all mindset. As entrepreneurs, we are wired to solve problems, fix issues, and keep our hands in every part of the business. But the problem? You can’t scale by doing it all yourself. 

    The more successful you become, the more critical it is to build a team you trust and give them the responsibility to take ownership. If you micromanage or hold on too tightly to certain areas of the business, you stunt growth and burn out your best people. 

    Delegate with intention and trust your team to manage key functions. Step back enough to let them make decisions. Start small, and when you see someone consistently meeting expectations, give them more autonomy. Your company cannot scale if you are the bottleneck in every process. 

    2. Neglecting company culture 

    When you are heads down, focusing on growth, sales, and bottom lines, company culture can slip through the cracks. A toxic culture, whether it involves passive-aggressive communication, lack of accountability, or unclear values, can poison your business from the inside out. 

    As an experienced entrepreneur, it is easy to think your business can survive without deliberate culture-building. Culture directly affects productivity, retention, and customer satisfaction. If your team does not feel aligned, they will not go the extra mile when it matters most. 

    Take an active role in shaping the culture. Be clear about your values, lead by example, and create a space where your team feels comfortable voicing concerns, offering feedback, and collaborating. A strong, healthy culture drives performance and sustainable growth. 

    3. Ignoring the importance of emotional intelligence 

    As a leader, your technical expertise and strategic vision are essential. But emotional intelligence is equally critical. Can you recognize when your team is disengaged? Can you sense when someone needs support or when a group is frustrated but does not speak up? Being emotionally in tune with your team is often the difference between success and failure. 

    Many leaders overlook how emotions, both their own and their team’s, affect decision-making, productivity, and morale. Recognizing and managing these emotions helps prevent conflict and builds stronger, more productive relationships with the team. 

    Practice active listening, empathy, and self-awareness. Take the time to understand how your team feels and how you are perceived as a leader. Developing your emotional intelligence is just as critical as business acumen. 

    4. Not investing enough in leadership development 

    As an entrepreneur, you are constantly growing your business. What about growing yourself? Once you reach a certain level of success, it’s easy to assume you have “arrived” as a leader. Leadership is a continuous learning process. 

    The best leaders continuously look for ways to improve. They seek feedback, invest in leadership development, and surround themselves with mentors who challenge them to grow. Leaders who do not invest in their growth risk limiting the potential of both themselves and their company. 

    Make leadership development a priority. Whether through books, podcasts, coaching, or networking with other leaders, continuous learning ensures that your skills evolve alongside your business. 

    5. Overlooking the importance of work-life balance 

    It’s tempting to think that hustle and long hours are the key to success, especially in the early days. Once you reach higher levels of success, work-life balance is essential to sustaining leadership effectiveness. 

    Burnout doesn’t affect only employees. Founders are also vulnerable. When you are burned out, your decisions suffer. Creativity, patience, and overall leadership effectiveness decline. 

    Prioritize your health and personal life alongside your business. Take breaks, delegate effectively, trust your team, and schedule time to recharge. A well-rested, focused leader makes better decisions and guides the team with greater clarity and energy. 

    Even experienced entrepreneurs encounter leadership blind spots. Awareness and deliberate action are essential to address these gaps. The best leaders recognize their weaknesses and take steps to address them. 

    To continue growing your business, focus on strengthening your leadership skills. Recognize your blind spots, implement changes, and empower your team. You have reached this level of success because you are a capable entrepreneur; refining your leadership will empower you to take your business further. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Entrepreneurs’ Organization

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  • 4 Ways to Turn Your Front-Line Employees Into Innovation Scouts

    Most business owners say they want innovation, but in many companies, new ideas come only from the top. The problem with that approach is easy to understand: Leadership is often too far from the daily action to see what really needs fixing. 

    Your most powerful source of innovation is not your executive team. It is the people on your front line — the ones talking to customers, solving problems, and navigating your systems every single day. When you turn your front line into innovation scouts, you create a company that never stops improving. 

    Here is how to make that happen. 

    1. Redefine what innovation means. 

    Innovation is not limited to big breakthroughs or expensive new technologies. In a small or midsize business, it often looks like a smarter process, a faster response time, or a better customer experience. 

    Start by broadening the definition. Tell your team that innovation simply means “finding a better way.” It could be a new way to handle a recurring customer issue, a shortcut that saves time, or an idea that improves communication between departments. When innovation feels accessible, people are more willing to contribute. 

    2. Build a simple feedback loop. 

    You do not need a complicated platform or lengthy proposal system. The key is to make it easy for employees to share ideas quickly. Create one simple channel for collecting feedback, maybe a shared document, a Slack thread, or a five-minute segment at the end of team meetings. Ask everyone to submit at least one improvement idea per week. 

    The rule is that no idea is too small. Some will be winners, some will not, but the habit itself builds a culture of awareness and continuous improvement. When employees see their ideas acknowledged and acted upon, engagement skyrockets. People stop thinking, “That’s not my job,” and start thinking, “I can make this better.” 

    3. Reward progress instead of  perfection. 

    If you celebrate only ideas that save millions, you will stifle creativity. The goal is not perfect innovation, but consistent innovation. Reward the act of contributing, testing, and learning. Give public recognition to team members who try something new or improve a process, even in small ways. 

    Progress compounds. When everyone in your organization is looking for ways to make things 1 percent better each week, the results add up to massive improvements over time. 

    4. Give ownership to the innovators. 

    Once a good idea surfaces, let the person who proposed it help implement it. This creates accountability and pride. It also ensures that the person closest to the problem plays a role in the solution. Offer guidance but resist the urge to take over. Let your employees pilot their ideas, evaluate the results, and present what they learned to the team. When people see that their input leads to real change, they become even more motivated to participate the next time. 

    Innovation thrives when it belongs to everyone. It is not a department but a mindset. Your front-line employees are your built-in research and development team. They know where the friction points are, what frustrates customers, and which small changes could make the biggest difference. 

    Empower them to think, contribute, and improve. Over time, you will create an organization that adapts faster, operates smarter, and grows stronger from the inside out. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    David Finkel

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  • Authentic Leadership Does Not Mean Bringing Your Whole Self to Work

    Do you remember during Covid, logging on to online meetings, sometimes wearing pajamas, often with family members showing up in the background? Perhaps, this is what triggered the mantra to “bring our whole selves to work.” Authentic leadership is celebrated. Everyone should seek to be transparent. Right? Not exactly. 

    As a communication coach, I encourage my clients to consciously distinguish between transparency versus authenticity. Authenticity means being real, consistent, and true to your values. Transparency can lean into sharing everything. 

    I’m always authentic, but I don’t share everything I’m thinking, or everything I’ve experienced. Neither should you. Why not? Because being fully transparent can be interpreted as oversharing, which can be overwhelming and unprofessional. 

    The consistency of professionals

    A few years ago, I interviewed marketing guru and author Seth Godin for my Talk About Talk podcast.  

    “I have a whole rant about authenticity, as you know,” he said, highlighting the common assumption that authenticity means full transparency. “I do not know each other well. So I have no idea if you’re having a good day or not because you’re a professional. Professionals are consistent.”   

    Academic research supports Godin’s position. In a 2024 study from the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, researchers assessed 64 leaders and 162 followers over five days. The results proved that consistency was a key factor in predicting positive outcomes, such as work engagement and reduced emotional irritation. 

    Along with authenticity and transparency, professionalism and consistency have entered the debate. How can leaders consider this in a way that demonstrates effective leadership? Here are three things that I share with my clients to help them navigate the authenticity versus transparency tightrope: 

    1. You are always authentic. 

    Your words and your behaviors are valid and represent your true self. You do not misrepresent your opinions. 

    2. You are not fully transparent. 

    You do not share everything. Oversharing can be overwhelming for other people. It can also come across as unprofessional. Remember what Godin highlighted. “What’s most important is being professional.” In our interview, he provided some vivid examples. Regardless of whether “your cat had just thrown up behind the refrigerator, you had athlete’s foot, and you were cranky about all those things,” you still show up consistently.  

    3. You filter. 

    You consciously consider what parts of your thoughts and identities you share at work. I call this filtering. Researchers who conducted a 20-year review of academic research on authentic leadership call this bounded authenticity. You show up as consistent and professional. 

    Here’s the bottom line: Be authentic, but curate what you share. Consistently protect your professionalism and your boundaries. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Andrea Wojnicki

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  • It’s Time to Bust the ‘Talent Gap’ Myth. Leaders Must Cultivate Talent

    Finding entry-level talent with several years of experience is a riddle that few organizations have been able to solve. In a post-pandemic and AI-driven world, there’s little room for error, much at stake, and even less time for cultivating and training would-be capable people. When you add AI-applicant tracking systems to the mix, most entry-level applicants don’t stand a chance in today’s market.  

    However, the solution to this global paradox is not as complex as it seems. A client recently came to me at the end of her hiring rope, unable to find the magical combination of an eager new hire equipped with “human skills” who also had at least three years of experience under their belt. “I can’t find this person, but we need this person, and we can’t keep going without filling this position,” she said, half in tears.  

    I posed a challenging question: Which mattered more: years of experience or the human qualities she claimed to value most—empathy, curiosity, and eagerness? If she truly believed in those traits, would she be willing to nurture them herself? She didn’t hesitate. She dropped the experience prerequisite, hired for potential, and invested her time. Months later, that same hire became a cornerstone of her team.  

    You can’t afford to filter 

    My client was reluctant to hire someone without experience. The role had evolved into a fast-paced, high-pressure position, and she worried a newcomer might falter. Her hesitation made sense—leaders naturally want to protect their teams from disruption. However, the truth is that experience doesn’t guarantee performance. It’s a person’s emotional intelligence that determines how they learn, grow, and respond to stress.  

    Think of the adage that age doesn’t equate to true wisdom. The same can be said for experience and emotional maturity. If you’re filtering out prospective team members who don’t have work experience, you may be left with a pool of candidates who have longer resumes but are short on emotional intelligence. It’s much easier to cultivate and train a new team member with the right human skills to work within your culture than to retrofit cultural alignment into someone who lacks them. 

    A true investment in people 

    There’s not so much a gap in talent as there is a gap in patience. Leading means investing the time to develop the people who will advance your goals, culture, ethics, and legacy. It doesn’t mean treating people as a discretionary cost. Roles have shifted, and new skills are needed for positions that were once much simpler. But skipping over a whole talent pool of people who may make your organization great is a massive mistake.  

    An entry-level position is part of the development stage and is necessary to find the people you want to lead and who want you as a leader. There’s also something to be said about building experience from the inside. The inexperienced person you hire today may be training a different entry-level hire in a few years and may, one day, become the person you choose to take your place.  

    Hiring someone who lacks experience but has all the right attributes means that you will have to invest in their development, but the payoff will be great. You have the opportunity to shape someone to be exactly the right fit for your company and culture. I can think of a few better returns on an investment.  

    It can feel like a lot of pressure to hire the perfect person, gain immediate results, and see your choice turn into profits overnight. However, that’s not how authentic eadership works. Leadership requires time, patience, and a desire to cultivate your team to uphold the organization you’ve worked so hard to build. Isn’t that the kind of legacy you want to leave behind? 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Jerry Colonna

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  • Why Focusing on Speed Alone Is a Losing Battle in Business

    Businesses in all industries are taking a page out of the tech playbook. They are turning to product operating models (POMs) to expedite execution and enhance outcomes. This model, which originated in the fast-paced and highly competitive software industry, promises to streamline decisions by encouraging strong, top-down governance guided by a single strategic vision.  

    It’s a pretty thought for leaders. Faster decisions mean faster outcomes. That’s a priceless advantage in today’s market landscape, no matter the organization’s line of work. However, an emphasis on speed might hold businesses back as they seek full-scale optimization. 

    According to a recent report by my company, Planview, leaders are getting good at talking the talk of POMs, both internally and with customers. They’re proving less adept at walking the walk. Why? They’ve fallen into the exact type of misunderstanding of objectives that POMs are designed to help companies avoid. 

    Progress with a caveat 

    Though today’s organizations recognize the importance of efficient, goals-driven execution to their overall health, they’re struggling to turn awareness into effective action. It’s a breakdown of strategic execution at the change-management level.  

    Nearly half of strategic leaders and decision-makers surveyed for the “2025 State of Strategy Execution Report” strongly agree that they need to expedite decision-making and execution to be successful, a 10 percentage-point increase from 2021. The report showed a near-identical change in the proportion of decision-makers who consider major profit loss to be a significant risk of lagging agility during this period. It was 47 percent in 2025 and 37 percent in 2021.  

    Another key finding strikes right at the heart of the matter. According to the data, execution speed has increased and review cadences have accelerated. However, leaders are less likely to say they are prepared to adapt than they were four years ago. In 2021, 40 percent said that they were ready to adapt while in 2025, only 28 percent responded positively.  

    Essentially, the report reveals what long-time devotees of the POM already knew: Speed is a central benefit of the approach, but focusing on speed alone is a losing battle. Our research found that, despite improved speed, the average organization met only 62 percent of its strategic goals in 2024. Thirty-nine percent of complex approval processes and 38 percent of strategy-execution misalignment were identified as the top barriers to success.  

    Back to basics 

    Leaders focused first and foremost on speed have set the wrong objective and are tracking the wrong results. Speed without alignment just means moving fast in the wrong direction. To balance the scales and get on track, leaders must lay a foundation based on full digitalization and centralization of the following: 

    • Resources: to ensure that all teams have access to the tools, budget, and personnel they need to fulfill their roles quickly and effectively. 
    • Communication and workflows: to expedite feedback loops and reduce misunderstandings that can arise from siloed processes. 
    • Governance: to promote consistency in decision-making, best practices, risk management, and compliance across the organization. 
    • Information: to ensure contextualized, holistic, and up-to-date data is accessible and available to everyone who needs it.  
    • Roadmaps and plans: to keep everyone on track and focused on the organization’s overarching goals, desired outcomes, and progress toward them. 

    The power of alignment

    This isn’t just a hypothesis or musing from a champion of product-first thinking. Our research revealed that businesses, a.k.a. strategy leaders, that have managed to strike a balance between speed and outcomes are far more likely to report having complete or nearly complete centralization of execution management than those that haven’t, a.k.a. the laggards.

    Another key piece of the puzzle seems to be technology, which drives centralization capabilities in modern enterprises. Leaders are more likely to have invested in robust tech stacks to support their efforts and to have immediate access to accurate data. Fewer than half, or 40 percent, say they have access to timely, accurate data—a striking representation of the lack of centralization that’s hindering progress.  

    All factors considered, the performance of leaders is a testament to the power of alignment—both in core business areas and during change management initiatives. Leaders are 9.5x more likely to feel prepared to pivot, are 4.6x more likely to feel confident in their ability to manage change, and outpace the average rate of success by 10 percentage points.  

    Fast and effective 

    While the speed of decision-making is undeniably appealing in today’s environment, it is essential that organizations build toward it from the bottom up. That means letting holistic understanding and centralization guide both the transition to the new model and the strategic execution that follows. Challenges will, of course, continue to arise along the way. However, the foundation built amid this shift will help them navigate uncertainty with grace and confidence. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Louise K. Allen

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  • How Thanking Your Past Self Yields a High ROI in Leadership

    I found a habit hack that takes two seconds, feels silly, and has become one of the most reliable mindset tools I use. After an air-travel-heavy fall speaking season, I was seated at one of my last events of the year, sipping coffee before heading onstage. I opened my phone to check the week ahead and spotted something in my calendar that made me squeal in delight. “I scheduled a massage on Monday. Hell, yes, Past Henna! Smashed that.” 

    The two women next to me at breakfast burst into giggles. “Do you always thank ‘Past Henna’ when you see stuff like that?” I paused and realized, yes. Yes, I do. I realized I’ve been doing it for years without ever hearing anyone talk about it. 

    This silly ritual—thanking my past self for making a good decision—might sound like cute self-talk, but it’s not fluff. It’s a surprisingly powerful mindset tool with real scientific muscle behind it. Recent research shows that when you acknowledge a smart prior choice, you strengthen three internal drivers that shape how you plan, follow through, and make decisions in the future. Think of it as habit architecture with a personal twist. 

    You strengthen your sense of future-self continuity 

    Most people assume their future self is simply them, but older. The research suggests something different. Studies at UCLA have shown for more than a decade that many people relate to their future selves the way they relate to a stranger: vaguely, abstractly, and without much emotional investment. 

    Newer research deepens that insight. A 2022 study found that short rituals that emphasize the connection between past, present, and future selves tighten this “identity bridge.” When that bridge feels solid, you make clearer long-term choices and delay gratification more easily. Thanking my past self for scheduling that massage, finishing a deck early, or prepping travel details ahead of time creates a loop: past me, present me, and future me. That loop is a continuity cue, and continuity cues reduce the psychological distance that usually sabotages long-view thinking. 

    You reward identity, not just behavior 

    Most habit frameworks focus on a cycle of cue, routine, and reward. Helpful, yes, but the thing that truly takes root is identity-based reinforcement. “I’m the kind of person who follows through.” 

    A 2020 study found that small internal acknowledgments strengthen what researchers call self-congruence rewards. In summary, when your actions align with the type of person you believe you are, the brain treats it like a meaningful win. 

    When I say, “Thanks, Past Henna!” I’m not patting myself on the back. I’m reinforcing the belief that I am someone who plans. Someone who reduces friction for future me. Someone whose decisions line up with her values and goals. Identity rewards carry far more motivational weight than behavioral rewards. They shape how you act next time without needing a pep talk. 

    You reduce the mental drag of regret 

    Regret is a sneaky tax on your cognitive bandwidth. Not the dramatic kind—more the low-grade, “ugh, I wish I had set this up sooner” version that slows you down. When you acknowledge something past you did well, you’re sending a message to your brain: This kind of prep pays off. That tiny internal nod feels good, but more important, it reinforces the mental association between foresight and relief. Your mind starts keeping a friendlier scorecard, “Good planning helps me.” That kind of reinforcement is what people actually repeat. 

    You build self-compassion that improves follow through 

    Most of the time, the way you talk to your past self is unkind. Why didn’t I do this earlier? Why did I make that choice? Why wasn’t I more disciplined? 

    Flipping the script builds a soft skill with hard benefits. Kristin Neff’s work on self-compassion continues to show that treating yourself with care (even retroactively) strengthens resilience, increases follow-through, and protects against burnout. Gratitude toward your past self reinforces capability rather than deficiency.  

    Why this matters right now 

    In a world of compressed timelines, more change than clarity, and competing demands on your attention, anything that reduces mental friction is a strategic advantage. As planning horizons shrink—especially for Millennials and Gen-Z—tools that reinforce long-view thinking become even more valuable. 

    Even tech platforms are experimenting with this idea. New studies in human-AI interaction show that prompting people to message a future-self avatar increases feelings of calm, improves planning, and reduces anxiety spikes during tough decisions. Translation: Your brain loves continuity, and you don’t need an app to build it. 

    A quick example in practice 

    Earlier this year, I made a call six months ahead to decline a low-paying speaking engagement so I could free up space for a project that mattered more. When that project paid off, I whispered to myself, quietly but sincerely, “Thanks, Past Henna.” 

    That moment did three things: It affirmed the identity. It reinforced the timeline bridge, and it reminded me that caring for my future self is a high return-on-investment habit. 

    Find one thing—just one—that past you set in motion. Maybe you prepped for a meeting, blocked your calendar, saved a lead, or declined an invitation that would have drained your focus. Pause for a second, acknowledge it, and say thanks. It may feel a little awkward at first, but you’re doing it for clarity, not comedy. (It doesn’t hurt that it makes people smile, though!) 

    Try it once and watch what happens: Your past self might be the teammate you’ve needed all along. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    The final deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 12, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

    Henna Pryor

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  • Why Saying ‘No Returns’ Is Not Profitable, According to Rebel Founder Emily Hosie

    Every entrepreneur faces waste, whether it is inventory, time, or money lost in the shuffle of doing business. Rebel founder and CEO Emily Hosie built North America’s largest returns re-commerce platform by asking how she could turn that waste into profit. This was one of the shocking things I have learned—saying “no returns” is not profitable.  

    Emily’s company partners with retailers to reprocess and resell returned and overstocked items that would otherwise become waste. To date, Rebel has kept more than 25 million pounds of goods out of landfills each year while creating a new source of revenue for its partners. Returns aren’t just a cost of doing business; they can become your next source of profit. 

    On a recent episode of The Big Idea from Yahoo Finance, I sat down with Hosie to explore how she turned one of retail’s biggest headaches into a sustainable and scalable business. Her experience offers practical lessons for any founder who wants to turn setbacks and inefficiencies into growth. 

    Spot the opportunity in waste 

    When Hosie began, she noticed retailers had no efficient way to handle returns. Investors understood excess inventory, but few realized the massive cost of returns. In 2024, U.S. retailers processed $890 billion worth of returned merchandise. Hosie said that figure is expected to reach $1 trillion by the end of 2026. 

    Hosie explained that at first, no company wanted to admit its returns were being thrown away. Her breakthrough came when a large retailer on the brink of bankruptcy finally acknowledged the problem and asked if Rebel could help process its discarded inventory. That moment, she said, proved the model could work at scale. 

    For small business owners, the lesson is to look for inefficiency hiding in plain sight. Know your return rate, audit your return policy, and explore creative ways to resell or repurpose unsold inventory. You might list returned products in your website’s clearance section or move them through a warehouse sale. Waste is rarely just waste. It is often an overlooked resource waiting for someone to manage it better. 

    Educate and build trust 

    Creating a new category required educating three audiences: investors, retailers, and consumers. Investors needed to understand how returns differ from factory overstock. Retailers had to admit they needed a better solution. Consumers needed clarity on what “open box” means and why it offers value. Open-box items are products that were purchased and returned but never used. 

    Hosie built credibility by showing results and using early successes to bring others along. Once one partner trusted the platform, her team used that proof to win the next. When you are selling something new, proof of performance is your best marketing. Teaching your market what problem you solve and showing measurable results builds trust faster than any pitch. 

    Turn risk into resilience 

    Hosie launched Rebel in unusual conditions and kept moving. “It started in our basement,” she recalled. “We had transport trucks dropping pallets of returns on the sidewalk in downtown Toronto.”  

    The timing was far from ideal. Hosie was pregnant, and the pandemic lockdown had just started. “I think there’s never a right time,” she said. If an idea does not work, “then you’ll just go back and get another job.” 

    Her experience shows that flexibility matters more than timing. Founders who start before conditions are perfect learn faster, pivot sooner, and build resilience by necessity. 

    Build loyalty through returns 

    Hosie treated returns as a growth tool rather than a nuisance. “Over 50% of [customers] are discovering a brand for the first time,” she said, describing how open-box pricing introduces shoppers to labels they might not buy at full price.  

    She also found that shoppers who make a return often “buy triple the amount” during the visit. A strong return policy can be part of a healthy customer retention strategy. It keeps people engaged and builds goodwill long after the initial purchase. 

    Hosie’s story shows how rethinking waste can unlock new revenue, new customers, and a healthier business. The lesson is simple: Look where others see loss, educate the market with proof, make your move before conditions feel perfect, and use returns to build loyalty. 

    Elizabeth Gore

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  • What Great Leaders Do When the Ground Keeps Shifting

    A client of mine is going through a rough patch right now. He is an executive for a global manufacturing company. His role requires coordinating resources and teams across the world, with a workload that tripled within two weeks. This means his travel has tripled as well, and he finds himself living out of a suitcase and staying up until 1 a.m. processing invoices and expense reports. 

    This is all against the backdrop of uncertainty most high-level executives and entrepreneurs today can relate to. Reacting to constantly changing tariffs, for example, which requires daily pivots to different suppliers and increased costs. Or difficulty finding the right talent for the right roles, and figuring out how AI fits into everything. 

    “It’s like drinking through a firehose,” my client explained.  

    It may seem impossible to avoid burnout during this time, let alone to keep leading at a high level. How do you stay consistent when the world around you is anything but? Leading through uncertainty means throwing out the old leadership playbook and embracing flexibility instead. Here are six principles to put in your new adaptable-leadership playbook.   

    1. Stop predicting and start adapting.  

    The current moment is proving that making predictions is not a good use of energy or resources. So how do you plan for the unexpected? Start by shifting strategic planning from an annual event to a quarterly check-in. This will allow you and your team to change plans more easily. Build adaptability into your systems by running small experiments with a closed feedback loop. Utilize that in place of giant, system-wide initiatives that are difficult to adjust at a moment’s notice.  

    2. Prioritize ruthlessly. 

    Like my client, many leaders I coach have been managing reactively, putting out fires every day. This causes everything to feel like a priority, and it’s difficult to focus on what’s important through all the haze and smoke. When confronted with a task, email, call, or so-called “emergency,” ask yourself, “What if I just stopped doing this?” Sometimes, the answer is “nothing.” 

    To help narrow down what doesn’t need your time and attention right now, identify three initiatives that are consuming time and resources while delivering little to no impact. Then either put them on pause, or stop them entirely.   

    Think of your workload as a garden. What are the dry weeds that can easily catch fire? What are the plants that hold water in their leaves and inhibit fires?  

    3. Build coalitions, not consensus. 

    When things change quickly, you can’t wait for consensus. By the time everyone weighs in on a decision, things have probably changed again. Instead, aim for alignment on vision, values, and mission—the things that remain steady through turbulent times. Give your people the autonomy to act within those boundaries.  

    Be clear on non-negotiables…and then, get out of the way. Your team will feel empowered, and you’ll be able to clear a bit of your inbox, calendar, and mental load.  

    4. Use AI intelligently. 

    Think of AI as a support partner that never needs time off. Use AI tools to handle routine, low-judgment tasks that can drain you of time and energy, such as reports, expense tracking, and scheduling. This can free you and your team to focus on tasks that are often rejuvenating—things that require creativity, relationship-building, and problem-solving. 

    5. Create “white space” to think. 

    When you’re in that reactive, putting-out-fires mode, you rarely have time and space to just think. Block out two hours of “white space” time each month with your leadership team, and ask questions that can help you build adaptability as a team: “What surprised us recently? What trends or signals are we noticing? What might we be missing?” 

    Invite people from different departments or regions to join you. What are they hearing from clients and customers? What are they noticing in their regions? Widening your perspective can give you more information, and more information makes it easier to adapt. 

    6. Protect your most valuable resource: you. 

    Burnout prevention isn’t a luxury to think about once things have settled down. It’s a non-negotiable. My client has recommitted to going for a morning run before his workday starts, no matter where he is in the world. It not only helps him stay healthy, but it grounds him mentally. He blocks his running time off on his calendar. If weather doesn’t allow an outside run, he hits the hotel treadmill.   

    Consider your own burnout prevention tools—whether they’re exercise, meditation, time in nature, time with friends and family, or whatever helps you feel renewed—as immovable boundaries for yourself and your team. The world isn’t slowing down anytime soon. However, with clarity, adaptability, and care for yourself and your team, you can lead through uncertainty and even find strength in it. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    Maya Hu-Chan

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  • How Great Leaders Turn Constraints Into Creative Breakthroughs

    When I first started working with creative teams on brand strategy, I thought giving them total freedom was generous—a blank page, endless options, and opportunity to go wild! Turns out, the blank page wasn’t freeing. It was terrifying. 

    The blank page panic disappears 

    Once I added a few guiding themes—a purpose, a feel, a tone—everything changed. Ideas began to flow, laughter came back, and creativity soared. I learned that constraints don’t kill innovation—they ignite it. 

    Psychologists have found that when resources are scarce, creativity often increases. This happens because people are forced to make new connections and use what they have in fresh ways. Constraints focus energy. When that energy uplifts and connects, creativity flourishes. 

    Leveraging ambiguity 

    Leaders live this truth every day. They operate in ambiguity, making decisions without all the information. It’s uncomfortable, and it’s also what keeps leadership alive. The uncertainty can add energy, curiosity, and even a sense of adventure when met with love-fueled openness. 

    When more constraints means more creativity 

    Some of the greatest innovations happen when the CFO says no to more money, more people, or more time. Instead, the team has to dig deep. Take IKEA. Their challenge wasn’t just to make nice furniture. It was to make beautiful furniture that’s affordable. Shipping full-size furniture was a cost trap, so they flipped the problem: flat-pack boxes, self-assembly, and minimal waste. That constraint became a global business model and invited the world to pronounce Swedish names! 

    Consider Southwest Airlines. They couldn’t afford the traditional airline model with multiple plane types and first-class service. Their response: one aircraft (the 737) and all coach seating—plus ultra-efficient operations. Simplicity became their superpower until they met their kryptonite. 

    In tech, look at Hugging Face, the company behind DistilBERT. Massive AI models like BERT were too expensive and slow to run. So they built a smaller, faster version that kept nearly all its intelligence. 

    The “yes, and” mindset 

    The second ingredient is the improv-inspired mindset of “Yes, and.” In improv, you don’t reject your partner’s wild idea—you accept it and build upon it. “Yes, it’s a spaceship… and it’s also a bakery!” That simple rule keeps scenes alive and ideas flowing. 

    In business, it’s the same. For example, at Pixar, the Braintrust meetings embody a “yes and” mentality. Ideas aren’t shut down. They’re built upon. That culture of exploration and iteration helped transform early story sketches into landmark films such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. 

    Know when to say when  

    “Yes, and” isn’t about saying yes to everything. Love-powered leaders know when to pivot or pause. Wisdom lies in knowing when to stop chasing an idea and start learning from it. That’s still “yes, and”—just with humility and awareness. 

    Reflection questions 

    • When have constraints sharpened your creativity? 
    • How might uncertainty become a source of energy instead of stress for your leadership team?
    • Where could you replace “Yes, but…” with “Yes, and…” in your leadership? 

    5 steps to embrace constraints 

    1. Embrace constraints.
      Define a few creative boundaries. They focus imagination. 
    2. Practice “Yes, and.”
      Try five minutes of additive thinking in your next team meeting. No “buts” allowed. 
    3. Spot positive energy.
      Watch for moments when your team lights up—that’s your creative flow. 
    4. Welcome uncertainty.
      Treat not knowing something as an adventure, not a flaw. 
    5. Celebrate creative courage.
      Recognize both breakthroughs and graceful exits. 

    Team talk 

    At your next meeting, run a quick “Yes, and” session around a real challenge. Build upon each idea for five minutes. Then reflect on what shifted—in energy, ideas, and connection. 

    Your innovation challenge 

    If innovation had a dating profile, it would say: “Likes: limits, laughter, and love. Dislikes: endless budgets and buzzwords.” Less clutter, more connection. When you and your team bring curiosity, trust, and love-led energy to what’s already in your hands, the ordinary turns extraordinary. 

    Love-powered leaders don’t wait for perfect conditions. They create them, even with constraints. So when the next “no” arrives—no more budget, no more time, no more certainty—take a breath and smile. You might be standing at the starting line of something remarkable. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    Moshe Engelberg

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