Author Archives: Devon Brown

Why Purpose Matters!

How often do you think about purpose, I mean really think about your purpose? There has been some amazing research on purpose recently that shows statistical links between people who know and live their purpose and longevity (7.6 years longer in those who have a clear purpose), the rate of deterioration of Alzheimer patients thatContinue reading “Why Purpose Matters!”

People Don’t Leave Bad Companies, They Leave Bad Bosses. Are You a Bad Boss?

We all know the phrase: people don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad bosses, but how do you know if you are a bad boss?  In your next engagement survey, ask these two simple questions: Do you have a emotional connection to your manager? Do you trust your manager? Keep it simple. These simple questionsContinue reading “People Don’t Leave Bad Companies, They Leave Bad Bosses. Are You a Bad Boss?”

Is Your Organization Great? Really?

I had the privilege of listening to @Jim Collins today at an amazing learning institute #LinkageGILD. Collins had a great comment about the question, ‘How great is your organization’? Collins goes on to say that, “If your organization (team) cannot be great without you, it is not yet great.” Wonderful perspective. I’ve often asked people, “If yourContinue reading “Is Your Organization Great? Really?”

What’s your “Man on the moon”?

I’ve spent the last few weeks working with an Accounting Team at an energy company.  We’ve spent some time discussing vision and purpose. During our conversations, I was reminded of the old story of the journalist who visited NASA in the 60’s, who was writing about the space program and the growing organization. As theContinue reading “What’s your “Man on the moon”?”

What the Holacracy?

A couple of weeks ago, Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, sent the following memo to all of his employees.  In this lengthy email, Hseih outlined his strategy for growing the business through Holocracy, an approach to organizational governance where decision-making, authority, and structure are distributed throughout the organization instead of being housed or owned byContinue reading “What the Holacracy?”

Leadership and the Seahawks

People seem to either love or hate the Seahawks. Regardless of your thoughts about the team, their coach Peter Carroll’s approach to leadership is unique in the NFL. I just read a really insightful article about the Carroll’s leadership style: Pete Carroll’s road to redemption leads Seahawks back to SuperBowl, shot at history. A coupleContinue reading “Leadership and the Seahawks”

Why Brainstorming Makes Us Dumber

“Let’s start by brainstorming.” “First we are going to brainstorm to get all the ideas out on the table.” “In brainstorming, there are no bad ideas–we are just going to get the ideas out there without comment, discussion or judgement.” Brainstorming–a long used tool, to generate new ideas without critique, judgement or filtering, has beenContinue reading “Why Brainstorming Makes Us Dumber”

FOMO and emails

How soon do  you expect others (or yourself) to respond to email? Social media, email, texting, IM, and all the other tools that are relatively new forms of communication (most, within the last 10-15 years) promote this deep seated fear of missing out (FOMO), which drives us to not only check all our sources ofContinue reading “FOMO and emails”

Are You Doing $25/hr Tasks, When you Should Be Doing $25,000/hr Thinking?

In the last month I’ve worked with about a dozen coaching clients–most of whom struggle with some similar challenges as they move into more significant leadership roles.  Many leaders in first- or second-line management roles find themselves pulled between three poles: leadership, management, and production.  Across every industry I have worked with, people in theContinue reading “Are You Doing $25/hr Tasks, When you Should Be Doing $25,000/hr Thinking?”