Last week I wrote about how most systems don’t fail — leadership stops protecting them. Customer exceptions are one of the clearest ways that erosion shows up. In supply chain, customer service has long been positioned as a key differentiator — alongside technology. The belief runs deep: anyone can move your freight, but we doContinue reading “Customer Exceptions Are Not Customer Service — They’re a Control Failure”
Tag Archives: leadership
Most Systems Don’t Fail — Leadership Just Stops Protecting Them
Every time a system “fails,” the conversation usually goes something like this: “It’s too rigid.”“It doesn’t really fit how we work.”“We’ll just do this one thing outside the system.” And slowly — almost invisibly — the system becomes the problem. It often starts with good intentions. We have Customer X and Customer Y who “don’tContinue reading “Most Systems Don’t Fail — Leadership Just Stops Protecting Them”
Leadership, Control, and Ego
When High Standards Quietly Turn Into Control I’m writing this from personal experience. I was the high achiever with internal standards so high that I believed only I could get it right.Only I could lead the team the “right” way.Only I could protect outcomes. At the time, I thought this was excellence.Drive.Responsibility. But experience —Continue reading “Leadership, Control, and Ego”
Systems + Money
The Most Expensive Work in Your Organization Is the Cost You Can’t Monetize This is a pervasive issue in organizations — and one of the hardest to confront. Because you can’t easily monetize it.You can’t point to a clean line on your P&L. But it’s there. It lives in the “temporary” way of doing things.Continue reading “Systems + Money”
The Middle Manager Dilemma: Expected to Deliver Change With No Real Power
And Why Most Companies Set Them Up to Fail Let’s talk about one of the biggest leadership blind spots in business today: Middle managers are expected to be the engines of change… without being given the authority, information, or organizational support to actually make change happen. It’s the corporate equivalent of saying: “Drive the car.ButContinue reading “The Middle Manager Dilemma: Expected to Deliver Change With No Real Power”
Leadership Thursday: Leading Through the Grey
We romanticize leadership decisions far too much. People imagine a leader standing confidently at a crossroads, pointing toward the “right” path with absolute clarity.But in real operations, finance, logistics, and frankly… life? ⭐ **There is rarely a “right” answer. There is only “grey.”** Grey decisions.Grey outcomes.Grey data.Grey trade-offs. And this is where true leadership happensContinue reading “Leadership Thursday: Leading Through the Grey”
The 7-Minute Rule: The Fastest Way to Break a Bottleneck in Any Workflow
We spend so much time talking about big projects, big system fixes, and big change…but the truth is this: Most operational delays come from tasks that take less than 7 minutes. Seven minutes.That’s it.And yet those seven minutes sit untouched on someone’s desk, in someone’s inbox, or buried in someone’s task list for days —Continue reading “The 7-Minute Rule: The Fastest Way to Break a Bottleneck in Any Workflow”
Leadership Thursday: “Show Me the Data… and What’s the Story Here?”
One of the most important habits a leader can develop is this two-part question: 👉 “Show me the data… and what’s the story here?” Most leaders ask one or the other.Great leaders ask both — every single time. Because I’ve seen it too many times in my career:Brilliant, experienced senior leaders get pulled in theContinue reading “Leadership Thursday: “Show Me the Data… and What’s the Story Here?””
🌐 Micro-Efficiency Monday: Kill the Status Update Meeting
There’s one meeting that drains more time, energy, and momentum than almost any other: 👉 The weekly status update meeting. I remember when status update meetings were the thing.Everyone went around the room sharing what they were working on. We honestly thought this was the way to hold people accountable.WRONG. Because here’s the pattern noContinue reading “🌐 Micro-Efficiency Monday: Kill the Status Update Meeting”
🔹 The Lost Art of Listening: Why Real Leaders Hear More Than They Speak
We’ve all been in those meetings.Everyone’s talking. Updates are flying. Opinions are offered.And somewhere in all that noise… not much is actually heard. In leadership — especially in fast-moving environments like logistics and finance — there’s an unspoken pressure to always have answers.But real leadership isn’t about speaking first.It’s about listening long enough to understandContinue reading “🔹 The Lost Art of Listening: Why Real Leaders Hear More Than They Speak”
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