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ICs vs Managers vs Leaders: Why Real Leadership is Rare
It should be considered that there is nothing more difficult to handle, more doubtful of success, or more dangerous to…
Sheril Mathews
I am an executive/leadership coach. Before LS, I worked for 20 years in corporate America in various technical & leadership roles. Have feedback? You can reach me at sheril@leadingsapiens.com.
148 posts
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How's Your Adaptive Capacity?
In nature, species that survive aren't the strongest or smartest. They're the most adaptive. When the…
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Transformative Learning in Leadership Coaching
Leaders today face complex challenges that can't be solved through skill development alone. Jack Mezirow's transformative…
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Core Practices of Adaptive Leadership
The hardest part of adaptive leadership is practicing it when the system pushes back. Over decades of studying leaders in…
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Adaptive Leadership: What It Means and Why It's Essential
Most leadership models sound good until they’re tested in the wild. A crisis, a reorg, or conflicting loyalties can…
On fishes, frames, and messes
Knowing what they like
I am very fond of strawberries and cream, but I have found that for some strange…
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McChrystal on Leadership Myth and Reality
General Stanley McChrystal commanded forces in one of the most results-driven environments imaginable — yet his deepest insight about leadership has…
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Competing Languages of Leadership
Leadership advice often focuses on communication style: how to be clearer, more persuasive, etc. While valuable, these tactics eventually hit…
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Career Myths: Lies We Are Sold
I recently wrote a piece on leadership myths. While writing, I realized these weren’t just organizational myths. They’re…
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Leadership Derailment: How Good Managers Go Bad
The executive stared out the window, shell-shocked and feeling blindsided. Her boss had just asked for her resignation. How did…
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Technical Problems vs Adaptive Challenges
If you're a leader, you've likely faced a problem that refused to be solved by the…
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Multi-Frame Thinking
We think effective leaders are great problem-solvers. That’s only partially true. What they’re really good at is multi-frame…