Beyond the Told

by Dr. David M Robertson

Tag: leader

Ghosting, Follow-Through, and Leadership

In my many years as a leadership strategist, I have found that two things can destroy a leader’s credibility faster than you can say “promotion denied.” These two cardinal sins are ghosting and a lack of follow-through. These leadership don’ts can significantly tarnish how others see you and are central to whether anyone can or […]

Mass Epistemic Rigidity: Tearing Ourselves Apart

The recent attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump has merely demonstrated how deep-seated cognitive biases and social dynamics can shape how individuals interpret and respond to information. In many ways, this situation provides us with a stark illustration of what I’m now calling Mass Epistemic Rigidity. Indeed, this article runs the risk of being […]

Aligning Vision with Team Composition

I always say it: a leader’s vision must be compelling enough to galvanize action. Indeed, common wisdom suggests that a leader’s vision should resonate with the values and aspirations of the team, providing a sense of purpose and direction. In fact, it would be hard to find a leadership expert who might push back on […]

Thought Leadership Lost in a Sea of Repetition

Lately, I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone! In a week spent on social media (especially LinkedIn), one can’t help but notice a multitude of self-proclaimed “thought leaders” echoing identical sentiments. This phenomenon begs the question: how can supposedly original thinkers share the exact same ideas all the time? The truth lies in plain […]

Leaders Are Not Managers

Despite decades of research and countless books and articles written on the differences between management and leadership, confusion persists between these two critical roles in organizations. I’ll be blunt. Leaders are not managers. Or better said, Leadership is not management. This confusion is a critical issue, as it can lead to misunderstandings, misaligned expectations, and […]

Strategic Leadership in a Nutshell

Let’s discuss the complex topic of strategic leadership and break it down into simple terms for easy understanding. Many times, the complexity of Strategic Leadership is underappreciated. This is a mistake because it is not as simple as some have tried to make it out to be. However, the individual steps can be broken down […]

The Danger of Authority Bias and Social Proof Regarding Leadership Advice

Leadership is a crucial aspect of any organization or community. It involves guiding, directing, and motivating others to achieve a common goal. However, not all leadership advice is created equal. Some advice, known as pseudo-leadership advice, can be detrimental to individuals and organizations. Pseudo-leadership advice can take many forms, from motivational quotes and slogans to […]

Pep Rally Leadership

There seem to be two basic approaches to leadership and its development. There is the “pep rally leadership” approach, and then there is the approach that utilizes the actual science of leadership. Understanding the difference is critical when choosing which road to go down, especially when either individual or organizational investments are on the line […]

The Dunning-Kruger Danger

Confidence is essential for leaders. However, sometimes the level of that confidence is unwarranted. Moreover, such confidence becomes dangerous when the leader is unaware that such confidence is unwarranted. The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a psychological phenomenon in which individuals with low levels of competence overestimate their abilities and underestimate the abilities of others. Sometimes labeled […]

The REAL Che Guevara

A few years ago, I saw a video of a teacher’s union marching down the street. These teachers were protesting in support of higher wages. However, each teacher was wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt. When asked why they wore the shirts, they could not fully explain it (Pundit, 2012). One teacher went as far as […]